Britten: Spring Symphony; Sinfonia da Requiem; Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

by Simon Rattle, Elizabeth Watts, Alice Coote, London Symphony Orchestra

Overview

Sir Simon Rattle may be gone from the London Symphony Orchestra, but not to worry, the archives seem to hold many examples of his long and productive collaboration with that group. Consider this group of live Britten recordings from the Barbican in London made between 2018 and 2021. Rattle has long had Britten as a specialty, but he has apparently never recorded the Spring Symphony, Op. 44, heard here, and the album is worth one's money and time for this performance alone. The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra that concludes the album is often proffered as not only an introduction to the instruments of the orchestra but as one to Britten's music in general. However, the Spring Symphony might work just as well for this. It is not in the top tier of most-often-performed Britten works, but it is marvelous, with a variety of texts about the season matched to settings that seem to reveal a new facet of Britten's style at every turn. Rattle holds all the forces, which involve four different choirs and a diverse group of soloists together in a vivid, exciting performance with strong forward motion. The opening Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20, stands in sharp, effective contrast to the Spring Symphony. The work was commissioned by the Japanese government in 1939 but was rejected in what might have been a sign of things to come; it is a deeply serious work that had personal overtones for Britten. This is a fine Britten album that will remind many listeners of why they fell in love with Britten's music in the first place and maybe earn it some new fans. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	04/19/2024
Label:	Lso Live
UPC:	0822231183020
Rank:	9474

Tracks

1. Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20~Lacrymosa. Andante ben misurato
2. Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20~Dies irae. Allegro con fuoco - Alla marcia
3. Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20~Requiem aeternam. Andante molto tranquillo
4. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part I. Introduction. Shine out
5. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part I. The Merry Cuckoo
6. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part I. Spring, the Sweet Spring
7. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part I. The Driving Boy
8. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part I. The Morning Star
9. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part II. Welcome, Maids of Honour
10. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part II. Waters above
11. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part II. Out on the Lawn I lie in Bed
12. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part III. When will my May come
13. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part III. Fair and Fair
14. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part III. Sound the Flute
15. Spring Symphony, Op. 44~Part IV. Finale. London, to Thee I do Present
16. The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34~Theme. Allegro maestoso e largamente
17. The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34~Variations A-D, Woodwings. Presto - Lento - Moderato - Allegro alla marcia
18. The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34~Variations E-H, Strings, Brillante, alla polacca - Meno mosso - Cominciando lento ma poco a poco accelerando
19. The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34~Variation I. Harp. Maestoso
20. The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34~Variations J-L, Brass. L'istesso tempo - Vivace - Allegro pomposo
21. The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34~Variation M, Percussion. Moderato
22. The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34~Fugue. Allegro molto - Animato

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Simon Rattle   Primary Artist,Conductor
Alice Coote   Primary Artist
Elizabeth Watts   Primary Artist,Soprano (Vocal)
London Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Allan Clayton   Tenor (Vocal)
Tiffin Children's Choir   Choir/Chorus
London Symphony Chorus   Choir/Chorus

Technical Credits

Jonathan Stokes   Balance Engineer,Mastering,Producer,Editing,Mixing
Marco Borggreve   Photography
Neil Hutchinson   Engineer
Henry Vaughan   Text
Edmund Spenser   Text
Thomas Nashe   Text
John Milton   Text
Ursula Wulfekamp   Liner Note Translation
Helen Wallace   Liner Notes
David Millinger   Cover Design,Booklet Editor
Ros Schwartz   Translation Supervisor
Richard Barnfield   Text
Neil Hutchison   Balance Engineer
Jiyang Chen   Photography
Johann Sebastian Hanel   Photography
Justine Bannwart   Cover Design
Robert Herrick   Text
John Fletcher   Text
Philip Reed   Liner Notes
Beaumont   Text
John Clare   Text
William Blake   Text
Benjamin Britten   Composer
Wystan Hugh Auden   Text
Andrew Cornall   Producer
Pascal Bergerault   Liner Note Translation
George Peele   Text
Andrew Stewart   Liner Notes
Simone Canetty-Clarke   Photography