The Voice of Isobel Baillie review – the soprano's clarity shines out

Never Sing Louder than Lovely was the apt title of the memoirs of the much-loved soprano Isobel Baillie (1895-1983). This new compilation demonstrates perfectly that special quality of her voice: a pearly, clarion tone with a shining vibrato that did not preclude real focus. Her baroque repertory now sounds rather winsome, without the elemental quality of Kathleen Ferrier, but Bach's My heart ever faithful (which she first sang at the Proms in 1923) is touching, and her Messiah arias authoritative. There are a couple of lovely folk-song arrangements with Gerald Moore at the piano, almost too tastefully done. Baillie's clarity shines through some cotton-wool accompaniments from Malcolm Sargent and others: for better or worse, this is a precious glimpse into a vanished musical world.