Britten

[LMcD]

Minnesota Opera has produced a socially distanced and staged for video performance of Albert Herring, with the newly-DBE'ed Jane Glover on the podium, via this link:

https://mnopera.org/season/2021-spring-season/albert-herring/

The "price of admission" is your name and e-mail address, with the video available through June 5. Have watched Act I, and as long as you don't mind that very little attempt is made at English accents, it's pretty good so far. Of course, the uptightness about 'morality' transcends borders, and is all too apparent on this side of the Atlantic from hypocritically sanctimonious Republicans. There is one cute, if that's the term, reference to the pandemic in the staging besides the general social distancing of the performers, which I won't spoil.

I'd rather listen to genuine American accents than fake English ones - especially East Anglian! Many thanks for the link.

[LMcD]

Just finished watching this WONDERUL production, conducted by Jane Glover.

[Hitch]

Good Morning Britten, a blog about you-know-who, was founded in 2013 and still survives albeit in a dormant form.

In the words of its author, Ben Hogwood, "Good Morning Britten is intended to be a year-long blog that looks to examine all the works of Benjamin Britten in this, the centenary year of his birth."

I hope the members of FOR3, hardy souls that they are, enjoy Mr Hogwood's company as they explore the windswept fens and brackish creeks of Britten's oeuvre.

(My apologies if the blog has been mentioned before.)

[Rolmill]

Good Morning Britten, a blog about you-know-who, was founded in 2013 and still survives albeit in a dormant form.

In the words of its author, Ben Hogwood, "Good Morning Britten is intended to be a year-long blog that looks to examine all the works of Benjamin Britten in this, the centenary year of his birth."

I hope the members of FOR3, hardy souls that they are, enjoy Mr Hogwood's company as they explore the windswept fens and brackish creeks of Britten's oeuvre.

(My apologies if the blog has been mentioned before.)

I have used this blog for information on specific pieces and found it a useful source.

[smittims]

Looking through this long thread my eye was caught by a 2014 post from the much-missed Mary Chambers, who actually knew Britten, that she felt 'something unpleasant' about Paul Kildea's biography. I wouldn't say 'unpleasant' but I was troubled by his many claims left unsupported by evidence or references; for instance that Frank Bridge was a better conductor than Adrian Boult, or that Alma Mahler asked both Britten and Shostakovitch (separately) to complete her late husband's Tenth Symphony. All too often he endorses Britten's opinions without attempting to justify them .

It reminded me of the time, during Britten's lifetime, when it was impossible to find an impartial view of his music: the efforts of the pro-Brittenites and anti-Brittenites seemed to goad each other to ever wilder claims. For me he was neither a clever, over-privileged show-off, nor 'Britain's greatest composer' but the often uneven author of some wonderful and memorable music .

I was prompted to post this after hearing 'Death in Venice' this morning. I haven't heard it often since hearing the premiere, which impressed me c.50 years ago. I'd be interested to hear what others think of Britten's music today.

[Serial_Apologist]

Looking through this long thread my eye was caught by a 2014 post from the much-missed Mary Chambers, who actually knew Britten, that she felt 'something unpleasant' about Paul Kildea's biography. I wouldn't say 'unpleasant' but I was troubled by his many claims left unsupported by evidence or references; for instance that Frank Bridge was a better conductor than Adrian Boult, or that Alma Mahler asked both Britten and Shostakovitch (separately) to complete her late husband's Tenth Symphony. All too often he endorses Britten's opinions without attempting to justify them .

It reminded me of the time, during Britten's lifetime, when it was impossible to find an impartial view of his music: the efforts of the pro-Brittenites and anti-Brittenites seemed to goad each other to ever wilder claims. For me he was neither a clever, over-privileged show-off, nor 'Britain's greatest composer' but the often uneven author of some wonderful and memorable music .

I was prompted to post this after hearing 'Death in Venice' this morning. I haven't heard it often since hearing the premiere, which impressed me c.50 years ago. I'd be interested to hear what others think of Britten's music today.

My thoughts about Britten too. I tend to prefer the early works (up to and including "Grimes"), notwithstanding the frequent obviousness of the influences on display in them, to the later ones. I've often felt that he strained in his aim to demonstrate his "modernity", being more naturally inclined to straightforward unaffectedness, as in "A Boy Was Born", than in some later works in which dissonance comes across as forced and difficult to account for in contextual musical terms rather than a wish to come across as up to date. As with Liszt a case of ambition coupled with inconsistent inspiration exerted on more naturally gifted younger figures. I happen to feel the same about Tippett too - feeling his best work to have been up to and including the "Midsummer Marriage". But there we go, and I know a lot of people on the forum I usually concur with will strongly disagree with me on one or other of these two counts.

[Lordgeous]

My thoughts about Britten too. I tend to prefer the early works (up to and including "Grimes"), notwithstanding the frequent obviousness of the influences on display in them, to the later ones. I've often felt that he strained in his aim to demonstrate his "modernity", being more naturally inclined to straightforward unaffectedness, as in "A Boy Was Born", than in some later works in which dissonance comes across as forced and difficult to account for in contextual musical terms rather than a wish to come across as up to date. As with Liszt a case of ambition coupled with inconsistent inspiration exerted on more naturally gifted younger figures. I happen to feel the same about Tippett too - feeling his best work to have been up to and including the "Midsummer Marriage". But there we go, and I know a lot of people on the forum I usually concur with will strongly disagree with me on one or other of these two counts.

I think you've put it very well. Despite being a lifelong Britten fan (and he was very kind to me) I have to agree.

[Mandryka]

On June 23 someone reminded me it was Britten’s birthday, so I listened to this early recording of the Donne settings by Pears

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsmXYLRNzis&ab_channel=incontrariomotu

In fact I was so impressed by the music that I resolved to explore his songs more. Those Donne settings sounded so modern, as modern as songs by Rihm!

This little project led me to Ian Partridge and Jukka Savijoki’s recording of Songs from the Chinese, which I love.


But then it almost ground to a halt, I found more recent performances on record of those two cycles, or indeed other Britten songs, less engaging. That’s no reflection on the music or the performances, of course. Two slight possible exceptions were Alexander Young singing the Donne and a few Chinese settings on an interesting compilation recording by Scot Weir called Letters - Weir’s voice reminds me of a friend’s, and the recording has some wonderful settings of composers’ letters by someone I’d never even heard of before called Dominick Argento.

Prior to that, a couple of years ago, someone “made me” watch a German production of Death in Venice, a production which very much played up the homoerotic aspect. It was so painful - for personal reasons. I had maybe seen this opera twice before, and on both those occasions I could slightly identify with Tadzio. But no more! Now I am more empathetic towards Aschenbach! The horror, the horror. Never again. Bring me the whisky bottle, now!

[Ein Heldenleben]

Looking through this long thread my eye was caught by a 2014 post from the much-missed Mary Chambers, who actually knew Britten, that she felt 'something unpleasant' about Paul Kildea's biography. I wouldn't say 'unpleasant' but I was troubled by his many claims left unsupported by evidence or references; for instance that Frank Bridge was a better conductor than Adrian Boult, or that Alma Mahler asked both Britten and Shostakovitch (separately) to complete her late husband's Tenth Symphony. All too often he endorses Britten's opinions without attempting to justify them .

It reminded me of the time, during Britten's lifetime, when it was impossible to find an impartial view of his music: the efforts of the pro-Brittenites and anti-Brittenites seemed to goad each other to ever wilder claims. For me he was neither a clever, over-privileged show-off, nor 'Britain's greatest composer' but the often uneven author of some wonderful and memorable music .

I was prompted to post this after hearing 'Death in Venice' this morning. I haven't heard it often since hearing the premiere, which impressed me c.50 years ago. I'd be interested to hear what others think of Britten's music today.

I don’t think he wrote a single opera that was less than excellent - Grimes, Budd, MSND, Turn of the Screw are masterpieces . The Requiem was of its time and hasn’t worn well - ditto some of the occasional pieces but not Gloriana - so nearly another masterwork. The Songs - in particular the Canticles - masterpieces again , ditto the String Quartets, virtually all the pieces for voice and orchestra. Probably our greatest composer after Elgar and without question our greatest vocal composer. In short I’m a fan…

[crb11]

On June 23 someone reminded me it was Britten’s birthday, so I listened to this early recording of the Donne settings by Pears

I'm not sure where they got that from, as he was born on November 22 - the feast day of St Cecilia, the patron saint of music, something Britten commented on. But, as Ein Heldenleben comments, he's one of the greatest British composers, so worth exploring at any time of year.

[Mandryka]

I'm not sure where they got that from, as he was born on November 22 - the feast day of St Cecilia, the patron saint of music, something Britten commented on. But, as Ein Heldenleben comments, he's one of the greatest British composers, so worth exploring at any time of year.

Oops, my bad, Peter Pears's birthday.

[Maclintick]

I don’t think he wrote a single opera that was less than excellent - Grimes, Budd, MSND, Turn of the Screw are masterpieces . The Requiem was of its time and hasn’t worn well - ditto some of the occasional pieces but not Gloriana - so nearly another masterwork. The Songs - in particular the Canticles - masterpieces again , ditto the String Quartets, virtually all the pieces for voice and orchestra. Probably our greatest composer after Elgar and without question our greatest vocal composer. In short I’m a fan…

I'd broadly agree, and add that BB is a rare bird among British composers in that he possesses true international appeal, and that his reputation hasn't suffered the familiar posthumous nosedive, but flourished in the opera houses of the world in the decades since his death. Also of note are "slow-burn" pieces such as the Sinfonia Da Requiem -- now much more mainstream concert fare than in BB's lifetime, or the Violin Concerto, championed by Ida Haendel but rarely performed by others for many years, but now being enthusiastically taken up by the younger generation of soloists, Vilde Frang, for instance.

[gradus]

Such a shame that he never conducted at Bayreuth, although I believe he was invited.

[smittims]

Britten seems to be a good composer to revisit. I hadn't listened to him much for years whn I heard, oddly, the two pieces for two pianos, in the old Decca recording with BB and Clifford Curzon. I was so impressed that set me off rediscovering his music.

[Maclintick]

Britten seems to be a good composer to revisit. I hadn't listened to him much for years whn I heard, oddly, the two pieces for two pianos, in the old Decca recording with BB and Clifford Curzon. I was so impressed that set me off rediscovering his music.

I haven't heard the Britten/Curzon recordings, but you've inspired me to dig out a CD of Britten solo & 2 piano compositions, including Holiday Diary and other pieces mainly written in the 30s, played by Stephen Hough & Ronan O'Hora which I haven't spun in a while. A recent BAL on BB's Hardy settings Winter Words caused me to shell out on the live recording by the great Anthony Rolfe Johnson partnered by Graham Johnson which won the accolade. It's marvellous -- Youtube taster here:

https://youtu.be/pRfLbGt1-iU