“...Gilchrist is at his best in ‘Orpheus and His Lute’, ‘The Sky above the Roof’, and in some VW’s finest and most popular songs, where he displays tenderness and lyricism.  His soft singing can be sublime, as in the rapturous endings of ‘Silent Moon’ and ‘The Winter’s Willow’....”

“...Philip Dukes has been called “Great Britain’s most outstanding violist”. His expressive playing here makes a convincing case for that claim.  Anna Tilbrook, Gilchrist’s long-time accompanist, coaxes lyrical beauty from the piano...”

“… this disc deserves a strong recommendation – certainly lovers of Vaughan Williams’s songs shouldn’t hesitate. The recorded sound is very present and lifelike. English texts are included but prove unnecessary thanks to Gilchrist’s crystal-clear enunciation.”

Performance ****          Recording ****

“...The darker, expressive tones of Philip Dukes’s viola contrast attractively with Gilchrist in Four Hymns and the Rhosymedre arrangement, and make this version of Six Studies in English Folk Song a highlight.”

“... Condemned as the poor cousin of German lieder and French melodies, art songs from these shores are easily dismissed, but with advocates of the quality of tenor James Gilchrist and pianist Anna Tilbrook, their true quality emerges... Gilchrist sings with pure unaffected beauty, matched by Tilbrook’s sincere feel for RVW’s limpid accompaniments. And there are other treats, including Richard Morrison’s arrangement of Rhosymedre for tenor and piano with viola, played by Philip Dukes, who makes several significant contributions to this highly rewarding disc.”

“...Gilchrist is ... able to find all the nuances in both Robert Louis Stevenson’s text and Vaughan Williams’ impeccable rendering of the same. In fact RVW admirers may be attracted by the disc’s fill-ups, which consist of several other pieces by the composer in effective performances. Having championed British repertoire together for the past twenty years, Anna Tilbrook and James Gilchrist are joined by Philip Dukes in a lyrical journey through some of Vaughan Williams’s best songs and rarely heard chamber music.”