If you’ve heard The Seal Man, a striking Masefield setting about a man from the sea who draws a Scottish islander to her death, you’ll already know that Rebecca Clarke has a mean way with a lyric. But wait, there’s more, as this revelatory double album from British mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately, American tenor Nicholas Phan and pianist Anna Tilbrook proves. This is the first time that Clarke’s entire song output has been set down on disc, including nearly 30 world premiere recordings of songs that went unpublished during the composer’s lifetime, and it’s a genuine smorgasbord of discoveries.

Clarke (1886–1979) was a respected composer, an internationally renowned viola virtuoso, and notably one of the first female professional orchestral players in London. After an abusive childhood, she supported herself through a successful performing career, which included extensive international tours, while enjoying a colourful private life. A viola student of Lionel Tertis and a composition student of Stanford, she sang with, and was championed by, Vaughan Williams. Her compositional peak occurred in the 1920s with works like the Viola Sonata and Piano Trio. 

Stranded in...