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This Albion Records album of songs for mixed chorus by Vaughan Williams, recorded at St. Paul's Church, New Southgate, London in 2008 by Joyful Company of Singers, includes nine world premier tracks, including the late (1950) song cycle Sun, Moon, Stars and Man. That the vocal works on this recording were composed between 1895 and 1954 shows Vaughan Williams' lifelong affection for the human voice. As he put it in 1902: 'The voice can be made the medium of the best and deepest human emotion'. Vaughan Williams was conscious of his place in a long and significant tradition of writing for the voice and viewed choral singing as a great art form. Through his compositions for voice, he could indulge his love for English poetry, especially the work of the Elizabethan writers. He was always looking out for suitable poems to set to music and he was fortunate in this task in his relationship with Ursula Wood, a poet in her own right, who he met in 1938 and married in 1953. It is her poetry which forms the basis of Sun, Moon, Stars and Man, the cycle of four songs that concludes this recording. One of Europe's most prominent chamber choirs, Joyful Company of Singers is known for its virtuosity and intensity of spirit, as well as for an astoundingly wide repertoire, ranging from the 16th Century to the present day. Formed in 1988, by conductor Peter Broadbent, the choir has a discography of over 25 CDs. Albion Recordings featuring Joyful Company of Singers: ALBCD012 Vaughan Williams: The Garden of Proserpine ALBCD025 Vaughan Williams: Fair Child of Beauty ALBCD033 Vaughan Williams: Beyond my Dream Reviews An eminently appealing hour's worth of off-the-beaten track Vaughan Williams. --Gramophone, April 2009 Technically secure and tonally rounded, the Joyful Company of Singers live up to their name, but without ever sliding into over-characterization.