The folk song Brigg Fair was collected by Percy Grainger in Lincolnshire in 1905. In the following year, Frederick Delius heard Grainger’s choral setting of the tune and fell in love with the melody. He asked Grainger to allow him to use it for an orchestral rhapsody which was subsequently first performed in 1908, dedicated to Grainger.

Both pieces, plus a recording of Jospeh Taylor singing the song in 1908, are included on this CD.

A Shropshire Lad is dark pastoral indeed, set in a semi-mythical country of “blue remembered hills”. This was Butterworth’s first mature work for orchestra, followed only by a couple more before the composer was killed on the Somme at the age of 31.

Conductor
Sir Mark Elder

Soloists/Artists
James Gilchrist, Tenor
Joseph Taylor, Singer
James Burton, Choral Director

Chorus
Hallé Choir

Catalogue number CD HLL 7503