CD of the Week: Laura Wright: The Last Rose

To download your free copy of 'Blow the Wind Southerly' click here!

Laura Wright presents her brand new debut album, 'The Last Rose', in which she sings brand new arrangements of British folk songs.

The 21-year-old British student feels passionately about reviving and preserving these traditional songs of our collective past which, until recently, were regularly sung in schools. Laura says of reviving the folk tradition:

“These songs have been passed on for generations. I was taught them by my grandmother when I was young but unless we continue that tradition, they will slip into oblivion.”

The team behind the record-breaking Royal Wedding Album have collaborated to present these songs to a new audience. Composers John Rutter and Patrick Hawes arranged several of the pieces and producer Anna Barry oversaw the album. One of the standout songs, ‘Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal’ (based on the Tennyson poem), is a solo arrangement of Paul Mealor’s stunning track, performed at the Royal Wedding as a choral work in Latin, ‘Ubi Caritas’.

‘The Last Rose’ also includes other favourites from across the British Isles including ‘Blow The Wind Southerly’, ‘Scarborough Fair’, ‘Skye Boat Song’, ‘Down By The Salley Gardens’, ‘Lavender’s Blue’ and the title track ‘The Last Rose of Summer’.

Currently studying at the Royal College of Music in London on a scholarship (awarded to her immediately after her audition), Laura, originally from Suffolk, already has a long-established singing career. She won the highly competitive Chorister of the Year competition in 2005 and was subsequently a member of classical girl group All Angels, during which time she recorded three albums, performed at the Classical BRITs, in front of royalty, and also at several high-profile sporting events including international rugby matches and the Carling Cup Final.

The Last Rose is out now. Order your copy now from any of the following retailers:

Amazon

HMV

Play

iTunes