EMI’s latest release in its Simon Rattle Edition showcases his
Britten recordings. It is on the whole fantastic and, along with
his Mahler set, deserves to take its place among Rattle’s finest
achievements.
Many of these recordings have already achieved
an awesome reputation in their own right, and the crowning glory
here is the War Requiem. This is an astonishing interpretation
of one of the great works of the 20th century. The
performance itself is wonderful, but it is the demonstration quality
of the sound that really sets it apart from its competitors.
It’s well known that Britten planned the work with three components:
the main orchestra and choir to sing the Latin liturgy, a distant
boys’ choir to sing some passages, and a close-up chamber orchestra
to accompany the Owen poems with the tenor and baritone soloist.
Every recording worth its salt has tried to capture these contrasting
acoustics, but for me it is Rattle’s that does so most successfully.
Engineers John Willan and Michael Sheady surpass even the achievements
of John Culshaw on Britten’s own recording, so striking is the
difference in the spacing and balance. The acoustic is ideally
suited to each component, making the work come alive in a more
well rounded and enveloping way than any I have heard before.
As for the performance Hickox’s version may have more convincing
soloists, but it is Rattle’s command of the arc of the score that
convinced me more. That is in no way to denigrate the achievements
of Elisabeth Söderstrom, Robert Tear and Thomas Allen, all of
whom are well contrasted and, in their own way, excellent. It
is just that the cast iron grip of the orchestration and structure
impressed me most, and the choral work is beyond praise. Simon
Halsey really transformed the CBSO Chorus in the 1980s and their
clarity of diction sits alongside their musical assuredness in
great tribute to Halsey’s achievements. Just listen to the fugal
sections of the Offertorio to see what I mean. Every section
of the orchestra shines in the enveloping acoustic, such as the
hair-raising brass at the beginning of the Dies Irae, and
the shattering climax of the Libera Me, leading the way
for the stunned deadness of the final Strange Meeting.
This great recording at budget price is reason enough to consider
this set. The other, related work, is Ballad of Heroes
which also appears on Hickox’s War Requiem. It is secure
and exciting here, with excellent diction making nearly all the
words easily understood. Robert Tear’s noble tenor solo increases
the poignancy of this pacifist hymn. The Building of the House
and Praise We Great Men are less substantial choral works
but just as satisfying in their own way.
The other reason to grab this set at the
earliest opportunity is Ian Bostridge’s recording of the three
great orchestral cycles with the BPO. Each of these is a revelation,
and with Rattle and Bostridge you feel like you are eavesdropping
on one of the truly great musical collaborations of our time.
Bostridge captures the unique mood of each song but is a master
of characterisation so that these readings are never routine.
He sounds heroic at the start of Les Illuminations, matching
the big sound from the Berlin Phil, but becomes more sensuous
for Phrase, if not quite seductive enough in Antique.
He also achieves an unsettling, malevolent snarl in Parade.
The other cycles are more intimate. The Serenade for tenor,
horn and strings feels much more like a conversation piece,
with a beautifully nuanced prologue played by Radek Baborák.
Again, Bostridge conjures up a different atmosphere for each song,
terrifying in the Dirge and Elegy but positively
bucolic for the Hymn. The Keats setting is spectral and
enchanting. Each instrumental obbligato is taken with immense
character in the Nocturne and the singing is as excellent
here as elsewhere. The Wordsworth setting, for example, has a
sense of growing horror, leading up to a terrible roar at the
final “Sleep no more!”, while the next song is an incredible contrast.
This disc got rave reviews when it was first released, and it
is wonderful to have it included in this bargain box.
The other major recording here is the Sinfonia
da Requiem, played with remarkable assurance, its dark, brooding
tone glowering convincingly. Not all of the other works in the
set are as worthy – I didn’t care much for the American Overture
or Russian Funeral – but some works deserve to be much
better known. The Diversions are really engaging and Young
Apollo is energetic music, strikingly played: it is hard to
see why Britten suppressed it. The Suite on English Folk Songs
is a world away from Vaughan Williams: it is dark and sarcastic
where RVW is bright and cheerful, but the final song, Lord
Melbourne, oozes melancholy in its cor anglais solo. The
Canadian Carnival overture and Scottish Ballad are
much more folksy, without ever being whimsical. Jill Gomez is
most seductive in the Quatre Chansons françaises, sounding
almost like a young Janet Baker. The Young Person’s Guide
is quite fantastic, showcasing the CBSO at its peak in, again,
demonstration quality sound. You can hear exactly where each
instrument is placed and it makes the whole thing tremendously
enjoyable: listen to the theme being bounced around by the strings
to see what I mean.
All told, then, this set is an outstanding
bargain, a chance to collect some of the greatest Britten recordings
around at a bargain price, though don’t expect sung texts or translations.
The performances are outstanding, the singing is never less than
excellent and Rattle conducts with assurance and skill that shed
new light on these great works. Not to be missed.
Simon Thompson
Full Tracklisting
CD 1 [78:06]
[1] An American Overture,
Op. 27* 10.27
Ballad of Heroes,
Op.14+
[2] I. Funeral March
– 5.47
[3] II. Scherzo –
4.24
[4] III. Recitative
and Choral 6.20
Robert Tear (tenor)
Diversions for piano
(left hand) and orchestra, Op. 21=
[5] Theme – 1.19
[6] Variation I: Recitative
– 1.38
[7] Variation II:
Romance – 1.20
[8] Variation III:
March – 1.14
[9] Variation IV:
Arabesque – 1.50
[10] Variation V:
Chant – 1.48
[11] Variation VI:
Nocturne – 2.00
[12] Variation VII:
Badinerie – 1.20
[13] Variation
VIII: Burlesque – 1.36
[14] Variation
IX: Toccata I – Toccata II – Cadenza – 2.49
[15] Variation
X: Adagio – 4.00
[16] Variation
XI: Finale (Tarantella) 2.30
Peter Donohoe (piano)
[17] The Building
of the House - Overture, Op. 79+ 5.05
Praise We Great Men
(1976)+
Edited and orchestrated
by Colin Matthews
[18] ‘Praise we great
men’ – 3.29
[19] ‘Praise we the
just’ – 2.22
[20] [Coda] 1.30
Alison Hargan (soprano),
Mary King (contralto), Robert Tear (tenor), Willard White (bass)
Suite on English Folk
Tunes: ‘A time there was…’, Op. 90*
[21] I. Cakes and
Ale 2.34
[22] II. The Bitter
Withy 2.56
[23] III. Hankin Booby
2.31
[24] IV. Hunt the
Squirrel 1.18
[25] V. Lord Melbourne
5.25
(Peter Walden, cor
anglais)
CD 2 [77:33]
[1] Canadian Carnival,
Op. 19# (Wesley Warren, trumpet) 14.02
[2] Young Apollo,
Op. 16# 7.37
Peter Donohoe (piano),
Felix Kok & Jeremy Ballard (violins), Peter Cole (viola),
Michal Kaznowski (cello)
Quatre Chansons
Françaises (1928)#
[3] 1. Les
Nuits de juin 2.49
[4] 2. Sagesse
2.49
[5] 3. L’Enfance
4.31
[6] 4. Chanson
d’automne 2.26
Jill Gomez
(soprano)
[7] Scottish Ballad,
Op. 26# 15.15
Peter Donohoe &
Philip Fowke (pianos)
[8] Occasional
Overture, Op.38* 7.12
Sinfonia da
Requiem, Op. 20*
[9] I. Lacrymosa
(Andante ben misurato) – 8.39
[10] II. Dies
irae (Allegro con fuoco) – 5.23
[11] III. Requiem
aeternam (Andante molto tranquillo) 6.27
City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra
+CBSO Chorus (chorus
master Simon Halsey) / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: *23 &
24.V.1984 and (using 20-bit A/D conversion) +=15–17.VII.1990;
Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick
#22 & 23.IV.1982;
Cheltenham Town Hall, Producer: *#John Willan and +=David R. Murray,
Balance engineer: *#Michael Sheady and +=Mike Clements
(P) *1986, +=1991
and #1982 EMI Records Ltd
CD 3 [74:55]
Les Illuminations,
Op. 18 (1939) for high voice and string orchestra
Poems by Arthur Rimbaud
[1] I. Fanfare 1.55
[2] II. Villes
2.28
[3] IIIa.
Phrase 1.01
[4] IIIb.
Antique 2.05
[5] IV. Royauté
1.39
[6] V. Marine
0.59
[7] VI. Interlude
2.33
[8] VII. Being Beauteous
4.03
[9] VIII. Parade 2.56
[10] IX. Départ 3.01
Serenade, Op. 31 for
tenor, horn and strings
[11] Prologue 1.45
[12] Pastoral (Cotton)
3.25
[13] Nocturne (Tennyson)
3.35
[14] Elegy (Blake)
3.52
[15] Dirge (Anon.)
3.17
[16] Hymn (Jonson)
2.04
[17] Sonnet (Keats)
3.58
[18] Epilogue 2.05
Nocturne, Op. 60 for
tenor solo, seven obbligato instruments and string orchestra
[19] On a poet’s lips
I slept – 3.21
[20] Below the thunders
of the upper deep (Stefan Schweigert, bassoon) – 3.19
[21] Encinctured with
a twine of leaves (Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harp) – 2.37
[22] Midnight’s bell
goes ting, ting, ting, ting, ting (Radek Baborák, horn) – 2.19
[23] But that night
when on my bed I lay (Wieland Weizel, timpani) – 3.09
[24] She sleeps on
soft, last breaths (Dominik Wollenweber, cor anglais) – 5.13
[25] What is more
gentle than a wind in summer?
(Andreas Blau,
flute; Wenzel Fuchs, oboe) – 3.25
[26] When most I wink,
then do my eyes best see 4.42
Ian Bostridge (tenor),
Radek Baborák (horn), Berliner Philharmoniker / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 4, 9 &
10.IV.2005; Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Dahlem, Berlin
CD 4 [60:41]
War Requiem, Op. 66
Words from the Missa
pro defunctis; poems by Wilfred Owen
I. Requiem
aeternam
[1] Requiem
aeternam dona eis Domine (chorus, boys) 6.09
[2] What passing bells
for these who die as cattle? (tenor) 2.20
[3] Kyrie
eleison (chorus) 1.24
II. Dies irae
[4] Dies irae,
dies illa (chorus) 3.58
[5] Bugles sang, saddening
the evening air (baritone) 2.46
[6] Liber
scriptus proferetur (soprano, semi-chorus) 2.46
[7] Out there, we
‘ve walked quite friendly up to Death (tenor, baritone) 1.46
[8] Recordare Jesu
pie (chorus) 4.44
[9] Be slowly lifted
uo, thou long black arm (baritone) 1.53
[10] Dies
irae, dies illa (chorus) 1.17
[11] Lacrimosa
dies illa (soprano, chorus) 2.06
[12] Move him into
the sun (tenor, soprano, chorus)…Pie Jesu (chorus) 5.51
III. Offertorium
[13] Domine Jesu Christe
(boys, chorus) 3.34
[14] So Abram rose,
and clave the wood, and went (tenor, baritone, boys) 6.14
IV. Sanctus
[15] Sanctus,
sanctus, sanctus (soprano, chorus) 3.18
[16] Benedictus
qui venit in nomine Domini (soprano, chorus) 2.52
[17] After the blast
of lightning from the East (baritone) 3.43
[18] V. Agnus Dei
3.44
CD 5 [45:35]
War Requiem, Op. 66
(continued)
VI. Libera
me
[1] Libera me, Domine,
de morte aeterna (soprano, chorus) 7.34
[2] It seemed that
out of battle I escaped (tenor, baritone) 9.47
[3] Let us sleep now…In
paradisum (tenor, baritone, boys, soprano, chorus) 5.25
Elisabeth Söderström
(soprano), Robert Tear (tenor), Sir Thomas Allen (baritone)
Boys of Christ Church
Cathedral, Oxford (directed by Francis Grier) CBSO Chorus (chorus
master: Simon Halsey)
City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle, Mark Blatchly (chamber
organ)
Recorded: 27.II and
1 & 4.III.1983; The Great Hall, University of Birmingham
The Young Person’s
Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34 (Variations and Fugue on a Theme
of Purcell)
[4] Theme (Allegro
maestoso e largamente) 1.57
[5] Var. A: Flutes
and piccolo 0.30
[6] Var. B: Oboes
(Lento) 0.57
[7] Var. C: Clarinets
(Moderato) 0.45
[8] Var. D: Bassoons
(Allegro alla marcia) 0.51
[9] Var. E:
Violins (Brillante: alla polacca) 0.32
[10] Var.
F: Violas (Meno mosso) 1.02
[11] Var.
G: Cellos 1.14
[12] Var.
H: Double basses (Comminciando lento ma poco a poco accel. al
Allegro) 1.00
[13] Var.
I: Harp (Maestoso) 0.47
[14] Var.
J:
Horns (L’istesso tempo) 0.50
[15] Var.
K: Trumpets (Vivace) 0.33
[16] Var.
L: Trombones and bass tuba (Allegro pomposo) 1.06
[17] Var.
M: Percussion (Moderato) 1.56
[18] Fugue
(Allegro molto) 2.49
City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 28.I.1995;
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
[19] Russian Funeral,
for Brass and Percussion (1936) 5.47
City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded: 1.XII.1994;
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Ian Bostridge, Peter
Donohoe, Elisabeth Söderström, Robert Tear, Sir Thomas Allen
Berliner Philharmoniker,
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle
