Britten: Sacred and Profane, Op. 91

2013 sees the centenary of Britten’s birth and a wide-ranging programme of concerts, operas and events, including performances of his choral music. This recording is the perfect introduction to this repertoire.

Included on this Gramophone Award-winning recording is the last choral work for professionals which Britten was to complete—Sacred and Profane—a collection of eight medieval lyrics for voices in five parts (SSATB). Also included is the Chorale after an old French Carol whose text is by W H Auden (a close friend of Britten’s). The Chorale’s text was part of an unachieved Christmas Oratorio on which Britten and Auden intended to collaborate.

The seven settings of poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins entitled A.M.D.G. were never performed in the composer’s lifetime and indeed had to wait until 1984 for their first performance.

While Pears's recording of Britten folk song arrangements with piano is well known, a beautiful recording he made of songs with harp, featuring Osian Ellis, is altogether rarer and exhumed here on CD for the first time. Ellis's Decca recording of the Suite for Harp also makes its first appearance, as does the Wilbye Consort's of Sacred and Profane and other Britten choral works to make up two very well-filled CDs.

Through this second volume of secular music, the Ensemble Aedes continues their exploration of a cappella choral 20th and 21st centuries. In the wake of the first record (EL1128), they have selected 7 cycles where the word, its sound, and space for play and imagination are at the centre of the musical creation.

Eclecticism is thus once again put forward: amidst William Butler Yeats, Rainer Maria Rilke and Guillaume Apollinaire, we find William Shakespeare and Paul Eluard or anonymous texts bequeathed by the people and traditions from medieval England or Moravian folklore, and a cycle which the writer is none other than the composer himself. This disc also illustrates how culture and literary tradition of a country can shape, inspire, influence and sometimes dictate a mode of songwriting and vocal, especially when the composer appropriates a language that is not his own. Sacred texts, like secular texts, are treated as madrigals depicting human passions. This cycle invokes the last two volumes that will complete this series.

Cambridge University Chamber Choir give performances of A Garland for the Queen (a fascinating collection of songs to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth II) & Britten’s technically demanding A.M.D.G & Sacred & Profane

Composers featured include Bax, Howells, Vaughan Williams, Bliss, Finzi, Ireland, Tippett, Rawsthorne and Rubbra.

The only recording of A Garland for the Queen available in today’s market.

‘There is some extraordinary writing here, often beautiful, always compelling in the strength of its ideas; but Britten certainly does not spare his singers, and the challenges are met here wonderfully well.’ Gramophone of Britten

‘the Cambridge choir are a highly assured, well-practised body of singers, and make light work of the difficult pieces’ Gramophone of A Garland for the Queen

Following the 90th birthday of Eric Ericson the Chamber Choir’s treasure chest has been scoured for unique live recordings from the 1970s up to 2008. Gems include Benjamin Britten’s Sacred and Profane, which based on medieval texts from the 12th & 13th centuries, was his last choral composition for a professional ensemble.

This superb collection, released in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Britten’s birth, features all three of The Sixteen's celebrated Britten recordings.

Arguably the most famous British composer of the 20th century, Benjamin Britten possessed a formidable talent and distinctive style. His remarkable career spanned over 40 years and this collection of choral works features a fascinating selection of music from throughout his life.

Works include Hymn to the Virgin, a piece originally conceived during his school days; A Boy was Born which first brought him to the public’s attention; the much-loved A Ceremony of Carols - a masterpiece composed on board ship as Britten returned to England from the USA in 1942; and the Choral Dances from ‘Gloriana’ with tenor soloist Ian Partridge.

A Ceremony of Carols won a coveted Deutsche Schallplattenkritik when first released.