Pleased to see that Benjamin Britten on Camera will be shown on BBC 4, tonight,(31st May), 19.00-20.00hrs. The documentary examines the composer's broadcasting legacy, meeting some of the musicians he wrote for, visiting the Suffolk coast that inspired him, and hearing from the producers who brought his music to a wide audience.
Fortuitous, too, as I transferred Peter Grimes on Aldeburgh beach from hard drive to DVD only a few days ago. Pondered on a matching companion piece for a 240mins DVD and finally settled for a programme from the Masterworks series, Six Pieces of Britain (no pun intended!) on a transfer from an off-air video, recorded on BBC 2, 31st July 1999. An ideal slot for a 74mins programme. The work covered in rehearsal and full performance was Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings, one of his most evocative works, a benchmark in his oeuvre, setting to music poetry by Keats, Tennyson and Blake. Elegantly presented by Michael Berkeley, the composer's godson, the rehearsal sequences and performance recorded at Blythburgh Church in Suffolk, include Ian Bostridge as soloist, with Timothy Brown as the horn soloist with Sir Colin Davis conducting the strings of the BBC SO. The aerial shots from Aldeburgh to Blythburgh a particular treat with the opening sequence also complementing the setting for Peter Grimes.
The programme also includes archive footage covering Britten's development, particularly in the 30s, when he worked for the Ministry of Information and documentary productions. I wonder whether the Beeb still have the rights to this six-part series as the features on Belshazzar's Feast at Leeds Town Hall and subsequent programmes on DSCH and Berg are outstanding and regularly viewed here. I'm sure that a few of the forum dedicated collectors do likewise!
Fortuitous, too, as I transferred Peter Grimes on Aldeburgh beach from hard drive to DVD only a few days ago. Pondered on a matching companion piece for a 240mins DVD and finally settled for a programme from the Masterworks series, Six Pieces of Britain (no pun intended!) on a transfer from an off-air video, recorded on BBC 2, 31st July 1999. An ideal slot for a 74mins programme. The work covered in rehearsal and full performance was Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings, one of his most evocative works, a benchmark in his oeuvre, setting to music poetry by Keats, Tennyson and Blake. Elegantly presented by Michael Berkeley, the composer's godson, the rehearsal sequences and performance recorded at Blythburgh Church in Suffolk, include Ian Bostridge as soloist, with Timothy Brown as the horn soloist with Sir Colin Davis conducting the strings of the BBC SO. The aerial shots from Aldeburgh to Blythburgh a particular treat with the opening sequence also complementing the setting for Peter Grimes.
The programme also includes archive footage covering Britten's development, particularly in the 30s, when he worked for the Ministry of Information and documentary productions. I wonder whether the Beeb still have the rights to this six-part series as the features on Belshazzar's Feast at Leeds Town Hall and subsequent programmes on DSCH and Berg are outstanding and regularly viewed here. I'm sure that a few of the forum dedicated collectors do likewise!
- along with Steuart Bedford miming cues to the order of weapons in Pears' aria in Wingrave and the other cast members having to concentrate on their soup bowls in order to stop giggling.
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