George Butterworth is best remembered for his lyrical settings of poems by A.E. Housman, specifically the Six Songs from "A Shropshire Lad" and Bredon Hill and Other Songs. But The Complete Butterworth Songbook on Stone Records shows that he also put music to poetry by Robert Bridges, Robert Louis Stevenson, William Ernest Henley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Oscar Wilde, as well as adapted several folk songs from Sussex. This is a small body of work, easily contained on a single CD, and most of Butterworth's songs are quite short and economical, leaving a rather elusive impression of the composer's style and skill. Yet when they are taken as a whole, Butterworth emerges as a gifted melodist with a liking for direct melodies and transparent accompaniments, and his love for the English folk song informs his simple handling of texts. Baritone Mark Stone and pianist Stephen Barlow perform the 30 songs with straightforward expression and spontaneity, and though sentiment is a big part of these songs, the performances never become sentimental or maudlin. Stone's voice is strong and his tone is rich in the resonant performance space, while Barlow's playing is supportive and simpatico, but never overpowering. There is a bonus video of Butterworth dancing the Field Town Morris jig, from a 1912 film.
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