Bright is the Ring of Words is an exemplary collection of some of the most beautiful English songs written in the 20th century, in which the poets and composers express internal journeys of a wide emotional range, from youthful love and its erotic pleasures to the stoic wisdom of advanced years, reflecting on the passing of time and death itself.

These four composers knew each other, sharing a love of English folk songs, which they collected throughout the land, preserving and absorbing the oral tradition before this heritage was lost. In addition to the famous Butterworth settings of Housman's poems, here is also the rarely performed 'Ludlow Town' by E.J.Moeran.

This recording unites two musicians who bring a breadth of experience from the world of international opera, interpreting these cycles with a true sense of theatre - bringing a fresh artistic sensitivity to the distilled genre of English song.