Various Composers - Amidst the Shades (Ruby Hughes; Jonas Nordberg; Mime Yamahiro-Brinkmann)

Information

1. John Dowland - Come again, sweet love doth now invite
2. John Dowland - Can she excuse my wrongs?
3. John Dowland - Time stands still
4. John Dowland - The Second Booke of Songs or Ayres: Flow, my tears
5. John Dowland - Lord Strangs' March
6. John Dowland - Mrs Winters Jump
7. Robert Johnson - Care charminge sleepe
8. Robert Johnson - Where the bee sucks
9. Robert Johnson - Full fathom five
10. Anthony Holborne - Last will and testament
11. John Danyel - Mrs. M. E. her funeral tears for the death of her husband: 1. Grief, keep within
12. John Danyel - Mrs. M. E. her funeral tears for the death of her husband: 2. Drop not, mine eyes
13. John Danyel - Mrs. M. E. her funeral tears for the death of her husband: 3. Have all our passions?
14. Tobias Hume - Loves farewell
15. Henry Purcell - Amidst the shades
16. Henry Purcell - O Solitude
17. Henry Purcell - Welcome to All the Pleasures, Z. 339: Here the deities approve
18. Henry Purcell - Sweeter than roses
19. Benjamin Britten - A Boy Was Born, Op. 3: Corpus Christi Carol (arr. for lute by Jonas Nordberg)
20. Errollyn Wallen - The shadow of my sorrow
21. Deborah Pritchard - Ophelia's Songs: I. How should I your true love know
22. Cheryl Frances-Hoad - They bore him bare-faced on the bier (arr. for lute by Jonas Nordberg)
23. Deborah Pritchard - Ophelia's Songs: II. Will he not come again

Ruby Hughes, soprano

Jonas Nordberg, lute & archlute

Mime Yamahiro-Brinkmann, viola da gamba

Date: 2026

Label: BIS

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Ruby Hughes, praised for her insight and stylistic refinement, presents Amidst the Shades, a thoughtfully curated recital rooted in her affinity for Elizabethan music. Reuniting with gambist Mime Yamahiro Brinkmann and lutenist Jonas Nordberg, she explores the introspective songs of John Dowland, alongside works by Robert Johnson and John Danyel, interwoven with intimate pieces by Henry Purcell. The program is enriched by newly commissioned settings from Errollyn Wallen and Deborah Pritchard, as well as an arrangement of a work by Cheryl Frances-Hoad. The result is a recital of subtle expression and evocative tonal color.

Ruby Hughes (born 1980) is a distinguished Welsh soprano renowned for her stylistic intelligence and versatility in opera, concert, and song. Educated at the Royal College of Music and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich, she is a Royal Philharmonic Society Susan Chilcott Award recipient, BBC New Generation Artist, and prizewinner at the London Handel Singing Competition. Hughes has appeared at major European opera houses and festivals, including Theater an der Wien, English National Opera, and Aix-en-Provence, and has collaborated with leading conductors and ensembles worldwide. Her wide-ranging repertoire spans Baroque to contemporary music, reflected in an extensive discography and broadcasts for major international labels and radio networks.