To say Judith Bingham’s discography is meagre would be an understatement. Hitherto, the only works available have been a Mass setting on Hyperion (which greatly impressed John Steane – 8/05) and a couple of miniatures (one in EMI’s “A Garland for Linda”, 3/00). This woefully under-represents a composer with a special gift for vocal setting and a wealth of experience in what can be sung: for 13 years she was a permanent member of the BBC Symphony Chorus and BBC Singers (for whom she is Associate Composer).

All five works on this new disc reveal a distinctive voice writing in a recognisably modern idiom which combines clarity of thought and complexity of vision. Bingham’s music draws audiences in, without alienating them or compromising her expressive integrity. Salt in the Blood (1995) is a prime example, a large musical – at times theatrical – tapestry of British sea-song, weaving in existing shanties and invented hornpipes to retell the tale of two sailors’ rivalry as to who was the better dancer. Bingham thinks convincingly in long spans, as her 2004 Prom commission The Secret Garden confirms (given here in a live performance). First Light (2001) and the brief The Darkness is no Darkness (1993) engage with the English choral tradition to an unusual degree, the latter – a reinterpretation of a Wesley hymn – in particular.

The performances all round are first rate and the recorded sound is excellent, which is no less than Bingham deserves. The BBC Symphony Chorus sing with gusto and Fine Arts Brass relish some fine brass writing, not least in The Snow Descends (1997), an atmospheric paraphrase for brass of one of Bingham’s choral works. Recommended.