Benjamin Britten Photo: Commons
Peter Hoar looks at some of the literary sources and influences on English composer Benjamin's Britten's music. Writers and writings were important for Britten and he was one of the most literary of modern composers.
He set to music poetry and prose from a wide range of times, places and languages - from sources close to him like W H Auden, to distant sources such as Medieval English and Japanese Noh Theatre.
Music Details:
BRITTEN: When you’re feeling like expressing your affection Jill Gomez (sop), Martin Jones (pno) - Unicorn-Kanchana
BRITTEN: The Foggy, Foggy Dew Peter Pears (ten), Benjamin Britten (piano) - EMI
BRITTEN: Dance of Death, from Our Hunting Fathers Ian Bostridge (ten), Britten Sinfonia / Daniel Harding - EMI
BRITTEN: Rejoice in the lamb - London
BRITTEN: Canticle 3, Still falls the rain Ian Bostridge (tenor), Julius Drake (piano) - Virgin
BRITTEN: Six Metamorphoses after Ovid Céline Moinet (oboe) - Harmonia Mundi
BRITTEN: Receive the stranger god, from Death in Venice Peter Pears, English Chamber Orch / Steuart Bedford - Decca
BRITTEN: Chaos, chaos and sickness, from Death and Venice Peter Pears, English Chamber Orch / Steuart Bedford - Decca
BRITTEN: Six Metamorphoses after Ovid Céline Moinet (oboe) - Harmonia Mundi
BRITTEN: Batter my Heart, from The Holy Sonnets of John Donne Op 35 Mark Padmore (tenor) Roger Vignoles (piano) - Harmonia Mundi
BRITTEN: Since she whom I loved, from The Holy Sonnets of John Donne Op 35 Mark Padmore (tenor) Roger Vignoles (piano) - Harmonia Mundi
BRITTEN: Sonetto XXIV, from Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo Peter Pears (ten), Benjamin Britten (piano) - Decca
BRITTEN: Sonetto XXX, from Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo Peter Pears (ten), Benjamin Britten (piano) - Decca
BRITTEN: Midnight on the Great Western, from Winter Words Peter Pears (ten), Benjamin Britten (piano) - Decca
BRITTEN: Before Life and After, from Winter Words Peter Pears (ten), Benjamin Britten (piano) - Decca
BRITTEN: If we shadows have offended, from A Midsummer Night’s Dream London Symphony Orchestra / Benjamin Britten - London
