Benjamin Britten

[Mirror Image]

Wonderful read, Leo! Britten's VC is certainly a powerful, emotional work. I've got that Mordkovitch/Hickox recording but it's been quite some time since I heard it. I don't remember the Veale VC.

[Leo K.]

Wonderful read, Leo! Britten's VC is certainly a powerful, emotional work. I've got that Mordkovitch/Hickox recording but it's been quite some time since I heard it. I don't remember the Veale VC.

Thanks John! Let me know what you think when you hear Mordkovitch again 

[Leo K.]

Listening to Nocturne, Op. 60. For tenor, seven obbligato instruments, and string orchestra (1958). I read that Britten dedicated the work to Alma Mahler in acknowledgement of his indebtedness to Gustav Mahler. The Nocturne Op. 60 was premiered at the Leeds Centenary Festival in 1958, the year of its composition. Its subject matter is night-time, sleep and dreams. Britten uses seven different soloists, each of whom lends their characteristic colour to a song.

Very moving.

[Mirror Image]

Listening to Nocturne, Op. 60. For tenor, seven obbligato instruments, and string orchestra (1958). I read that Britten dedicated the work to Alma Mahler in acknowledgement of his indebtedness to Gustav Mahler. The Nocturne Op. 60 was premiered at the Leeds Centenary Festival in 1958, the year of its composition. Its subject matter is night-time, sleep and dreams. Britten uses seven different soloists, each of whom lends their characteristic colour to a song.

Very moving.

I've always liked this Britten work. Very beautiful.

[Opus106]

On Saturday, June 15, Sir Simon Rattle commemmorates Benjamin Britten’s 100th anniversary with a performance of the War Requiem. His orchestra is the great Berlin Philharmonic, and they’re joined by the Rundfunkchor Berlin and soloists Emily Magee, John Mark Ainsley and Matthias Goerne.

Gramophone’s readers and visitors to our website can watch the performance for free, courtesy of the Berlin Philharmonic, both live and then when it is available in the Digital Concert Hall’s archive.

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/watch-britten%27s-war-requiem-live-from-berlin-for-free

[TheGSMoeller]

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/watch-britten%27s-war-requiem-live-from-berlin-for-free

Very cool! Thanks for the heads up. 

[not edward]

Now this has most definitely piqued my interest:

http://www.mdt.co.uk/britten-war-requiem-czech-philharmonic-orchestra-karel-ancerl-supraphon-2cds.html

Previously unreleased radio archive recordings of Ancerl conducting the War Requiem and Spring Symphony.

Pretty decent lineup of soloists, too:
Naděžda Kniplová – soprano
Gerald English – tenor
John Cameron – baritone (War Requiem)
Milada Šubrtová – soprano
Věra Soukupová – alto
Beno Blachut – tenor (Spring Symphony

[Karl Henning]

Funny how these things work.  For no good reason, I've not had any particular interest in Noye's Fludde . . . but as a result of viewing Moonrise Kingdom, my appetite is whetted.

[TheGSMoeller]

Funny how these things work.  For no good reason, I've not had any particular interest in Noye's Fludde . . . but as a result of viewing Moonrise Kingdom, my appetite is whetted.

Great film.
Fludde is good, and in the context of Moorise it's even better, but I still reach for Curlew River or Phadrea for
'smaller-scale' operas of Britten.

[mjwal]

Great film.
Fludde is good, and in the context of Moorise it's even better, but I still reach for Curlew River or Phaedra for
'smaller-scale' operas of Britten.

I would essay that it's better in the context because of the communal atmosphere Wes Anderson magics up (my favourite of Anderson's films so far); I do love that old Del Mar recording, though, where the congregation is actually singing in a church. - Obviously, Curlew River is one of the very greatest of Britten's works, on record or in a smallish theatre. - I don't myself think of Phaedra as an opera, more as a dramatic scena like Haydn's Arianna a Naxos (categorised as a cantata). It would have been an opera if Britten had composed the whole of Lowell's "imitation" of the Racine.

[Karl Henning]

At long last, I'm going to plunge into the string quartets.

[TheGSMoeller]

At long last, I'm going to plunge into the string quartets.

Do it, Karl. Dare I say no. 2 and 3 top my list of favorite SQs from the 20th Century, especially no. 3, such a creative structure. Belcea is commonly mentioned as the go-to recording, and rightfully so, but I'm spinning the Britten Quartet's discs more often,

[Mandryka]

What is the best record of the op 60 nocturne?

[Mirror Image]

What is the best record of the op 60 nocturne?

My vote goes to Ian Bostridge w/ Simon Rattle/Berliners on EMI.

[TheGSMoeller]

My vote goes to Ian Bostridge w/ Simon Rattle/Berliners on EMI.

Good disc for all three works featured, so yeah I agree.

Philip Landridge is also very good with Britten (on Naxos)

[Mandryka]

Thank you for the suggestions. I just listened to both Bostridge  and Langridge on spotify. Both very good, Langridge especially, which I thought was a really interesting contrast with Pears.

By the way, I just wrote an e mail to the Britten Pears foundation asking if they know of a Britten discography, though I don't hold out much hope of a helpful response (I suspect there isn't one. )

Keep up the suggestions. I'm getting into op60.

[Octave]

I see that there are three different editions of Colin Davis' 1978 recording of Britten's PETER GRIMES.  Since I don't need a libretto, I cannot imagine it would make any difference which one I get.  If someone knows of some advantage or disadvantage to any of these, please say so!

1999:
[asin]B00000J9GQ[/asin]

2011:
[asin]B0048IDRNC[/asin]

2013:
[asin]B00ANDVO2C[/asin]

and for good measure the original (?) CD release, ~1991:
[asin]B00000E4UM[/asin]

[knight66]

I really don't think there will be a difference other than a libretto which ought to be in the final one you picture, so if that is not an issue.....go for the best price.

Mike

[Octave]

Cheers, Sir Mike.  You have graciously tried to lure me from my Pears errancy by enticement rather than ridicule.  You're a gent!

[knight66]

Loads of people love Pears, and I hope you continue to. But I like what other tenors have done with his music and I hope you do to.

Cheers,

Mike