Britten: Double Concerto, Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge & Les Illuminations

Featuring

Vladimir Jurowski
Pieter Schoeman
Alexander Zemtsov
Sally Matthews
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Benjamin Britten

Did you know?

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Britten intended the Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge to provide a rounded portrait of his teacher, Frank Bridge, with original titles for each variation denoting Bridge's personal characteristics.

Recording & Production

The London Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1932, established its own record label in 2005, releasing archive, studio, and live concert recordings, including world premieres.

Composition History

Britten's Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, his first work to become a popular classic, was composed in just over a month for the Salzburg Festival in 1937.

Composer Biography

Benjamin Britten, the composer, started playing viola at age ten and became proficient, which gave him an "insider's knowledge of string technique."

Composition History

Britten's Double Concerto for Violin and Viola was composed in 1932 but remained unperformed until 1997, when Colin Matthews realized the orchestral score from Britten's detailed short score.

Composition History

Britten began Les Illuminations in 1939, setting poems by Arthur Rimbaud, a French poet whose work greatly excited Britten and in whom he recognized a kindred spirit.