The complete Quilter songbook – vol.1

EDITOR’S CHOICE – Mark Stone could not be more sensitive in his response to the words with his remarkably clear diction, and his accompanist, Stephen Barlow, is comparably understanding, helped by the realistic sound quality recorded in the Champs Hill Music Room. Stone’s own detailed notes on each song as well as his brief biography of Quilter ideally enhance enjoyment. An outstanding disc of English song, making one look forward to the forthcoming issues in this Quilter songbook. (Gramophone)

CHOICE FOR THE CURIOUS (The New Release Show, Classic FM)

Stone’s sturdy baritone and Barlow’s bright accompaniment bring out the Debussyian melodic elegance in Quilter’s songs, while avoiding the preciosity that sometimes afflicts them **** (BBC Music)

Stephen Barlow’s project to record all of Quilter’s songs is a worthy one… this first instalment, sensitively sung by baritone Mark Stone with Barlow accompanying, is a promising start (The Guardian)

Stone’s engagingly natural style and immaculate diction are supported by Barlow’s sympathetic playing. (Sunday Times)

Rich in nuance, sensual contrasts of colour and range of textual expression… collectively eloquent and ideally committed to extracting the essence of each song – **** (Classic FM Magazine)

His lyric baritone has warmth, and he is quite effective at conveying words and meaning as well as phrasing with sensitivity. If you have either or both of the discs I mentioned, and feel that you have all the Quilter you need, this may be superfluous. But if you don’t have those and you are a collector of vocal music—particularly English vocal music—this is definitely worth acquiring. Also, if either of those earlier discs turned you into a serious Quilter fan, here is a very good way of expanding your collection … Stephen Barlow is an alert, colorful collaborator at the piano, and the natural recorded sound is perfectly balanced between voice and keyboard. Stone provides excellent notes about the young Quilter (presumably subsequent volumes will focus on his later years) along with specific notes about each song or group of songs along with complete texts. This is a model of how to produce a disc of this nature. (Fanfare)