About the album

Sir Michael Tippett's great masterpieces - Boyhood's End and The Heart's Assurance - are coupled here with some of his editions of songs by Henry Purcell, and Benjamin Britten's companion piece to Boyhood's End - Canticle 1. Superbly performed by John Mark Ainsley and Iain Burnside, an added treat is the performance of Tippett and Bergman's edition of Pelham Humfrey's setting of John Donne's A Hymn to God the Father.

John Mark Ainsley is one of the world's leading tenors. He has worked with the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic, and has appeared with the San Fransisco Opera, and as Der Daemon in the world premiere of Henze's L'Upupa.

Iain Burnside has performed with artists including Dame Margaret Price and Susan Chilcott. As a broadcaster he has recently won a Sony Radio Award.