Purer than Pearl

Purer than Pearl

• 22 songs with piano and/or violin accompaniment. 15 first recordings, including early settings of Walt Whitman and songs from The Poisoned Kiss

We are fortunate that Vaughan Williams was able to express his emotions through music, for it resulted in some of the most intensely romantic and beautiful music ever written. This is characteristic of Purer than Pearl, which includes many world premiere recordings. Born in in 1872, Ralph Vaughn Williams was a church organist for a short time, mostly to earn money and in response to family pressure. He stuck to his ambition to composer, however, gracually earning recognition, and continued working as a composer until his death in 1958. This recording is of songs and duets written between 1891 and 1935- that is, from Vaughan Williamss student years to somewhere near the middle of his working life. The works are presented here in chronological order. Some are original pieces by Vaughan Williams, while others are arrangements of folk songs. An arrangement of Linden Lea for four voices and piano has been added here. The release rounds out with eight songs from Vaughan Williamss opera The Poisoned Kiss, newly arranged by Adrian Williams.