Britten: Phaedra; Lachrymae; Sinfonietta; Night Mail; Sword in the Stone etc.
1/26/2024, 28 Tracks, 1:05:23
Featuring
Jean Rigby
Lionel Friend
Roger Chase
Nigel Hawthorne
Nash Ensemble
Benjamin Britten
Did you know?
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Compositional Technique
Lachrymae is a series of variations on John Dowland's song 'If my complaints could passions move,' with a quote from another Dowland song, 'Flow my tears,' in the sixth variation.
Composer Biography
This recording brings together works from virtually the entire span of Benjamin Britten's mature composing career, from 1930 to 1975.
Historical Context
The Royal College of Music, where Britten studied, was hostile to the new ideas of the Second Viennese School, which prevented Britten from studying with Alban Berg in 1934.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Britten's incidental music for The Sword in the Stone extensively uses parody, particularly targeting the music of Richard Wagner, a favorite composer of Britten's youth.
Composition History
Britten collaborated with poet W. H. Auden on the 1936 documentary film Night Mail, which tells the story of a postal express train.
Composition History
Britten's cantata Phaedra was written in 1975 as a tribute to Janet Baker, a mezzo-soprano known for her interpretations of Britten's works.
Composition History
Britten orchestrated Lachrymae, originally for viola and piano, for strings in the last year of his life (1976) to create a concertante piece for violist Cecil Aronowitz.
