MUSIC MY SIX BEST ALBUMS

shirley collins

SHIRLEY COLLINS, 82, was a main player in the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s. She is appearing at the Cambridge Folk Festival which runs from July 27-30. cambridgelive trust.co.uk/folk-festival WILLIAM BOYCE: 8 Symphonies (Decca) I love music to cheer me up. This is from the 18th century and it has got so much bounce, with beautiful melodies. I didn’t focus in on it until the 1980s when I was going through a hard time. VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Orchestral Works (Decca) This never fails to console and please me. The film Master And Commander featured the Tallis Fantasia and it’s sensational – brooding and powerful. ANDREW PARROTT (Conductor): Una Stravaganza Dei Medici (EMI) I love Italian Renaissance music. It’s full of energy and lifts my spirits. Everything about this is sumptuous. I longed to be able to do Renaissance dances. They’re so sexy and elegant. ASHLEY HUTCHINGS ET AL: Morris On (Fledg’ling) I’m passionate about morris dancing. This was made by my then-husband Ashley. People mock but when done properly it’s full of masculine power. I’ve had Brighton Morris Men at my concerts and it’s a joy to watch as they surge forward and hit the sticks. KATE & ANNA McGARRIGLE: Kate & Anna McGarrigle (WEA) Exquisite singing. I don’t know how people can write songs so utterly wonderful and profound. I always appreciated the charm of two perfectly matched voices because I used to work with my own sister and know how lovely that can be. HARRY SMITH (Editor): Anthology Of American Folk Music (Smithsonian) Compiled in 1952, this is folk music recorded in the 1920s and 1930s from the Appalachians to Mississippi.

It’s the music they played in their communities before pop came along.