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Simon Rattle conducts Britten

Release Date: 9th Feb 2009
Catalogue No: 2427432
Label: Warner Classics
Series: Simon Rattle Edition
Length: 5 hours 35 minutes

Britten: An American Overture

Work length10:35

Album only

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1984-05-24
Recording Venue: 23-24 May 1984: Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

Britten: Ballad of Heroes, Op. 14

Work length16:18

$3.00

$3.90

Sir Simon Rattle/CBSO Chorus/Simon Halsey/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Robert Tear, Robert Tear (vocals)
City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1990-07-17
Recording Venue: 15-17 July 1990, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

1. Funeral March -

Track length5:39

$1.00

$1.30

2. Scherzo (Dance of Death)

Track length4:23

$1.00

$1.30

3. Recitative and Choral - Epilogue (Funeral March)

Track length6:16

$1.00

$1.30

Britten: Diversions for piano (left hand) and orchestra, Op. 21

Work length23:24

$12.00

$15.60

Peter Donohoe (piano)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1990-07-17
Recording Venue: 15-17 July 1990, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

Theme -

Track length1:18

$1.00

$1.30

Var.I Recitative -

Track length1:38

$1.00

$1.30

Var.II Romance -

Track length1:20

$1.00

$1.30

Var.III March -

Track length1:14

$1.00

$1.30

Var.IV Arabesque

Track length1:50

$1.00

$1.30

Var.V Chant -

Track length1:47

$1.00

$1.30

Var.VI Nocturne -

Track length2:00

$1.00

$1.30

Var.VII Badinerie

Track length1:20

$1.00

$1.30

Var.VIII Burlesque

Track length1:36

$1.00

$1.30

Var.IX Toccata I - Toccata II -

Track length2:48

$1.00

$1.30

Var.X Adagio

Track length4:00

$1.00

$1.30

Var.XI Tarantella

Track length2:33

$1.00

$1.30

Britten: The Building of the House Overture

Work length5:02

$1.00

$1.30

Sir Simon Rattle/CBSO Chorus/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Simon Halsey
City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1990-07-17
Recording Venue: 15-17 July 1990, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

Britten: Praise We Great Men

Work length7:08

$3.00

$3.90

Robert Tear/Simon Halsey/Sir Simon Rattle/Alison Hargan/Mary King/Sir Willard White/CBSO Chorus/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Simon Halsey/Robert Tear/Sir Simon Rattle/Alison Hargan/Mary King/Sir Willard White/CBSO Chorus/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Mary King (vocals), Robert Tear (vocals), Alison Hargan (soprano)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1990-01-01
Recording Venue: 15-17 July 1990, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

'Praise we great men' -

Track length3:26

$1.00

$1.30

'Praise we the just'

Track length2:22

$1.00

$1.30

[Coda]

Track length1:20

$1.00

$1.30

Britten: Suite on English Folk Tunes

Work length14:45

$5.00

$6.50

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1984-05-24
Recording Venue: 23-24 May 1984: Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

'A time there was...' Op.90: I. Cakes and Ale

Track length2:32

$1.00

$1.30

'A time there was...' Op.90: II. The Bitter Withy

Track length2:56

$1.00

$1.30

'A time there was...' Op.90: III. Hankin Booby

Track length2:30

$1.00

$1.30

'A time there was...' Op.90: IV. Hunt the Squirrel

Track length1:18

$1.00

$1.30

'A time there was...' Op.90: V. Lord Melbourne

Track length5:29

$1.00

$1.30

Britten: Canadian Carnival, Op.19

Work length14:08

Album only

Wesley Warren (trumpet)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1982-04-23
Recording Venue: 22 & 23 April 1982, Cheltenham Town Hall

Britten: Young Apollo, Op. 16

Work length7:37

$1.00

$1.30

Peter Cole (viola), Peter Donohoe (piano), Michal Kaznowski (cello), Jeremy Ballard (violin), Felix Kok (violin)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1982-04-23
Recording Venue: 22 & 23 April 1982, Cheltenham Town Hall

Britten: Quatre Chansons françaises (1928)

Work length12:39

$4.00

$5.20

Jill Gomez (soprano)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1982-04-23
Recording Venue: 22 & 23 April 1982, Cheltenham Town Hall

1. Nuits de juin (wds. Victor Hugo)

Track length2:49

$1.00

$1.30

2. Sagesse (wds. Paul Verlaine)

Track length2:49

$1.00

$1.30

3. L'Enfance (wds. Victor Hugo)

Track length4:31

$1.00

$1.30

4. Chanson d'automne (wds. Paul Verlaine)

Track length2:30

$1.00

$1.30

Britten: Scottish Ballad, Op. 26

Work length15:23

Album only

Philip Fowke (piano), Peter Donohoe (piano)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1982-04-23
Recording Venue: 22 & 23 April 1982, Cheltenham Town Hall

Britten: Occasional Overture, Op. 38

Work length7:18

$1.00

$1.30

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1984-05-24
Recording Venue: 23 & 24 May 1984, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20

Work length20:27

$3.00

$3.90

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1984-05-24
Recording Venue: 23-24 May 1984: Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick

I. Lacrymosa (Andante ben misurato) -

Track length8:38

$1.00

$1.30

II. Dies irae (Allegro con fuoco) -

Track length5:22

$1.00

$1.30

III. Requiem aeternam (Andante molto tranquillo)

Track length6:27

$1.00

$1.30

Britten: Les illuminations, Op. 18

Work length22:40

$10.00

$13.00

Ian Bostridge (vocals)
Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 2005-04-10
Recording Venue: 4th, 9-10th April 2005, Jesus Christus Kirche, Dahlem, Berlin

I. Fanfare

Track length1:55

$1.00

$1.30

II. Villes

Track length2:28

$1.00

$1.30

IIIa. Phrase

Track length1:01

$1.00

$1.30

IIIb. Antique

Track length2:05

$1.00

$1.30

IV. Royauté

Track length1:39

$1.00

$1.30

V. Marine

Track length0:59

$1.00

$1.30

VI. Interlude

Track length2:33

$1.00

$1.30

VII. Being Beauteous

Track length4:03

$1.00

$1.30

VIII. Parade

Track length2:56

$1.00

$1.30

IX. Départ

Track length3:01

$1.00

$1.30

Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings, Op. 31

Work length23:58

$8.00

$10.40

Radek Baborák (horn), Ian Bostridge (vocals)
Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 2005-04-10
Recording Venue: 4th, 9-10th April 2005, Jesus Christus Kirche, Dahlem, Berlin

Prologue

Track length1:44

$1.00

$1.30

Pastoral (Charles Cotton)

Track length3:25

$1.00

$1.30

Nocturne (Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

Track length3:35

$1.00

$1.30

Elegy (William Blake)

Track length3:52

$1.00

$1.30

Dirge (anon. 15th century)

Track length3:16

$1.00

$1.30

Hymn (Ben Jonson)

Track length2:04

$1.00

$1.30

Sonnet (John Keats)

Track length3:57

$1.00

$1.30

Epilogue

Track length2:05

$1.00

$1.30

Britten: Nocturne, Op. 60 for tenor, obbligato instruments and strings

Work length28:03

$8.00

$10.40

Stefan Schweigert (bassoon), Wieland Welzel (timpani), Marie-Pierre Langlamet (harp), Radek Baborák (horn), Wenzel Fuchs (clarinet), Ian Bostridge (vocals), Dominik Wollenweber (cor anglais), Andreas Blau (flute)
Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 2005-04-10
Recording Venue: 4th, 9-10th April 2005, Jesus Christus Kirche, Dahlem, Berlin

Prometheus Unbound (Shelley)

Track length3:21

$1.00

$1.30

The Kraken (Tennyson)

Track length3:18

$1.00

$1.30

The Wanderings of Cain (Coleridge)

Track length2:37

$1.00

$1.30

Blurt, Master Constable (Middleton)

Track length2:19

$1.00

$1.30

The Prelude (1805) (Wordsworth)

Track length3:09

$1.00

$1.30

The Kind Ghosts (Owen)

Track length5:12

$1.00

$1.30

Sleep and Poetry (Keats)

Track length3:25

$1.00

$1.30

Sonnet 43 (Shakespeare)

Track length4:42

$1.00

$1.30

Britten: War Requiem, Op.66, I. Requiem aeternam

Work length1:23:39

$21.00

$27.30

Elisabeth Söderström (soprano), Francis Grier (director), Robert Tear, Thomas Allen, Mark Blatchly (organ)
City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, Boys of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, Simon Halsey, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1983-03-04
Recording Venue: 27 Feb and 1 & 4 March 1983, Great Hall, University of Birmingham

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine

Track length6:10

$1.00

$1.30

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

Track length2:20

$1.00

$1.30

Kyrie eleison

Track length1:28

$1.00

$1.30

Dies irae, dies illa

Track length3:56

$1.00

$1.30

Bugles sang, saddening the evening air

Track length2:46

$1.00

$1.30

Liber scriptus proferetur

Track length2:50

$1.00

$1.30

Out there, we've walked quite friendly up to Death

Track length1:45

$1.00

$1.30

Recordare Jesu pie

Track length4:44

$1.00

$1.30

Be slowly lifted up, thou long black arm

Track length1:52

$1.00

$1.30

Dies irae, dies illa

Track length1:17

$1.00

$1.30

Lacrimosa dies illa

Track length2:04

$1.00

$1.30

Move him into the sun...Pie Jesu

Track length5:55

$1.00

$1.30

Domine Jesu Christe

Track length3:33

$1.00

$1.30

So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went

Track length6:16

$1.00

$1.30

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus

Track length3:18

$1.00

$1.30

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini

Track length2:52

$1.00

$1.30

After the blast of lightning from the East

Track length3:43

$1.00

$1.30

War Requiem, Op.66: V. Agnus Dei

Track length3:46

$1.00

$1.30

Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna

Track length7:35

$1.00

$1.30

It seemed that out of battle I escaped

Track length9:47

$1.00

$1.30

Let us sleep now...In paradisum

Track length5:42

$1.00

$1.30

Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34

Work length16:52

$15.00

$19.50

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1995-01-28
Recording Venue: 28 January 1995, Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Theme (Allegro maestoso e largamente)

Track length1:56

$1.00

$1.30

Var.A: Flutes and piccolo

Track length0:30

$1.00

$1.30

Var.B: Oboes (Lento)

Track length0:57

$1.00

$1.30

Var.C: Clarinets (Moderato)

Track length0:45

$1.00

$1.30

Var.D: Bassoons (Allegro alla marcia)

Track length0:51

$1.00

$1.30

Var.E: Violins (Brillante: alla polacca)

Track length0:32

$1.00

$1.30

Var.F: Violas (Meno mosso)

Track length1:01

$1.00

$1.30

Var.G: Cellos

Track length1:14

$1.00

$1.30

Var.H: Double basses (Cominciando lento ma poco a poco accel. al Allegro)

Track length1:00

$1.00

$1.30

Var.I: Harp (Maestoso)

Track length0:47

$1.00

$1.30

Var.J: Horns (L'istesso tempo)

Track length0:50

$1.00

$1.30

Var.K: Trumpets (Vivace)

Track length0:33

$1.00

$1.30

Var.L: Trombones and bass tuba (Allegro pomposo)

Track length1:07

$1.00

$1.30

Var.M: Percussion (Moderato)

Track length1:56

$1.00

$1.30

Fugue (Allegro molto)

Track length2:53

$1.00

$1.30

Britten: Russian Funeral

Work length5:41

$1.00

$1.30

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1994-12-01
Recording Venue: 1 December 1994 / Symphony Hall, Birmingham

About
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About

On the face of it one would have thought that there was little in common between Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) and Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), two interesting facts prove otherwise.

Britten, born in Lowestoft in Suffolk on 22nd November (St. Cecilia’s Day), had already and studied with Frank Bridge by the time he went to Gresham’s School in Holt, Norfolk, in September 1928. The Master in charge of music on meeting him remarked “Oh, you’re the boy who likes Stravinsky!” Today that remark might be considered a compliment, at that time Stravinsky was reviled as THAT composer who had perpetrated the outrage called “The Rite of Spring” fifteen years earlier.

The funeral service for Stravinsky, who died on 6th April 1971 in New York, was held as he had requested in Venice nine days later and he was laid to rest near his friend and ballet impresario, Serge Diaghilev, on the Island of San Michele. Britten, too, had a great love for Venice as can be heard in his last opera based on Thomas Mann’s “Death in Venice”.

Both composers are also high on Sir Simon Rattle’s list of favourite composers. In 2003 he and his Berlin Philharmonic gave workshops and a performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring to the city’s disadvantaged children and as a past Artistic Director of Britten’s beloved Aldeburgh Festival he has conducted many of his works including a number of those that had been found after the death of the composer.

The box of Stravinsky contains works from all parts of his musical life including six ballets; three major ones from his youth – The Firebird, showing the inspired palette for exotic colour learnt from his teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov, Petrushka (in its revised version of 1947) and The Rite of Spring; two in his Neo-Classical style – Apollo and Pulcinella and extracts from Agon which shows the influence of his studies of serial technique as expounded by Anton Webern. There are also a number of his works that were inspired by jazz.

The box of Britten contains besides the three great song cycles (Les Illuminations, Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings and Nocturne) the “War Requiem”, “Sinfonia da Requiem”, the ever popular “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” and the most remarkable set of songs written in French when he was 15, “Quatre Chansons Françaises”.

Artists

Robert Tear (tenor), Peter Donohoe (piano), Alison Hargan (soprano), Mary King (contralto), Robert Tear (tenor) & Willard White (bass), Peter Walden (cor anglais), Wesley Warren (trumpet), Felix Kok & Jeremy Ballard (violins), Peter Cole (viola), Michal Kaznowski (cello), Jill Gomez (soprano), Peter Donohoe & Philip Fowke (pianos), Ian Bostridge (tenor) & Radek Baborák (horn), Ian Bostridge (tenor), Elisabeth Söderström (soprano), Sir Thomas Allen (baritone) & Mark Blatchly (chamber organ)

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & CBSO Chorus, Berliner Philharmoniker, Boys of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, CBSO Chorus & City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle

Simon Rattle conducts Britten

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