Three cheers for this valuable second helping of songs by Elizabeth Maconchy (1907 94) courtesy of those adventurous folk at Resonus Classics (I waxed lyrical about the first volume in the May 2022 issue). Nearly all remain unpublished – and, in the case of ‘The Exequy’, this is almost certainly its first-ever performance. An exciting discovery it proves, too, a profoundly affecting setting from 1956 of lines from a lengthy poem by Henry King, Bishop of Chichester (1592-1669), written in response to the death of his wife Anna aged just 23. Striking, too, is the 1937 version of the scena ‘How Samson Bore Away the Gates of Gaza’ – the earliest of no fewer than four arrangements Maconchy left us of this eponymous poem (subtitled ‘A Negro Sermon’) by the American modernist Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931). Published by Chester Music in 1984, the four disarming numbers that make up The Garland date back to 1938 and, along with ‘The Swallow’, derive from translations made by the composer’s husband William LeFanu (1904 95) from the Anacreontea, an anthology of 62 poems in the style of the Greek lyric poet Anacreon (two companion settings – ‘Love stood at my door’ and ‘The Bee-Sting’ – have already appeared on Vol 1). In addition, we get settings from 1941 of poetry by Maconchy’s fellow Anglo-Irish contemporary Sheila Wingfield (1906 92), namely ‘Sailor’s Song of the Two Balconies’ and ‘Disillusion’; a powerful treatment from 1937 of Emily Brontë’s ‘Sleep brings no joy to me’; and two student offerings from 1928 and 1929 respectively, ‘The Poet-Wooer’ (after Ben Jonson) and ‘In Fountain Court’ (to words by Arthur Symons). Suffice it to say, James Geer and Ronald Woodley lend wonderfully sympathetic, keenly intelligent advocacy.

As before, songs by Vaughan Williams (Maconchy’s immensely supportive teacher at the RCM) make up the remainder. Good to see the 1903 cycle The House of Life (a sequence of six sonnets by Dante Gabriel Rossetti) getting some proper attention in recent years. Outstanding versions include those from Roderick Williams (do try and hear his own exquisite orchestral version with Mark Elder and the Hallé, 1/23) and Kitty Whately (Albion, 12/19) – and I can report that Geer’s tenor version complements them most pleasingly (the much-loved ‘Silent Noon’ remains vernally fresh, while the far-flung ambition of ‘Love’s Minstrels’ in particular registers strongly). He’s also a persuasive exponent of the Four Last Songs (1954 58) to poems by the composer’s second wife, Ursula – that fleeting reminiscence of ‘Linden Lea’ at the very end of the lullaby ‘Tired’ is deeply touching. And a special word of praise again for Woodley’s superior, delectably supple pianism throughout.

Lovely sound, admirable presentation. Make no mistake, this is a very good disc indeed.