Peter Pears: The complete "Winter words Op. 52" (Britten) скачать в хорошем качестве

Peter Pears: The complete "Winter words Op. 52" (Britten)

Winter words (Op. 52): I. At day-close in November 00:00 II. Midnight on the Great Western 01:40 III. Wagtail and baby 06:08 IV. The little old table 08:07 V. The choirmaster's burial 09:31 VI. Proud songsters 13:17 VII. At the railway station, upway 14:27 VIII. Before life and after 17:09 Britten, Benjamin (1913-76) -composer Peter Pears -tenor Benjamin Britten -piano Playlist: "The art of British song: Elgar, Somervell, Williams, Finzi..":    • The art of British song: Elgar, Somervell,...   After the harsh reception given by musical critics to his opera, Gloriana (1953), Benjamin Britten was obviously affected and his creative output was drastically reduced. Over the next three years the usually productive composer wrote only three works of significance: an opera based on Henry James' story, The Turn of the Screw, a year after the completion of Gloriana; Canticle III, composed in September 1954; and in September 1953, Winter Words, a group of eight poems by Thomas Hardy set to music. This composition is named after the title of the last published collection of Hardy's poetry, released just after his death, at the age of 88. Although many of England's composers based music on the poetry of Hardy, none presented his writing as Britten did, by enhancing the urbanism and realism inherent in the poet's work. Winter Words, subtitled "lyrics and ballads by Thomas Hardy," was composed to be performed at the Leeds Festival in October 1953. The first performance was given at a morning concert during the festival with Peter Pears as singer and Britten as accompanist. The piece was dedicated to John and Myfanwy Piper, a couple that was associated with Britten and his work. John Piper had designed many of Britten's operas and his wife, Myfanwy, was, at the time, working on the libretto for the opera, The Turn of the Screw (1954). The overall theme of Winter Words seems to be "the loss of innocence through the birth of consciousness." Britten was haunted by this idea for most of his adult life. Other important themes presented in the work are age, growing old, and life and death. The first poem used in the song collection is At day-close in November. This song describes the condition of the earth at the end of a late autumn day. The next song, "Midnight on the Great Western," has drawn many comparisons to Schubert's most famous Lied, Erlkönig. In this Hardy poem, an orphan boy rides a train, alone, to an unknown city and an unknown future. "Wagtail and Baby," a satire, is about a small baby's observation of a dog drinking water. Britten musically conveys the sound of the creaking of The Little Old Table, in the fourth poem. "The Choirmaster's Burial" is an amusing song depicting a church official who bans string-band music, the Choirmaster's favorite, at his funeral. Then, the Choirmaster, upon entering heaven, is welcomed with his most-liked song. The next song is a frantic piece among somber ones, titled "Proud Songsters." The next-to-last poem is At the Railway Station, Upway. Here, we are introduced to a convict, whose heart is overjoyed at the fiddle playing of a small boy at the station. "Before Life and After" is the final song, in which the main theme of "the loss of innocence" is most strongly projected. Source: http://www.allmusic.com/composition/w... Buy the CD here: http://www.deccaclassics.com/en/cat/4...