Benjamin Britten Songs

Britten seemed to be a prolific artist and I'm a little intimidated as to the vast output to select from. I heard some songs on NPR which I liked. Can anyone pont me in the right direction insofar as recommendations?

russellrcncom07-15-2005 4:37pm

Showing 2 responses by rushton

rushton Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 2,445 posts 07-19-2005 at 10:32pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Lousyreeds, the songs I listed are standalone works, although several (Seven Sonnets, Canticles, Eight Medieval Lyrics) are a series of songs (5-8) loosely related by a common theme. .
rushton Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 2,445 posts 07-15-2005 at 11:10pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete If you enjoyed the Britten songs you heard and want to sample more of his vocal compositions, the first choice is "choral" or "single voice" songs. If you enjoy choral, I would recommend any of the following as good entry points to Britten's work: Ceremony of Carols (Willcocks/ChoirKingsCollege) Rejoice in the Lamb (Britten/Purcell Singers) Missa Brevis (Guest/ChoirStJohn'sCollegeCambridge or Willcocks/ChoirKingsCollege) Hymn to St. Cecilia (Willcocks/ChoirKingsCollege) If you want to stay with songs, then you might consider any of the following as a starting point: Sacred & Profane - Eight Medieval Lyrics (Wilbye Consort/Pears) Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo (Britten -pf, Pears -ten) Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (Britten/ECO, Pears -ten, Tuckwell -hn) Canticles I-V (Britten -pf, Pears -ten) The performances I've suggested are simply that: suggestions for performances of these works that I like. Enjoy! .

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