Britten centenary website

[VodkaDilc]

But it used a girls' choir, which isn't what Britten asked for. Otherwise, I agree it was very good.

I had not realised that. What a shame, when the boys' sound was so important to BB. Surely they had the Coventry Cathedral Choir conveniently available on site!

[Mary Chambers]

I had not realised that. What a shame, when the boys' sound was so important to BB. Surely they had the Coventry Cathedral Choir conveniently available on site!

I think it was the Cathedral girls! (Haven't checked.)

EDIT: have checked - it was the CBSO youth choir. No visible boys that I remember.

[VodkaDilc]

I think it was the Cathedral girls! (Haven't checked.)

It looks as if it's the CBSO Youth Choir - so presumably older teenaged girls - even worse! (If 'worse' offends, I mean it in the sense of 'even further from BB's intentions'.)

http://www.cbso.co.uk/?page=concerts/viewConcert.html&cid=2386

[Mary Chambers]

It looks as if it's the CBSO Youth Choir - so presumably older teenaged girls - even worse! (If 'worse' offends, I mean it in the sense of 'even further from BB's intentions'.)

Yes, that's right. Apologies.

[mercia]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/britten-centenary.html

[Boilk]

And what about stamps - many musicians have been thus honoured ?

Annoyingly, there was no Tippett centennial stamp. Anyway...

10 January 2013: Links With Europe
European music composers' anniversaries - including 1000th anniversary of the birth of Hermann of Reichenau, birth bicentenary of Giuseppe Verdi, birth bicentenary of Richard Wagner, 150th birth anniversary of Mieczyslaw Soltys, birth bicentenary of Stephen Istvan Heller and 150th birth anniversary of Ernesto Nazareth (12 stamps in total).

21 March 2013: British Music
Birth centenary of Benjamin Britten & 450th birth anniversary of Giles Farnaby
(10 stamps and 1 prestige booklet and 1 "Smilers" sheet).

If the 450th of Farnaby (opportunistic?) then why not, say, the 50th of John Ireland ... but the list goes on.

Taken from http://commonwealthstampsopinion.blo...programme.html

[pursuivant]

Consolation for opera lovers

"Every Britten Opera to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 throughout 2013" (London Evening Standard and internet review site The Classical Source. Well there are those who, should they happen to switch on Radio 3 and find themselves amid an unidentified opera sung in English, will immediately switch off for fear it might be by Benjamin Britten. (indeed I have heard this said by a very keen music lover) so they will be sorely tried in 2013. However, fortunately for them as opera lovers, there should be a wealth of great music for them to listen to since it is the bicentenary of both Verdi and Wagner.

[VodkaDilc]

Reading that "every opera is to be broadcast" reminded me that there was a note in the programme (and monster vehicles outside) when I went to the ENO Billy Budd earlier in the summer saying that it was being recorded for a future date on R3. As far as I know, it has not been broadcast yet, so I suppose it will be part of this celebration.

In reply to Message No 22, I will only say that we are fortunate that THREE great opera composers share the same anniversary year!

[mercia]

youtube has cleared up a little mystery for me as to which film had Britten and Richter playing a piano duet, it's this film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svlhktGEzyc&feature=plcp

[Nick Armstrong]

youtube has cleared up a little mystery for me as to which film had Britten and Richter playing a piano duet, it's this film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svlhktGEzyc&feature=plcp

Oh thanks for that, mercia

I've just found that adding YT videos to my 'favourites' in my YT account means I can watch them easily on the big telly at home, so lots of treats in story!

[mercia]

youtube has cleared up a little mystery for me as to which film had Britten and Richter playing a piano duet, it's this film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svlhktGEzyc&feature=plcp

<doh> but now I've started watching A Time There Was, the same sequence appears there too
..... indeed, the shorter film seems to be edited highlights of the longer

[Vile Consort]

Surprised to find it listed not one event in the Manchester area.

[Mary Chambers]

Surprised to find it listed not one event in the Manchester area.

They've got that wrong. A cursory glance at the schedules for the Halle and BBC Philharmonic shows performances of Les Illuminations and the Prince of the Pagodas suite in January 2013 alone.

I've been watching old Tony Palmer films from the 1960s - Britten and his Festival and a documentary about the recording of The Burning Fiery Furnace, issued in a box set, Britten at 100, with A Time There Was and Death in Venice. I think they're available separately.

[amateur51]

I think the website is a 'work in progress'.

Interesting to see that Richard Jarman is in charge

[Sir Velo]

And, of course, he's joined the ranks of the twitterati too.