In 2018 ian began an auspicious artistic residency with the seoul philharmonic. Britten s attraction to the night, to the poetry of night, and to the sounds of the natural world is celebrated in one of his most acclaimed works it is possibly so wellregarded because it sets some of englands bestknown poetry, and is beautifully composed for the sympathetic sounds of tenor, french horn and string orchestra. Ian bostridge s suberb performance was sung with plangent poignancy and. Ian bostridge, a compilation of songs by benjamin britten. Peter pears, tenor dennis brain, horn orchestral ensemble walter goehr faroff, primeval innocence, the serenade is an extraordinary example of britten s ability to set.
Composed during world war ii at the request of the horn player dennis brain, it is a setting of a selection of six poems by british poets on the subject of night, including both its calm and its sinister aspects. Benjamin britten s music of the early 1940s was dominated by peter grimes, but there were other substantial pieces from this period too. His performances are notable for their dramatic range, particularly the power and passion and vocal abandon he brings to these works. Ian bostridge, bamberger symphoniker, marie luise neuenecker horn. Masterworks britten serenade with ian bostridge, timothy brown sir colin davis and bbc symphony orchestra part 29. As the week continues, bill introduces us to the influential people in his life, including britten s lifelong partner, tenor peter pears.
I like bostridge, manneredness, effeteness and all. Six decades later we have an acclaimed new one from ian bostridge, so it seems worthwhile to compare it to the best from the past and to pears own wonderful interpretations. In 2018 ian began an auspicious artistic residency with the seoul philharmonic orchestra, the. The bbc work page for serenade for tenor, horn and strings. Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, les illuminations, and nocturne. T his is ian bostridge s second version of britten s serenade for emi, and comparisons between the two are revealing. But moraleboosting concerts with tenor peter pears both were conscientious objectors and already lifelong partners preoccupied them for the next 11 months.
Even after 50 years of listening to britten s serenade, the work that introduced him to me as an inspired composer, it still has the power to astonish anew for its amazingly apt setting of the diligently chosen poems and for the deftly woven, dazzling horn part written for dennis brain. Bostridge has actually recorded the serenade for tenor, horn, and strings once before coupled unusually with the strauss horn concertos but this new version puts the work in the context it deserves, bookended by the youthful exuberance of les illuminations and the spare elegies of the later nocturne. War requiem gianandrea nosedaian bostridge simon keenlysidesabina cvilaklondon symphony orchestrachoir of eltham collegelondon symphony chorus, 2012 lso britten. Bostridge s fine recordings of two major britten cycles juxtaposed. Serenade for tenor, horn and strings les illuminations nocturne label. Ian bostridge britten serenade our hunting fathers.
Bostridge is the greatgrandson of the tottenham hotspur goalkeeper from the early twentieth century, john tiny joyce he was a queens scholar at westminster school. Ian bostridge marieluise neuneckerbamberger symphonikeringo metzmacher britten sinfoniadaniel harding, marieluise neunecker french horn, ian bostridge marieluise neuneckerbamberger symphonikeringo metzmacher, ian bostridge marieluise. In the interim his voice has acquired more weightits still the lightest of any being considered here, howeverand that extra heft helps him to deepen his interpretation, adding more darkness and mystery to the text mystery. Classical, 20th century benjamin britten the collectors edition 37 cd 2008, mp3 tracks 320 kbps lossy. Britten s war requiem is the composers most public statement of his pacifism.
Britten sinfonia once again joins forces with acclaimed tenor ian bostridge in a performance which includes one of benjamin britten s seminal works, serenade for tenor, horn and strings. Ian bostridge s best of benjamin britten as the benjamin britten centenary approaches, tenor ian bostridge picks his 10 favourite works. If bostridge does indeed live up to the standards of his exalted forebears, the. Britten s serenade unites the unique timbre of the british tenor voice with the great tradition of horn playing inaugurated by dennis brain and his successors, alan civil and barry tuckwell. Of course, every true britten fan will be wellacquainted with pears and britten s own recordings of the majority of these songs decca, bbc, and you cant help but hear the influence of pears distinctive inflections, fluid legato, and highcentered tone in bostridge s or. Not until he was hospitalized with measles early in 1943 did britten began to. Ian bostridge on benjamin brittens tribute to peter pears. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. Benjamin britten serenade for tenor, horn and strings op.
On monday we learn about britten s childhood, and the deep bond between him and his teacher, frank bridge. Masterworks britten serenade with ian bostridge, timothy. Bostridge, different from pears, sounds in his own way right at home and gentler on the ear. He has had residencies at the wiener konzerthaus, carnegie hall new york, het concertgebouw amsterdam, philharmonie luxembourg, londons barbican centre and wigmore hall. Benjamin britten s works can be edgy, or they can be warm and accessible. His is the only malevoice our hunting fathers in the catalogue.
In 1944, a year after it was composed, britten s serenade for tenor, horn, and strings began a long streak of excellence on disc. Ian bostridge s reedy, agile tenor falls squarely into the mould of his illustrious predecessors, peter pears and robert tear. He attended st johns college, oxford, where he secured a first in modern. The singer has a seemingly effortless way of sustaining a musical line while shading the words with. Order from your preferred classical music cd store arkivmusic. Tenor ian bostridge brings together three of britten s most important song cycles. The serenade, despite britten s diffidence not important stuff, but quite pleasant, i think, is a thoroughly romantic piece, phantasmagorical and deathladen, a quality underlined by the use. Auckland city brass band benjamin britten serenade for. The work is cast in six movements and calls for massive forces. Serenade our hunting fathers o waly, waly oliver cromwell label. On his way back from america in 1942, britten began two choral works, hymn to saint cecilia and a ceremony of carols, that were premiered the same year. Ian bostridge cbe has made regular appearances at the salzburg, edinburgh, munich, vienna, schwarzenberg and aldeburgh festivals. Bostridge is often compared to peter pears for his talent and repertoire, particularly in the art song genre, but also in choral music. Britten has always struck me as a mannered, effete composer not the man, but the music itself, if that makes any sort of sense.
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