Born in 1955, British composer Ian Venables is widely acknowledged to be among Britain’s greatest art song composers. Sung by soprano Mary Bevan and tenor Allan Clayton we hear a half-dozen individual songs, a cantata for soprano, tenor, string quartet and piano and a song cycle for tenor, viola and piano. Encounters I’ve had with Venables’ music in the past have always left me very impressed. As the album title suggests, the music is mournful, and it is beautifully performed by all artists involved.
