Britten: A Boy was Born, Op. 3

Britten’s original recordings of his most popular choral works, The Ceremony of Carols, A Boy was Born and Rejoice in the Lamb, have long since fallen out of the catalogue and Heritage is pleased to rectify this with the latest release in its Composer-Conductor series.

Letting the voices of praise resound is just what this CD does. Performing some lesser known carols and some new ones the Plaxtol Scholars bring us warmly into the world of Christmas. The choir itself visits cathedrals the length and breadth of the land performing services at times when the local cathedral choir is taking a break. So come with us into that world and celebrate the birth of the Christ child.

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.

Britten’s substantial choral output ranges from small-scale pieces for boys’ choir to massive works such as the Spring Symphony and War Requiem. This three-disc compilation brings together a large selection of early and late unaccompanied choral works, performed by The Finzi Singers under Paul Spicer.

Here, among many others, is Rejoice in the Lamb, written in 1943 for Walter Hussey, the vicar of St Matthew’s Church in Northampton, for his congregation’s Jubilee Celebrations. Hussey was interested in forging a closer association between the arts and the Church, an aim that Britten himself shared. The composer chose as his text extracts from Christopher Smart’s Jubilate Agno, a rambling poem of the mid-eighteenth century, composed largely in a mad house. Although there is a delightful sense of madness present here, the religious character of the work is the most striking.

A.M.D.G., seven unaccompanied settings of poems by Gerald Manley Hopkins, was among the first works written by Britten after his arrival in the US in 1939. The work’s title is an abbreviation of Ad majorem Dei gloriam (To the greater glory of God), a saying that appears throughout the writings of Ignatius de Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order of which Hopkins was a member. The premiere performance of this work was meant to take place in November 1939, but the outbreak of war caused the concert to be cancelled. The first performance was given by the London Sinfonietta Chorus, several years after the composer’s death, in August 1984.

This re-release is available on the Classic Chandos label at 3 CDs for the price of 2. The Finzi Singers and Paul Spicer have recorded a wide variety of British music for Chandos, much of which has not been heard before either in performance or on disc. They have been regarded as major exponents of British twentieth-century choral music.

The absolute essence of Britten, distilled into four generously-filled CDs. The objective is to give an insight into all the genres Britten’s music covered, to enable a serious newcomer to the composer to discover the great works.

Most of these versions are regarded as ‘reference’ recordings against which subsequent interpreters are judged:

His orchestral masterpieces The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and the Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge are presented in Britten’s own revered interpretations.

The vocal masterpiece ‘Serenade for Tenor Horn and Strings’ is offered in the unsurpassed Peter Pears recording with Barry Tuckwell.

The Choir of King’s College Cambridge offers the essential choral masterpieces Ceremony of Carols and A Boy was Born, the early masterpiece from the 19-year-old prodigy.

Newer recordings include Janine Jansen’s lauded and best-selling interpretation of the Violin Concerto.