Roger Quilter was a writer of songs, and virtually nothing else (there was an opera, a couple of ballets, and the once well-known A Children's Overture). He composed over one hundred songs, at least half of which remain in the repertoire, loved by performers and audiences alike. This popularity perhaps arose in the first place from the absence of great technical demands being made on the performers (or intellectual ones on the listeners), but the fact that this popularity has never waned owes everything to Quilter's individuality: the addictive qualities of his vocal lines and his uniquely involved accompaniments.

This recital includes three of the four sets of Shakespeare Songs, as well as the perennially popular 'Now sleeps the crimson petal' and Quilter's acknowledged masterpiece, 'Go, lovely Rose'.



‘An exceptionally good tenor and an equally distinguished accompanist … a fine recital, admirably recorded and presented with excellent notes’ (Gramophone)

'Musiques élégantes, interpretes distingués: John Mark Ainsley a un timbre séduisant' (Diapason, France)

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Recording details: February 1996; Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, Hampstead, London, United Kingdom; Produced by Mark Brown; Engineered by Antony Howell & Julian Millard; Release date: September 1996;