Stanford:
Six Irish Folksongs, Op. 78
Eight Partsongs, Op. 127
Six Elizabethan Pastorals (Set I), Op. 49
Nine Irish Folksongs

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 its unsettling narrative.