Speaking with Limelight, the singer likens the opportunity to record these songs to being let loose in a sweet shop.

“I found it difficult to concentrate on my singing, which is, after all, my primary function, because I was too busy listening to the array of sounds the orchestra was making,” he said. “I was deeply touched by the care and professionalism the players invested in my writing. And Sir Mark’s attention to balance and nuance was immaculate; he treated what I had written with such respect, while bringing the wealth of his experience to bear. That was a lesson in itself.”

“Williams, Elder and the Hallé are a match made in heaven,” wrote Yeoman. “I’ve listened again and again to the Butterworth and marvelled again and again at Williams’ clarity of diction, beauty of timbre and forceful expression. And at Elder and his orchestra’s ability not merely to support but to embed Williams in such a carefully calibrated and variegated garden of sonic bliss.”

Williams’ program takes as its launchpad George Butterworth’s moving cycle of Housman settings, intricately orchestrated to bring out every ounce of colour and meaning.

From there, Williams’ imagination encompasses composers from Vaughan Williams and Ireland to Ruth Gipps and Rebecca Clarke. “While much of the music has been familiar to me for decades, I was particularly pleased to explore songs by female composers,” he said. “I hope these recordings will help to expand the reach of their music.”

“Williams indulges in some gorgeous word-painting – his epic-yet-intimate treatment of John Ireland’s Sea Fever is especially powerful,” wrote reviewer Will Yeoman.

“He is equally adept at handling solo instruments. I’m thinking of the solo violin in Ina Boyle’s The Joy of Earth, the cor anglais and cello solos in Butterworth’s The Lads in Their Hundreds, and cor anglais, clarinet and horn in Ernest Farrar’s setting of Silent Noon. Williams’ use of the harp is a joy throughout.”