But I Like to Sing...

It seems incredible that this album is soprano Carolyn Sampson’s 100th recording. Her choices for this landmark album fall mainly on 19th- and 20th-century songs which suit the vernal freshness of her voice—including Richard Strauss’ delectable “Morgen” (with Jack Liebeck playing the obbligato violin solo), Joseph Marx’s “Nocturne”, giving pianist Joseph Middleton the limelight with its sparkling piano part, and a clutch of French or French-inspired composers. There are new songs, too, including Deborah Pritchard’s specially composed “Everyone sang”, a grand yet airy setting of Siegfried Sassoon’s poem; Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s “Something More than Mortal” for unaccompanied voice; and Errollyn Wallen’s magic-tinged Christmas song, “Peace on Earth”. Long-standing song recital favourites such as Gounod’s Ave Maria and Schubert’s “An die Musik” also appear, all affectionately sung by Sampson complemented by Middleton’s superlative piano playing.