Frank Bridge
Though better known for his orchestral and chamber music, Bridge nevertheless wrote well for the voice. 'Adoration' is a setting of Keats’ well-known poem. After a gentle opening, the music rises to a powerful climax and ends with three quiet chords. Go not, happy day has a touch of nostalgia, perhaps looking back to happier times (it was written during the First World War). 'Love went a-riding' is a happy, uncomplicated song with a spring in both the vocal and piano parts.

Douglas Lilburn
Douglas Lilburn is without a doubt New Zealand’s best-known composer. His contribution to music in New Zealand has been outstanding and he is held in very high esteem by musicians and the general public alike. His earlier works (composed up until the 1960s) evolved a style which has been described as having a New Zealand identity in the same way as the music of Vaughan Williams and Sibelius (composers whose music Lilburn admired) might be said to reflect something of their countries in their music. Elegy, a song cycle for baritone and piano, was composed in 1951. The poems are by Alistair Campbell and were written as a memorial to Roy Dickson, a young man who died in the Southern Alps of New Zealand in 1947.The eight songs in the cycle describe the physical and emotional landscape of Campbell’s poetry in music that is stark, powerful and moving.

John Ireland
John Ireland had an unhappy childhood which left him an often withdrawn and introspective person. He is best known as a song-writer and composer of attractive piano pieces, and as an able pianist himself, the accompaniments to Ireland’s songs are often very fine. Of the three songs here, 'Sea Fever' is particularly well-known and has been a staple of the repertoire for many years. John Masefield’s famous and evocative poem provides just the sort of stimulus that Ireland best responded to. The melodic line is a strong one and the accompaniment, although chordal throughout, is very effective in its use of different registrations. 'Great Things' is a song of contrasts, and there are some delightful touches in the piano part. 'When lights go rolling round the sky' exudes happiness interspersed with more pensive moments, and has a sprightly accompaniment.

Charles Wilfred Orr
The thirty-five songs of Charles Orr, mostly settings of Housman’s poems, make up the bulk of his small output. His music at times brings to mind that of Wolf, Delius and perhaps Wagner. This does not detract from the undoubted originality of the composer. Orr’s harmonic range is impressive and at times highly chromatic. This setting of poems from Housman’s ‘A Shropshire Lad’ is a finely-conceived work and certainly deserves to be better-known. Orr and Housman both shared a love of the English countryside and this shines through in the poems and their settings. Six songs are included in this selection and make a well-balanced set.

Gerald Finzi
A composer steeped in the English tradition, Finzi is essentially a miniaturist and is justly esteemed for his sensitive settings of Thomas Hardy’s poetry. These settings of verse by William Shakespeare, however, show him at his best. The vocal lines flow easily and Finzi’s word-setting is always sensitive. It is a sure tribute to him that his settings are so memorable, given the many versions by other composers (including Schubert). His music is easy to listen to, his harmonies and rhythms fresh and uncomplicated and there are many imaginative touches to hold the listener’s interest.