Our Summer BAL 15: Britten's Les Illuminations

[verismissimo]

A favourite work of mine. Great poetry in brilliant settings.

But tenor or soprano? Pears or not?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The Britten/Pears recording with the Serenade and the Nocturne is a very special CD in my collection.

[EdgeleyRob]

The Britten/Pears recording with the Serenade and the Nocturne is a very special CD in my collection.

Oh yes that is a wonderful CD

[verismissimo]

I recall that Jill Gomez with Endymion Ensemble won a proper BAL several years ago. I'll listen to it and Pears/Britten again.

[Mary Chambers]

Pears, always. Sempre pp.

"Peter has shown people now how it really goes", as Britten wrote to Elizabeth Mayer in 1942.

[LeMartinPecheur]

At an early age I conceived a firm preference for sopranos (!? - in this work you understand) and was then gratified to find that it was first performed by Swiss soprano Sophie Wyss. But I've also seen suggestions that this was more or less an accident - it may still have been written with PP's voice in mind. But I'll certainly stay with sopranos - in particular Heather Harper with Neville Marriner, supplemented by Flott and Piau.

It's not that I haven't tried the tenors: Pears and Ainsley are on my shelves. Was almost tempted to try Padmore at St Endellion this summer but other things had greater pulling power, including Padmore in Dichterliebe and (last night) in Rake's Progress.

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I'd agree with LeMartinPecheur about a preference for sopranos in Les illuminations: Sandrine Piau's recent account on an NMC disc is excellent, though do try and hear Suzanne Danco with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Ernest Ansermet... quite wonderful.

Of tenors, Ian Bostridge is excellent, though I'd like to get to know John Mark Ainsley's recording.

[LeMartinPecheur]

One thing that bugs me in performances and recordings of Les illuminations is treatment of final 'e's. I don't claim to be a fluent French stylist but have been aware from French O level 1970 that you pronounce a lot more of them in poetry than you do in prose.

My first recording of Les illluminations was Heather Harper who pronounced plenty of 'em so I felt properly scornful of other performers who pronounced none (nice simple approach but hmm just not right...). But then Flott as a French graduate and accredited Francophile ought to be definitive and a word might even be said for Piau as native French, but IIRC they all do them differently!

[Mary Chambers]

At an early age I conceived a firm preference for sopranos (!? - in this work) and was then gratified to find that it was first performed by Swiss soprano Sophie Wyss. But I've also seen suggestions that this was more or less an accident - it may still have been written with PP's voice in mind.

There is certainly some evidence for that. He wasn't really a fully established soloist at the time, but they hoped....

[visualnickmos]

... Jill Gomez with Endymion Ensemble won a proper BAL several years ago.

This is absolutely a "must have" - I adore this recording. Way back in 2001 I attended the funeral of the husband of a very dear friend of mine at St.John's church in Hackney, and on returning home that evening I played this CD, and then read the recording details, only to discover that it was recorded at the very same church! I like to this this was slightly more than purely coincidence.

[BBMmk2]

That is the version I have in my collection. There areothers but for me youy cant beat BB and PP.

PS Any reccomendations?

[verismissimo]

Britten was always inspired by great poetry. And I feel that Rimbaud brought out the very best in him.

BTW Gomez/Endymion is just as good as I remember it - if not better!

[Mary Chambers]

I don't think I've heard the Jill Gomez recording, but I have heard her recording of Britten's Quatre Chansons Françaises. Her French diction is execrable on that, and it put me off.

[Barbirollians]

I enjoyed the recent Anne Catherine Gillet recording a great deal but I felt her Nuits D Ete with which it is coupled to be under characterised.

[makropulos]

One I'm very fond of that I don't think has been mentioned yet is Janine Micheau with the Lamoureux Orchestra conducted by Paul Sacher (it reappeared on a Philips CD set years ago and I discovered it on that). It's lovely to have a real French soprano singing the texts. I like Danco/Ansermet for much the same reason - and Sandrine Piau for that matter.

Otherwise, Pears/BB is very special indeed.