DCD34006-CD

A’e gowden lyric: songs by Ronald Stevenson

Since first performing Ronald Stevenson’s music as a treble in 1985, when she gave the first broadcast performance of A Child’s Garden of Verses, Susan Hamilton has brought Stevenson’s songs to audiences throughout Britain and abroad. The present recording features her unique, clarion voice in the soprano version of that work, alongside settings of Scots poems by Hugh MacDiarmid and William Soutar and a short translated verse by the Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean.

"an astonishingly pure voice…the ringing accuracy of Hamilton’s intonation is a continual marvel…The recording is beautifully balanced and clear as a bell"

"Susan Hamilton’s soprano is exactly right for this music; unknowing, keenly boyish, dead centre-of-the-note, it has a perfect foil in John Cameron’s pianism, which is superbly nuanced and characterised."

"Artistically, this is a fine advertisement for the energy of contemporary Scottish culture. There are the usual excellent production values and the Delphian disc can be recommended without hesitation."

MUSICAL POINTERS

"Scots composer Ronald Stevenson is 75 and we don’t hear enough of his music, especially his song-settings. So, well done Delphian Records and Scots duo Susan Hamilton and John Cameron, for committing this delicious collection to disc. Hamilton’s pure-grained voice is near perfect for Stevenson’s settings of his namesake Robert Louis Stevenson’s “A Child’s Garden of Verses”.

Release Date: May 2003
Catalogue No: DCD34006
Total playing time: 1:06:59

Recorded 21-22 November 2001 at St Mary's Collegiate Church, Haddington
Producer: Kevin Findlan
Engineer: Paul Baxter
24-bit mastering: Paul Baxter
24-bit editing: Paul Baxter

Design: Kevin Findlan
Booklet editor: Kevin Findlan
Cover photograph: Paul Baxter
Session photography: Paul Baxter

Album Booklet

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