Known for her vivid portrayals and full, distinctive voice, Elizabeth Llewellyn has established herself internationally as a dramatic and vocal artist of distinction. She has chosen to offer listeners something new by devoting her debut disc to the music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, much of it never recorded before. Elizabeth Llewellyn is joined by pianist Simon Lepper, with whom she has collaborated closely in the development of this unique project.

To poetry by Christina Rossetti, Coleridge-Taylor’s Six Sorrow Songs and A Lament are almost all world-premiere recordings. The Southern Love Songs evoke styles including Latin music and flamenco, and the African Romances, never recorded until now, are to words by African-American writer Paul Laurence Dunbar. Big Lady Moon is to poetry by West African polymath Kathleen Mary Easmon, and the sensuous Three Songs of Sun and Shade are followed by more previously-unreleased songs: A king there lived in Thule, Canoe Song and You’ll Love Me Yet. The recital ends with Life and Death, in which Coleridge-Taylor anticipates styles that would become popular two decades after his death. This was a composer ahead of his time who, at last, is starting to receive the recognition he deserves.

REVIEW:

Coleridge-Taylor never visited. His style recalls Grieg or Dvořák, and while most of the songs may lack the last spark of inspiration that would make them unforgettable, several offer gloriously indelible earworms. Llewellyn soars through them, Lepper skillfully catching each song's character; it's not surprise that her voice is on the big side for some, but when the music requires poised stillness she is especially captivating. There's plenty more where these songs came from.

-- The Guardian (UK)