The Sixteen - Stanford: Partsongs, Pastorals & Folksongs (CD)

Details: Celebrating Anglo-Irish composer Charles Villiers Stanford's centenary, this new album from The Sixteen includes a number of premiere recordings of Stanford's Irish Folksongs and Partsongs. Stanford is celebrated both nationally and internationally as a composer of great diversity. He composed a substantial number of concert works, including seven symphonies, but he is best-remembered for his choral works. Stanford's writing for voices is exquisite and his imaginative storytelling is ever-present in his Irish Folksongs where he captures everything from fiery revenge to passionate love with equal effectiveness. Stanford's dedication to the poetry of Mary Elizabeth Coleridge also stands out-he was drawn to the lyricism of her poetry and the imagery she conjures up-something that is clearly heard in his Opus 127 settings. Much of her poetry is marked by a sense of loss and change, nowhere better portrayed than in The Guest with it's unsettling narrative.