Gurney: English Song Series, Vol. 19

Described by his teacher, Stanford, as 'the one who most fulfilled the accepted ideas of genius', the
poet and composer Ivor Gurney composed more than 300 songs despite suffering from bipolar
disorder and tuberculosis. The Five Elizabethan Songs show the young composer's astonishing
limpid fluency, while Tears and Sleep rank among his most exquisite creations. Comedy, desolation
and lovelorn longing all touch the music of this 'lover and maker of beauty', whose songs find ideal
interpreters in Susan Bickley and Iain Burnside.