Britten - The Collector’s Edition

Benjamin Britten was born on the day of the Patron Saint of Music – St. Cecilia – 22nd November in 1913 in Lowestoft. He showed remarkable skill at composition from his earliest days. In 1924 he met Frank Bridge (1879-1941), a fine composer in his own right, and became his pupil; through him he developed an appreciation of contemporary music with scores by Bartók and the Schönberg school, particularly Berg.

In 1930 he entered the Royal College of Music and developed the pianistic skills which made him such a brilliant interpreter of both his own music and other greats, particularly Mozart and Schubert. From these times date the beautiful A Hymn to the Virgin, Quatre Chansons Françaises and the Sinfonietta, his official Op. 1. He visited Vienna in 1934 and saw Wozzeck but family resistance prevented him studying with Berg (who, in any case, died from blood poisoning caused by an insect sting a year later).

He worked for some years in the film unit of the General Post Office where he met W.H. Auden whose poetry inspired the brilliant song cycle Our Hunting Fathers. The experience in the film unit enabled him to develop the expressive immediacy and technical abilities – often using small and unconventional resources – which would assist his composition of operas in the years to come.

In 1939 he decided to follow Auden to America. Accompanying him was the tenor Peter Pears (1910-1986) who was to be the inspiration behind so many great operatic roles and song cycles. There he composed the Sinfonia da Requiem, the Michelangelo Sonnets and the First Quartet. His first opera, Paul Bunyan, to an Auden libretto, was also composed there but then withdrawn (it was revived for the Aldeburgh Festival in the year he died).

He started to get the pangs of homesickness especially when he read, by chance, an article by E.M. Forster on the Suffolk poet Crabbe (whose work was to lead to arguably his greatest success) and he returned to England in 1942. He wrote A Ceremony of Carols and Hymn to St. Cecilia (another Auden text) during this year.

For British Opera, the date 7th June 1945 will always remain a red-letter day as it heralded the premiere of a masterpiece, Peter Grimes. The triumph not only established Britten as Purcell’s successor as Britain’s greatest music dramatist but its numerous performances abroad showed that Britain had an international composer celebrity.

The Rape of Lucretia was premiered the following year, as was the work by which Britten is probably best remembered – certainly by thankful schoolchildren for their Guide to the Orchestra. Here he subjects the theme by Purcell to a series of ingenious variations played by each member of the orchestra and then as groups and finally a fugue where everything comes together in a simply unforgettable coda.

Indeed, when one examines Britten’s output, it is hard not to credit him with at least one work of genius, if not a masterpiece, virtually every year for the rest of his composing life – whether it be an opera, for example The Turn of the Screw in 1954 or A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1960; a choral work, for example Spring Symphony in 1949 or the War Requiem in 1961, a large vocal work, for example Serenade for tenor, horn and strings in 1943, Nocturne in 1958 and Phaedra in 1975; a smaller vocal work, for example the Canticles of 1947, 1952, 1954, 1971 & 1974; the works he wrote for Mstislav Rostropovich – the Cello Sonata in 1961, the Cello Symphony in 1963 and the three Solo Cello Suites in 1964, 1967 & 1971; the two remaining String Quartets in 1945 & 1975 and a full length ballet The Prince of the Pagodas in 1956.

Besides setting many classic poets from Britain, including Blake, Burns, Coleridge, Donne, Hardy, Keats, Jonson, Milton, Owen, Shakespeare, Shelley, Spenser, Tennyson and Wordsworth, he also set texts in French (Hugo, Rimbaud and Verlaine), Italian (Michelangelo), German (Hölderlin) and Russian (Pushkin). He was also partly responsible for the reawakening of interest in the music of his great predecessor, Henry Purcell by making realizations of a large number of his works. He also launched the music festival in his adopted town of Aldeburgh.

Contents:

Compact Disc 1 63.17
- Sinfonia da Requiem Op.20
- Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from ‘Peter Grimes’ Op.33
- The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Op.34 (Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell)
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Libor Pesek
Recorded: 11 & 12.I.1989, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

Compact Disc 2 75.40
- Canadian Carnival Op.19
Wesley Warren,  trumpet
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 22 & 23.IV.1982, Cheltenham Town Hall

- Diversions for piano (left hand) and orchestra Op.21 P 1991
Peter Donohoe, piano
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 15–17.VII.1990, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

- Scottish Ballad Op.26
Peter Donohoe, Philip Fowke - pianos
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 22 & 23.IV.1982, Cheltenham Town Hall

- An American Overture Op.27
- Occasional Overture Op.38
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 23 & 24.V.1984, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

- Building of the House Op.79 P 1991
CBSO Chorus chorus master Simon Halsey
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 15–17.VII.1990, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

Compact Disc 3 74.26
- Piano Concerto Op.13 P 1999
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Paavo Järvi
Recorded: 21 & 23.X.1997, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

- Violin Concerto Op.15 P 1978/1992*
Ida Haendel, violin
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra / Paavo Berglund
Recorded: 12 & 13.VI.1977, Guildhall, Southampton

- Young Apollo Op.16 P 1982
Peter Donohoe, piano • Felix Kok, Jeremy Ballard - violins • Peter Cole, viola • Michal Kaznowski, cello
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 22 & 23.IV.1982, Cheltenham Town Hall

Compact Disc 4 70.17
- Simple Symphony Op.4
Recorded: I.1990, Uranienborg Church, Oslo

- Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge Op.10
Recorded: II.1988, Uranienborg Church, Oslo

- Prelude and Fugue Op.29
- Lachrymae Op.48a
Lars Anders Tomter, viola
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra / Iona Brown
Recorded: XI.1991, Uranienborg Church, Oslo.

Compact Disc 5 72.00
- Symphonic Suite from ‘Gloriana’ Op.53a P 1994
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Takuo Yuasa
Recorded: 14 & 15.XI.1994, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

- Cello Symphony Op.68 P 1988
Steven Isserlis, cello
City of London Sinfonia / Richard Hickox
Recorded: 12 & 14.III.1987, No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London

- Men of Goodwill P 1984 (Variations on a Christmas Carol for orchestra)
Minnesota Orchestra / Sir Neville Marriner
Recorded: 16 & 17.V.1983, Orchestra Hall,

Compact Disc 6 71.21
- Sinfonietta Op.1 P 1998
Pauline Lowbury, Julian Tear - violins
Britten Sinfonia / Daniel Harding
Recorded: 24, 26, 27 & 31.VIII.1997, Air Studios, Lyndhurst Hall, London

- Russian Funeral P 1995
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle

- Suite on English Folk Tunes: ‘A time there was…’ Op.90 P 1986
Peter Walden, cor anglais
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 23 & 24.V.1984, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

- Matinées Musicales Op.24 (Second Suite after Rossini)
- Soirées Musicales Op.9 (First Suite after Rossini)
English Chamber Orchestra / Sir Alexander Gibson
Recorded: 10.III.1982, All Saints’ Church, Tooting, London

- Rossini Suite original version of Soirées Musicales P 1988
Boys of the Choir of Paisley Abbey (chorus master George McPhee)
Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Steuart Bedford
Recorded: 9 & 10.V.1988, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh

Compact Disc 7 78.00
- The Prince of Pagodas Op.57: Ballet in Three Acts
London Sinfonietta / Oliver Knussen
Recorded: 23–29.V.1989, St. Augustine’s Church, Kilburn, London

Compact Disc 8 40.58
- The Prince of Pagodas Op.57 (continued)

Compact Disc 9 60.51
- Rhapsody for String Quartet
- Quartettino
- Elegy for solo viola
(Garfield Jackson, viola)
- String Quartet in D
- Phantasy in F minor for string quintet
(Nicholas Logie, viola)

Compact Disc 10 53.32
- Phantasy for oboe and string trio Op.2
- Three Divertimenti for string quartet
- Alla Marcia for string quartet
- String Quartet No.1 in D Op.25

Compact Disc 11 55.20
- String Quartet No.2 in C Op.36
- String Quartet No.3 Op.94
Endellion String Quartet
Andrew Watkinson, James Clark - violins • Garfield Jackson, viola • David Waterman, cello
Recorded: 26–28.I, 17–19.III & 5–7.V.1986, Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, Hampstead and St. Michael’s, Highgate

Compact Disc 12 73.07
- Cello Suite No.1 in G Op.72
- Cello Suite No.2 in D Op.80
- Cello Suite No.3 Op.87
Truls Mørk, cello
Recorded: 11–16.X.1998 & 6.VI.2000, Ris Church, Oslo

Compact Disc 13 79.56
The Music for Solo Piano
- Holiday Diary Op.5
- Three Character Pieces
- Night Piece (Notturno) 5.23
from Sonatina romantica:
- Moderato
- Nocturne
- Twelve Variations on a Theme
Five Walztes
Stephen Hough, piano

- Two Lullabies for Two Pianos
- Mazurka elegiaca Op.23 No.2 8.23
- Introduction & Rondo alla burlesca Op.23 No.1
Stephen Hough, Ronan O’Hara - pianos
Recorded: VI.1990, Studio 7, BBC Manchester

Compact Disc 14 71.00
- Suite for violin and piano Op.6
Alexander Barantschik, violin • John Adey, piano
Recorded: 14.XII.1994, Conway Hall, London

- Cello Sonata in C Op.65
Moray Welsh, cello • John Lenehan, piano
Recorded: 1.XII.1994; Conway Hall, London

- Six Metamorphoses after Ovid for solo oboe Op.49
Roy Carter, oboe
Recorded: 4&5.I.1995, All Saints’ Church, East Finchley, London

- Nocturnal after John Dowland Op.70
Julian Bream, guitar
Recorded: ???.IX OR X.1992, Forde Abbey, Dorset

Compact Disc 15 60.18
- War Requiem Op.66
Words from the Missa pro defunctis; poems by Wilfred Owen

Elisabeth Söderström, soprano • Robert Tear, tenor • Sir Thomas Allen, baritone • Mark Blatchly, chamber organ
Boys of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford / Francis Grier
CBSO Chorus (chorus master Simon Halsey)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 27.II & 1 & 4.III.1983, The Great Hall, University of Birmingham

Compact Disc 16 67.30
- War Requiem Op.66 (continued)

- Spring Symphony Op.44
Sheila Armstrong, soprano • Dame Janet Baker, contralto • Robert Tear, tenor
St. Clement Danes School Boys’ Choir
London Symphony Chorus (chorus master Richard Hickox)
London Symphony Orchestra / André Previn
Recorded: 28 & 29.VI.1978, Kingsway Hall, London

Compact Disc 17 77.31
- Hymn to St Cecilia Op.27
- Ceremony of Carols Op.28
James Clark, Julian Godlee - trebles • Osian Ellis, harp

- Missa brevis in D Op.63
Julian Brown, Christopher Anderson, Anthony Sackville, Rory Phillips & James Clark - trebles • Ian Hare, organ

- Festival Te Deum Op.32
Simon Channing, treble • James Lancelot, organ

- Rejoice in the Lamb Op.30 (Smart)
Simon Channing, treble • James Bowman, countertenor • Richard Morton, tenor . Marcus Creed, bass • James Lancelot, organ • David Corkhill, percussion

- Te Deum in C
Rory Phillips, treble • James Lancelot, organ

- Jubilate Deo
James Lancelot, organ
Choir of King’s College, Cambridge / Sir David Willcocks • Sir Philip Ledger
Recorded: 27.VII.1971 / 10.VII.1972 / 18–20.III.1974, Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge