BRITTEN / Nocturne, “Four Sea Interlude” a.o. From “Peter Grimes”

Britten : Nocturne pour tenor solo, sept instruments… et orchestre…, Interludes des Quatre Mers et Passacaglia – Peter Pears et l’orchestre de symphonie de Londres conduit par Benjamin Britten.

Although numerous truly remarkable and wholly satisfactory recordings of works by Benjamin Britten – conducted namely by the composer’s assistant of many years standing, Steuart Bedford – have been released in recent years, those recordings made with the composer himself simply cannot be surpassed. What can be more authentic than a composer conducting his own works? And this is certainly true for the present recording. The song cycle Nocturne op. 60 was composed by Britten for the tenor Peter Pears who was not only Britten’s life companion but also the most supreme interpreter of his works. Pears is, however, not only the key to the Nocturne, a work which takes “night” and “sleep” as its theme, but also to Peter Grimes, Britten’s very first opera. This work not only brought the composer his international breakthrough but opened the gateway to British opera in its own right. The sharply focussed Four Sea Interludes which separate the individual acts of the opera reflect the various states of mind and soul of the tragic hero and often appear on a concert programme as a self-contained work. The Interludes are complemented here by the Passacaglia from the Second Act of the opera, again conducted by the composer. It really goes without saying that this truly authentic recording can never be bettered.

Recording: October and November 1965 at Kingsway Hall, London by Kenneth Wilkinson / Production: Ray Minshull.

PREORDER ONLY !