Britten Birthday Concert 04 December 2012

[Guest]

This programme looks to be a real treat ....

Live from the Wigmore Hall, London

Presented by Martin Handley

Nash Ensemble play Britten live from Wigmore Hall, conducted by Martyn Brabbins. They are joined by soloists Sandrine Piau, John Mark Ainsley, Richard Watkins and Lawrence Power for two of Britten's great early orchestral song cycles, as well as an early masterpiece for viola revisited by the composer at the very end of his life.

Britten: Les illuminations, Op.18
Britten: Lachrymae, Op.48a, for viola and strings

Sandrine Piau (soprano)
John Mark Ainsley (tenor)
Lawrence Power (viola)
Richard Watkins (horn)
Nash Ensemble
Martyn Brabbins (conductor)

Then at approx 9.15pm
Paul Lewis plays Schubert at the Wigmore Hall. One of the three great sonatas written by Schubert in the last months of his short life.

Schubert: Piano Sonata in A, D.959
Paul Lewis (piano)
(continued on Thursday at approx 9.20pm with the Sonata in B flat, D. 960).

[Nick Armstrong]

Mlle. Piau in 'Illuminations' will be interesting.

The Serenade is presumably on the programme, but seems to have slipped off the above, Ammy... Not an Ainsley fan here, I'm afraid. Hope to catch the early part of the concert on the way home however

[Mary Chambers]

Today is the 36th anniversary of the day BB died (in1976). I'll listen and criticise! I've heard Sandrine Piau sing Les Illuminations before - well in some ways, but with poor diction, even if she IS French.

[amateur51]

Today is the 36th anniversary of the day BB died (in1976). I'll listen and criticise! I've heard Sandrine Piau sing Les Illuminations before - well in some ways, but with poor diction, even if she IS French.

I was looking forward to her diction - let's hope that she surprises you Mary

[Suffolkcoastal]

A bit of a mean concert 40 minutes of music in the 1st half, 25 mins in the 2nd. 65 minutes of music in a concert is simply not good enough, surely they could have found another Britten work to perform as well?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Today is the 36th anniversary of the day BB died (in1976).

Indeed so; I remember it well because our school was preparing St Nicolas for its Christmas Concert - a very subdued rehearsal the following Monday lunchtime.

I notice (and apologies if this has already been "flagged" elsewhere) that the cover CD on next month's BBCMusMag is a performance of the War Requiem (on sale from 19th Dec: surely better placed last November?)

[amateur51]

Mlle. Piau in 'Illuminations' will be interesting.

The Serenade is presumably on the programme, but seems to have slipped off the above, Ammy... Not an Ainsley fan here, I'm afraid. Hope to catch the early part of the concert on the way home however

You're absolutely correct about the Serenade Caliban, sorry about that

Ainsley says he's gutted by your non-fanship but he has seen you toying with packets of his cous-cous in Waitrose

[Hornspieler]

You're absolutely correct about the Serenade Caliban, sorry about that

:

Serenade for Tenor, Horn and strings.

I can hardly believe that I would ever have said it, but I believe that Dennis Brain himself would have been proud to have played the horn part as well as Richard Watkins played last night.
A masterfull performance with impeccable technique and sheer musical understanding of Britten's inspired but difficult writing.
I never liked Peter Pears' voice and John Mark Ainsley's singing suited me - and I believe the music very well.



HS

BTW: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died on this day in 1791. Spare a thought for his memory - a composer who inspired all writers of music for solo horn since.

[Mary Chambers]

The horn playing was beyond reproach, but I thought Ainsley sounded as if he were struggling more than once. Several strains and cracks in the voice and I felt concerned for him as he approached the Dirge, but it went better than I expected.

Sandrine Piau's Illuminations went pretty well, but I much prefer a tenor, partly because the words are almost invariably clearer, and the words matter. I thought her diction was a little better than it was last time I heard her.

I don't mind if a concert's short, if it's what I want to hear.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

BTW: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died on this day in 1791. Spare a thought for his memory - a composer who inspired all writers of music for solo horn since.

I shall commemorate the event with Ms Piazzini later today.

[Sir Velo]

Sandrine Piau's Illuminations went pretty well, but I much prefer a tenor, partly because the words are almost invariably clearer, and the words matter. I thought her diction was a little better than it was last time I heard her.

I have to say that for me the cycle is more effectively sung by sopranos than by tenors, and as the cycle was written for Sophie Wyss, this seems a perfectly valid position to take. I realise that this may be seen as heresy to some but Pears has always seemed too gentrified for these seductively mysterious poems.

[Sir Velo]

The horn playing was beyond reproach

Talk about damning with faint praise. Come on Mary, the horn playing (particularly in The Elegy) was superlative!

[salymap]

Talk about damning with faint praise. Come on Mary, the horn playing (particularly in The Elegy) was superlative!

The best I've heard in that work I think.

[Mary Chambers]

Talk about damning with faint praise. Come on Mary, the horn playing (particularly in The Elegy) was superlative!

I haven't given the impression I intended, obviously. 'Beyond reproach' to me means beyond criticism, faultless.

[Mary Chambers]

The cycle was first performed by Sophie Wyss, yes, but most of it was composed with Pears in mind as well. It's very clear from Britten's letters. Pears was not yet an established soloist at the time. I've explained this somewhere or other before. If I can find where I'll post a link.

I've found it, in another place....Message #37 on this thread, if anyone's interested.

http://www.r3ok.com/index.php/topic,354.30.html