Paradise found on tribute to Wales

Twelve songs celebrate the Welsh borders to mark the Presteigne Festival’s 21st anniversary with affectionate intelligence

Composer: Various including John McCabe, David Matthews and Michael Berkeley
Repertoire: Twelve songs celebrating the Welsh borders
Artists: Gillian Keith (soprano), Simon Lepper (piano)
Rating: 4/5 
Genre: Vocal/Instrumental 
Label: Metronome METCD 1065

The album’s subtitle explains the Presteigne connection, announcing a dozen ‘new songs celebrating the Welsh borders’. Ten composers including John McCabe, David Matthews and Michael Berkeley were invited to write pithy pieces to mark the Presteigne Festival’s 21st anniversary in 2003, set down on disc here with affection and intelligence. Worth hearing for Geraint Lewis’s delightful My Paradise Garden alone.