Britten: 7 Sonnets of Michelangelo / Holy Sonnets of J. Donne / Winter Words (English Song, Vol. 7)
9/1/2004, 26 Tracks, 1:06:35
Featuring
Philip Langridge
Steuart Bedford
Benjamin Britten
Did you know?
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Performer Biography
Philip Langridge, the tenor on this recording, was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1994 and has received numerous awards, including an Olivier Award and two Grammy Awards.
Composer's Artistic Vision
All three song cycles on this album were specifically written with the voice of tenor Peter Pears in mind.
Composition History
Britten's Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo, Op. 22, was his first work composed exclusively for Peter Pears, a tenor for whom many of his works were written.
Composer Biography
The three song cycles on this album were composed by Benjamin Britten between 1940 and 1953, a period during which he completed at least eight operas and several other significant works.
Compositional Technique
In The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, Britten incorporated influences from Purcell, particularly in the declamatory vocal style, neo-Baroque rhetoric, and a Purcellian ground-bass in the final song.
Recording & Production
This recording was made at Blackheath Concert Halls, London, in December 1995 and January 1996, and was first issued on Collins Classics in 1996.
Historical Context
The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, Op. 35, was written in August 1945, shortly after Britten returned from a tour of German concentration camps with violinist Yehudi Menuhin.
