Edmund Rubbra became known for his symphonic oeuvre. Here we hear him as a song composer. He came from a poor working-class family. From an early age he had to work to support the family. Nevertheless, his parents encouraged a love of music. His uncle had a music store. It was here that Rubbra discovered the music of
Cyril Scott, who was an important figure in modern British music at the time. The
… 17-year-old Rubbra became so enthusiastic that he even organized an integral Cyril Scott concert. Whereupon the composer took him on as a student. Thanks to a scholarship, Rubbra was also able to study at the prestigious Royal College of Music, where he was taught by Holst and Vaughan Williams. Shakespeare and Catholicism are prominently present in Rubbra's songs, with occasional dashes of Buddhism. He composed the Three Psalms op.61 in 1946 for Kathleen Ferrier. The cycle The Jade Mountain (1962) are based on five short Chinese poems from the Tang Dynasty (618-906). The CD ends with a quirky arrangement of the playful "There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza. (HJ)more
