Let Beauty Awake, Ellen Nisbeth

Music by Vaughan Williams,
Rebecca Clarke, Benjamin Britten
Ellen Nisbeth va, and Bengt Forsberg p
BIS BIS2182 (SACD)

There’s something about the viola that’s perfectly suited to English pastoralist repertoire. The instrument’s dark, autumnal tone, and mature, noble temperament seem ready made for this music, as Swedish violist Ellen Nisbeth proves here. Teaming up with pianist Bengt Forsberg, Nisbeth offers a gorgeous selection of works showcasing her beautiful, velvety tone, and impeccable lyricism.

The thread to this programme is Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel, here in Nisbeth’s own transcriptions. The simple, folk-like melodic character and...