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This Britten recital combines two of the composer’s major song cycles, Winter Words, from 1953, and Who are these Children? (1969). In them he explored themes of loneliness, transcience and war – difficult and harrowing material which would test any composer, but Britten is equal to the challenge. His music works its magic by bringing out poignant emotions and subtle insights, sometimes even more vividly than the texts on their own. The music’s emotional depth is grounded in compelling, quasi-naturalistic sound images, such as the whistling, rattling train in the setting of Thomas Hardy’s Midnight on the Great Western. Providing a lighter note between these gripping works are four settings of poems by Robert Burns, containing some of Britten’s most deft and delicate music. Composed on the request of Queen Elizabeth II in 1975, they originally formed part of a set of six songs for high voice and harp, and were later arranged for piano by Britten’s assistant Colin Matthews.
Benjamin Britten: Winter Words, Op. 52
No. 1. At Day-close in November
No. 2. Midnight on the Great Western
No. 3. Wagtail and Baby
No. 4. The Little Old Table
No. 5. The Choirmaster's Burial
No. 6. Proud Songsters
No. 7. At the Railway Station, Upway
No. 8. Before Life and After
Benjamin Britten: A Birthday Hansel, Op. 92 (excerpts) (arr. C. Matthews for voice and piano)
No. 5. Afton Water
No. 3. Wee Willie Gray
No. 6. The Winter
No. 4. My Hoggie
Benjamin Britten: Who are these Children?, Op. 84
No. 1. A Riddle (The Earth)
No. 2. A Laddie's Sang
No. 3. Nightmare
No. 4. Black Day
No. 5. Bed-time
No. 6. Slaughter
No. 7. A Riddle (The Child You Were)
No. 8. The Lark Lad
No. 9. Who are these Children?
No. 10. Supper
No. 11. The Children
No. 12. The Auld Aik
Benjamin Britten: If it's ever spring again
If it's ever Spring again
Benjamin Britten: Dawtie's Devotion
Dawtie's Devotion
Benjamin Britten: The Gully
The Gully
Benjamin Britten: The Children and Sir Nameless
The Children and Sir Nameless
Benjamin Britten: Tradition
Tradition
Benjamin Britten: Folk Song Arrangements, Vol. 5, "British Isles"
Folk Song Arrangements, Vol. 5, "British Isles": Ca' the yowes
October 2008
“The tenor's affinity or Britten shines through in this promising solo debut. His clear, precisely focused tenor can soften, even sweeten… He is sensitive to musical and verbal implications, both bold and delicate in narrative, enters into the fun of a song... and is good at his Scots.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
No. 1. At Day-close in November
