From John Dowland’s 17th century lute music to more recent, refined and intellectual rethinking of the genre in the 20th century, Great Britain has had a long tradition of writing “songs”. For her new album, with pianist Joseph Middleton, English soprano singer Carolyn Sampson has chosen a series of pieces composed within the last 120 years. She has willingly decided to exclude from the repertoire well-known musicians, such as Britten and Tippett, whose compositions have often been recorded.
This pleasant album begins and ends with Walton. The first track, a piece of occasional music, is full of Walton’s slightly mistimed nonchalance. It portrays different aspects of life in London. The record’s last tracks, however, were selected from Façade, an Erik Satie (and Les Six)-influenced composition which scandalized the city when it was first performed in 1923 and boosted the composer’s career. Also featured in the record is a myriad of musical skits from Ralph Vaughan Williams, Frank Bridge, Roger Quilter and Huw Watkins, whose Five Larkin Songs were commissioned by Carolyn Sampson. © François Hudry/Qobuz