Britten: Folk Song Arrangements, Vol. 2 (English Song, Vol. 13)

Featuring

Philip Langridge
Osian Ellis
Simon Joly
Margaret Feaviour
Judith Harris
Vernon Kirk

Graham Titus
Christopher Barnett
David Owen Norris
Steuart Bedford
Thomas S. Allen
BBC Singers
Wenhaston Boy's Choir
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Benjamin Britten

Did you know?

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Performer Biography

Steuart Bedford, a conductor on this album, is a leading expert on Benjamin Britten's works and conducted the world premiere of Britten's opera "Death in Venice" in 1973.

Composer Biography

Benjamin Britten, born in Lowestoft in 1913, showed early compositional gifts and studied with Frank Bridge.

Composition History

Britten's many folk-song arrangements were partly driven by a sense of nostalgia for his native country.

Composer Biography

Britten and Peter Pears were firm pacifists, returning to England in 1942 from the United States to give concerts and recitals despite difficult circumstances during wartime.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Britten avoided musical nationalism and insular folk-music debt, instead profiting from the tradition in a wider European context, following a path mapped out by Mahler.

Performer Biography

Harpist Osian Ellis worked closely with Benjamin Britten from 1959 until Britten's death, and Britten wrote many new works for him.

Composer Biography

Britten's work was deeply influenced by his friendship and constant companionship with singer Peter Pears, for whom he wrote many principal operatic roles.