Roderick Williams - The Song of Love (2019)

The Song of Love - songs and duets by Ralph Vaughan Williams performed by mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately, baritone Roderick Williams and pianist William Vann, includes fifteen world-première recordings and one first modern recording, including six unpublished works. Songs include arrangements of older or traditional songs in both French and German, including the Huguenot Battle Psalm and a troubadour song from the end of the 12th century. There are Three Songs from Shakespeare (not to be confused with the part-songs entitled Three Shakespeare Songs), settings of two poems by the Irish poet Seumas O'Sullivan, and two duets from 1903.

On 2 December 1904 Vaughan Williams promoted his own works at an amazing concert in what is now the Wigmore Hall. Amongst other first performances, The House of Life (a setting of six sonnets by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, including the ever-popular Silent Noon) was premièred by a contralto, Edith Clegg, with Hamilton Harty at the piano. There are many recordings: but all are by tenors and baritones. On this album Kitty Whately has made the first 'female' recording of the complete cycle beginning to redress the balance.

Kitty Whately trained at Chetham's School of Music, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and The Royal College of Music International Opera School. Kitty was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2013-15. She was the recipient of both the Kathleen Ferrier Award and the 59th Royal Overseas League Award in the same year. In 2017 Kitty released her second album, Nights not spent alone, to critical acclaim.

Roderick Williams OBE is one of the most sought-after baritones of his generation. Recent and future opera engagements include the title role in Eugene Onegin for Garsington, the title role in Billy Budd with Opera North and Papageno for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. His numerous recordings include Vaughan Williams, Berkeley and Britten operas for Chandos and an extensive repertoire of English song with pianist Iain Burnside for both Naxos and Albion Records.

Gramophone, reviewing Purer than Pearl, Albion Records' 2016 disc of Vaughan Williams song, reserved 'a special word of praise for William Vann's deft pianism'. A multiple-prize winning accompanist and conductor, William performs with a host of major singers and instrumentalists across the world. He is also the Director of Music at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea and the founder and Artistic Director of the London English Song Festival. On 3rd April 2019 he made his Royal Festival Hall debut conducting Hubert Parry's long-neglected oratorio Judith, which he has also recorded for Chandos Records.