Christian Forshaw & Grace Davidson strike a near-perfect balance

There is also a not quite so long tradition of English songwriting that combines elements of classical and folk, from the Renaissance compositions of John Dowland and Henry Purcell through to the 20th century songs of Vaughan Williams and of the eccentric Peter Warlock. On Lindisfarne: Beyond the Causeway, lyricist and instrumentalist Christian Forshaw (assorted saxophones, clarinets, and keyboards) and noted soprano Grace Davidson (Hamnet, Lord of the Rings Live) draw on both traditions to create a thoughtful and highly engaging contemporary look at Britain's folk song heritage. Inspired by an invitation Forshaw originally received to write some music for the 2013 Holy Island Festival, the new compositions here include a remarkable setting of "The Leiden Riddle", one of our oldest poems, told from the perspective of a knight's coat of chainmail. Originally written in Latin in the seventh century, it was later translated into the Northumbrian dialect and, with "Tale of the Leiden Riddle", has now been set to music for the first known time. Sung here in modern English, Davidson conveys both the beauty and the mystery of the poem with acute sensitivity, guided gently by Forshaw’s app...