Britten: Phaedra/ A Charm of Lullabies/Lachrymae/Two Portraits/Sinfonietta Orchestral & Concertos Vocal & Song Chandos

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BENJAMIN BRITTEN

(1913-1976)

Phaedra, Op. 93

15:00

Dramatic cantata for mezzo-soprano and small orchestra

Words from a verse translation of Racine's Phèdre by Robert Lowell

For Janet Baker

Susan Monks cello

Elizabeth Burley harpsichord

Prologue. Broadly flowing -

Recitative. (Agitated crotchets) -

Presto. Fast and impulsive -

Recitative. Regular crotchets - Slow minims - Adagio. [ ] - Lively - Slow minims - Very soft and free

A Charm of Lullabies, Op. 41

12:16

Arranged by Colin Matthews for mezzo-soprano and orchestra

A Cradle Song. Allegretto tranquillo -

2:24

The Highland Balou. Andante maestoso -

1:49

Sephestia's Lullaby. Lento - Allegretto -

1:56

Come sopra: Lento - Allegretto -

Lento come sopra - Allegretto

A Charm. Largamente, ad libitum - Prestissimo furioso - Largamente -

1:51

The Nurse's Song. Andante piacevolle

4:14

Lachrymae, Op. 48a

15:32

Reflections on a song of Dowland for solo viola and string orchestra

For William Primrose

Lento -

1. Allegretto, andante molto -

2. Animato -

3. Tranquillo -

4. Allegro con moto -

5. Largamente -

6. Appassionato -

7. Alla Valse moderato -

8. Allegro marcia -

9. Lento -

10. L'istesso tempo - Insensibilmente con più moto

Solo: Maxim Rysanov viola

Two Portraits

15:09

for strings

'D. Layton'. Poco presto

9:01

for string orchestra

'E.B.B.'. Poco lento - Poco animato - Tempo I

6:04

for solo viola and string orchestra

Solo: Maxim Rysanov viola

Sinfonietta, Op. 1

14:45

Version with two horns

To Frank Bridge

10.

Poco presto ed agitato - Animato - Calmante - Tranquillo - Più agitato -

4:14

11.

Variations. Andante lento - Tranquillo e rubato - Più mosso - Poco agitato -

6:21

12.

III

Tarantella. Presto vivace - Molto ritmico - Molto meno mosso - Tempo I -

4:09

73:18

Orchestra: BBC Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Edward Gardner

23-25 September 2010

***** Exceptional

Giuseppe Rossi – Musica magazine (Italy) – September 2011

Recording of the Month

“A wonderful collection which succeeds because of the excellence of the performances.”

Michael Greenhalgh – Musicweb-international.com – August 2011

“... The real stunner is Lachrymae, Britten’s Reflections on a Song of Dowland An austere meditation on the relationship between art and morality, it benefits immensely from Edward Gardner’s lean conducting and the sparse intensity of maxim Rysanov’s playing. Rysanov also plays the effusive yet melancholy Two Portraits, composed when Britten was only 16, while Connolly is notably haunting in Colin Matthews’s orchestration of the 1947 song cycle A Charm of Lullabies” ****

Tim Ashley – The Guardian – 10 June 2011

“Britten’s instrumental writing is highly accomplished the BBC SO under Edward Gardner responds with playing of great skill and sensitivity. They are joined in Lachrymae by viola player Maxim Rysanov, who gives an outstanding reading of these ‘reflections on a song of Dowland’, and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, whose ravishing accounts of A Charm of Lullabies and Phaedra subtly suggest in their colourations the singer Britten originally composed for: Nancy Evans and Janet baker. Britten’s extraordinary ability to sound engagingly fresh and contemporary without resorting to gimmicks or ‘isms’ comes bubbling to the surface in these fine performances.” ****

Julian Haylock – Classic FM Magazine – July 2011

Performance ***** Recording ****

David Nice – BBC Music Magazine – July 2011

Editor’s Choice

“Vivid soloists in works that span the whole of Britain’s career vital playing from the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chandos’s excellent sound. None of these is a first recording but everyone is top quality. .. Imaginative programme, highly recommended.”

Richard Fairman – Gramophone – July 2011

“... The Chandos disc is dominated by Phaedra, the wonderfully moody and compact cantata Britten wrote for Janet Baker at the end of his life Sarah Connolly reveals Phaedra’s stature, summoning such word sensitivity and classical poise that you wonder why this remarkable piece is not heard more often in the concert hall The disc’s other success is Lachrymae for viola and strings, to which Maxim Rysanov, the BBC Symphony and Gardner bring a poignant intensity.”

Andrew Clark – Financial Times – 28 May 2011

Album of the week

“Written over 40 years, these works will in most cases by unfamiliar to listeners and these excellent recordings make a superb advocacy.”

Michael Church – The Independent – 28 May 2011

'Editor’s Choice’

“... Warmly recorded and urgently recommended.”

Guy Weatherall – Classical Music Magazine – 21 May 2011

“The conductor Edward Gardner’s sympathy for the music of Britten is fully displayed in a programme ranging from juvenilia to the late Phaedra, a short cantata with the force of an opera. But the dominating artist is the mezzo Sarah Connolly, compelling as Racine’s heroine in the grip of a tragic passion. In a quieter mood, Maxim Rysanov’s viola shines in the melancholic relections of Lachrymae and the second of the early Two Portraits.” ****

Geoff Brown – The Times - 7 May 2011

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