17 Sep 2017

Britten's Words

From Appointment, 2:00 pm on 17 September 2017
Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten Photo: Commons

 

Peter Hoar looks at some of the literary sources and influences on English composer Benjamin's Britten's music. Writers and writings were important for Britten and he was one of the most literary of modern composers.

He set to music poetry and prose from a wide range of times, places and languages - from sources close to him like W H Auden, to distant sources such as Medieval English and Japanese Noh Theatre.

Music Details:

BRITTEN: When you’re feeling like expressing your affection Jill Gomez (sop), Martin Jones (pno) - Unicorn-Kanchana

BRITTEN: The Foggy, Foggy Dew Peter Pears (ten), Benjamin Britten (piano) - EMI

BRITTEN: Dance of Death, from Our Hunting Fathers Ian Bostridge (ten), Britten Sinfonia / Daniel Harding - EMI

BRITTEN: Rejoice in the lamb - London

BRITTEN: Canticle 3, Still falls the rain Ian Bostridge (tenor), Julius Drake (piano) - Virgin

BRITTEN: Six Metamorphoses after Ovid Céline Moinet (oboe) - Harmonia Mundi

BRITTEN: Receive the stranger god, from Death in Venice Peter Pears, English Chamber Orch / Steuart Bedford - Decca

BRITTEN: Chaos, chaos and sickness, from Death and Venice Peter Pears, English Chamber Orch / Steuart Bedford - Decca

BRITTEN: Six Metamorphoses after Ovid Céline Moinet (oboe) - Harmonia Mundi

BRITTEN: Batter my Heart, from The Holy Sonnets of John Donne Op 35 Mark Padmore (tenor) Roger Vignoles (piano) - Harmonia Mundi

BRITTEN: Since she whom I loved, from The Holy Sonnets of John Donne Op 35 Mark Padmore (tenor) Roger Vignoles (piano) - Harmonia Mundi

BRITTEN: Sonetto XXIV, from Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo Peter Pears (ten), Benjamin Britten (piano) - Decca

BRITTEN: Sonetto XXX, from Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo Peter Pears (ten), Benjamin Britten (piano) - Decca

BRITTEN: Midnight on the Great Western, from Winter Words Peter Pears (ten), Benjamin Britten (piano) - Decca

BRITTEN: Before Life and After, from Winter Words Peter Pears (ten), Benjamin Britten (piano) - Decca

BRITTEN: If we shadows have offended, from A Midsummer Night’s Dream London Symphony Orchestra / Benjamin Britten - London