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Craft Recordings has announced the release of Feelin’ Right Saturday Night: The Ric & Ron Anthology,in celebration of the 60th anniversary of pioneering New Orleans R&B label Ric Records and its sister label Ron Records.
The post Release celebrates 60th anniversary of R&B labels Ric Records and Ron Records appeared first on Goldmine Magazine.
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Today marks the 95th anniversary of the legendary British composer Benjamin Britten. To mark the occasion, we've put together a list of the top 20 recordings of his music. Let us know what you think – and if we've missed off one of your cherished discs, leave us a comment below or get in touch by email.
1. Peter Grimes (1958)Peter Pears (tenor), Claire Watson (soprano), James Pease (bass-baritone), Jean Watson (contralto), Geraint Evans (baritone), Lauris Elms (mezzo-soprano), David Kelly (bass), Owen Brannigan (bass), Raymond Nilsson (tenor), Marion Studholme (soprano), Iris Kells (soprano); Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House/Benjamin Britten
Decca Legends 467 6822
Tenor Peter Pears performs in the title role of this opera which helped Britten gain an international reputation as a composer. The role of Grimes – the ill-fated outsider in a small fishing-town in East Anglia – was written for Pears and this recording is still the benchmark.
Our critic, Matthew Rye said: ‘No one should be without this evocative, wonderfully sung recording’.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/327B5Rk8JbYwDhykDizydq
2. War RequiemGalina Vishnevskaya (soprano), Peter Pears (tenor), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), Simon Preston (organ); London Symphony Orchestra; Melos Ensemble; London Symphony Orchestra Chorus; Highgate School Choir; The Bach Choir/Benjamin Britten
Decca 475 7511 (2 discs)
The premiere of the War Requiem was, famously, not a great success. Among other hitches, Britten didn’t manage to get the brilliant Russian soprano, Galina Vishnevskaya over to the UK because of visa problems. But for this recording, made in 1963, he managed to get his dream cast.
Our critics decided this was one of the 50 greatest recordings of all time in the January 2012 issue of BBC Music Magazine – and it’s hard to disagree.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1O6r5AtedLGTCUeyRYCN7T
3. Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, Nocturne and Les IlluminationsBarry Tuckwell (horn), Peter Pears (tenor); London Symphony Orchestra; English Chamber Orchestra/Benjamin Britten
Decca 436 3952
Britten’s Serenade was written in 1943, for the unusual forces of tenor, horn and strings. A prologue and epilogue for solo horn bookend six poems by writers including Keats, Tennyson and Blake.
Here Britten conducts his partner, tenor Peter Pears, and horn player Barry Tuckwell with the London Symphony Orchestra in a subtle, elegant performance.
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Miah Persson (soprano), Toby Spence (tenor), Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano), Giselle Allen (soprano), Joanna Songi (soprano), Thomas Parfitt (treble); London Philharmonic Orchestra/Jakub Hrůša; dir. Jonathan Kent (Glyndebourne, 2011)
FRA Musica DVD 007: FRA; Blu-ray: FRA 507
A chilling work, Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, based on a ghost story by Henry James has always proved popular with audiences.
In 2006 Glyndebourne on Tour staged a production which has only now been released on DVD (a CD of the production but with a different cast) has already been released). Tenor Toby Spence takes the role of the chilling Peter Quint and soprano Miah Persson is a brittle governess.
5. The Young Person’s Guide to the OrchestraAnd Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes; Matinées musicales and Soirées Musicales
London Symphony Orchestra/Benjamin Britten; Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Benjamin Britten; National Philharmonic Orchestra/Richard Bonynge
Decca 425 6592
Britten conducts his own charming introduction to the symphony orchestra for youngsters on this Decca recording. A brilliant performance from the London Symphony Orchestra – in a bright acoustic – that neither forgets the work’s role as an introduction for children, nor patronises the listener.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1u62GxogGHyRw5mJP8vNkF
6. A Ceremony of CarolsAnd Hymn to St Cecilia, Missa Brevis in D major, Festival Te Deum in E, Rejoice in the Lamb, Te Deum, Jubilate Deo in C major
Choir of King's College Cambridge/Sir David Willcocks, Sir Philip Ledger
EMI 562 7962
Britten wrote this ethereal piece for choir and harp on the long transatlantic journey back to England. There are a handful of excellent recordings, but David Willcocks and the Choir of King’s Colllege, Cambridge are hard to beat for quality of sound and a tangible sense of occasion.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5Q9cXzu77YQTdjmuugvrDW
7. Billy BuddPeter Glossop (baritone), Peter Pears (tenor), Michael Langdon (bass), John Shirley-Quirk (bass-baritone), Bryan Drake (baritone), David Kelly (bass), Kenneth MacDonald (tenor), David Bowman (baritone), Dennis Wicks (bass), Robert Tear (tenor), Robert Bowman (tenor), Benjamin Luxon (baritone); Ambrosian Opera Chorus; London Symphony Orchestra/Benjamin Britten
Decca 417 4282
Britten conducts another of his own works on this recording from 1961. Glossop in the title role, along with Peter Pears and Michael Langdon as Vere and Claggart respectively, create a definitive performance which is superbly captured by producer John Culshaw.
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8. The Canticles Ian Bostridge (tenor), David Daniels (countertenor), Christopher Maltman (bass-baritone); Julius Drake (piano), Aline Brewer (harp), Timothy Brown
Virgin Classics 07243554552526
Tenor Ian Bostridge performs Britten’s Canticles on this recording with pianist Julius Drake in a performance that our critic, Hilary Finch, said created ‘a sensuous – and, indeed, sensual – stream of sound for the tides and tributaries of Britten’s word-setting’.
The Canticles use texts by the poet Francis Quarles, extracts from medieval mystery plays and words by TS Eliot and Edith Sitwell.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/0mS93dh8UMmzGoPmeX9PaZ
9. Death in VenicePhilip Langridge (tenor), Alan Opie (baritone), Michael Chance (countertenor); BBC Singers, City of London Sinfonia, Richard Hickox
Chandos CHAN 10280
Death in Venice was Britten’s last opera and once again tenor Peter Pears was foremost in his mind when the main role – that of a dying writer called Aschenbach – was written. And there is a recording of Pears in the role.
Nevertheless, this Chandos recording made in 2005 is a brilliantly unsettling piece of drama. Philip Langridge is anguished as Aschenbach and Alan Opie is sinister as the succession of characters who lead the writer to his doom.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/0PIeJOuNuqmPuXqcLjXeJY
10. Cello Symphony, Sinfonia da Requiem, Cantata MisericordiumMstislav Rostropovich (cello); English Chamber Orchestra; New Philharmonia Orchestra/Britten
Decca E425 1002
Britten’s Cello Symphony was written for the great cellist Rostropovich, so this recording is certainly one to have in your collection.
The soloist’s depth of feeling, partnered with the receptive playing of the New Philharmonia Orchestra would make this recording fascinating enough – to have the composer conducting only adds to its authority. A benchmark recording.
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11. Noye’s FluddeOwen Brannigan, Sheila Rex, Trevor Anthony; English Opera Group orchestra/Norman del Mar
Decca 436 3972
Britten’s opera for children makes no concessions for the inexperience of its intended performers. It is a challenging work based on a medieval mystery play.
This recording, made in 1961, is bursting with enthusiasm and, despite the odd imperfection, manages to communicate the spirit of Britten’s musical gem.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/0WOF0u35jbwzuaLQaOJJI9
12. Curlew RiverPeter Pears (tenor), John Shirley-Quirk (bass-baritone), Harold Blackburn (bass), Bryan Drake (baritone), Bruce Webb (treble); English Opera Group/Benjamin Britten
Decca 421 8582
Britten’s Japanese-infused Christian parable was premiered in 1964 at St Bartholomew’s Church, Orford in Suffolk – and recorded with an almost identical cast the following year.
Britten was strongly influenced by his trip to Japan in the 1950s and his encounters there with noh theatre. Curlew River echoes the sounds of shamisen songs and the gagaku orchestra Britten heard in the Far East, while delivering a thoroughly Christian tale about charity and the afterlife. An authoritative and moving account of a fascinating work.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2c39kJw6Y1lLfOn75IxNmI
13. The Prince of the PagodasLondon Sinfonietta/Oliver Knussen
EMI 949 8292
Britten’s ballet The Prince of the Pagodas was commissioned by the Royal Ballet in 1957 and choreographed by John Cranko.
The work tells a fantastical story of magic and jealousy and the music itself is inspired by the sound of the Balinese gamelan as well as the works of Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. This recording, conducted by Oliver Knussen, is vivid and thrilling.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1XEjQETl1y1zBa4UugZPJl
14. Friday AfternoonsJohn Hahessy (boy alto), Benjamin Britten (piano) et al
Australian Eloquence 480 2296
Britten was famous for his ability to write music of a high artistic quality for children – and this suite of songs is no exception.
From the chilling Old Abram Brown to the flighty Cuckoo, these miniatures are completely disarming. For the definitive recording, try this release from Australian Eloquence, with Britten himself at the piano.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/7dCpRxa89ObSRR0W30tHMz
15. Albert HerringApril Cantelo (soprano), Sylvia Fisher (soprano), Peter Pears (tenor), Owen Brannigan (bass); English Chamber Orchestra/Benjamin Britten
Decca 421 8492
In Albert Herring, Britten decided to show his audience the cheerier, more whimsical side of East Anglia – where Peter Grimes had shone a light on the darker aspects.
This recording makes full use of the opera’s humour but doesn’t lose sight of the darker sides of the story. Tenor Peter Pears takes the title role in a recording conducted by Britten.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2ldgGdkwYevz53JWzDEmdT
16. Seven Sonnets of MichelangeloPeter Pears (tenor), Benjamin Britten (piano)
Australian Eloquence 476 8492
A real gem of a recording on the Australian Eloquence label, pairing Britten and Pears's performance of the Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo – written for and dedicated to Pears – and Winter Words with baritone John Shirley-Quirk's recording of Tit for tat.
The Michelangelo texts all deal with different aspects of love and the final text in the cycle finishes with a phrase which translates as 'What law, what destiny, what fell control,/ What cruelty, or late or soon, denies/ That death should spare perfection so complete.'
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/70owal2IMhntG9EU5VH4xy
17. Complete Songs, Vol. ISingers including Ben Johnson (tenor), Katherine Broderick (soprano), Robin Tritschler (tenor) et al; Malcolm Martineau (piano)
Onyx ONYX 4071
The first volume of Onyx’s complete survey of Britten’s songs for voice and piano includes three world premiere recordings of pieces written by a 13-year-old Britten: ‘A Dirge’, ‘Quilteresque’ and ‘Prithee’.
But there are fine performances from tenor James Geer in Sechs Hölderlin-Fragmente, tenor Ben Johnson in The Holy Sonnets of John Donne and soprano Katherin Broderick in The Pet’s Echo.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/47SZgnrnNLKcevKk2V8PxE
18. Concertos for Violin and PianoSviatoslav Richter (piano); Mark Lubotsky (violin); English Chamber Orchestra/Benjamin Britten
Decca E417 3082
Britten conducts his Concertos for Violin and Piano with two stellar soloists in Richter and Lubotsky. The benchmark is set for both works by this recording released in 1970.
Both pieces were completed around the same time (1938-39) but while the Piano Concerto is an ebullient work with a defiant finale, the Violin Concerto is threaded through with melancholy.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/0HMZksChmYz3dXWNq6Pp1A
19. Solo Cello SuitesMstislav Rostropovich (cello), Benjamin Britten (piano)
Decca 421 8592
Here’s a chance to hear Britten’s Cello Suites performed by its dedicatee. Britten wrote the works in 1964, despite being told by his doctor that he needed to rest, and dedicated them to the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.
Rostropovich’s performance is powerful and irresistibly expressive. And you can also hear him playing, with Britten on the piano, in the Sonata in C for Cello and Piano on this disc.
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5hB9bWzk4FT3czTkXLSVQz
20. String QuartetsBelcea Quartet
EMI 557 968-2
The Belcea Quartet bring together on this EMI disc the core of Britten’s work for string quartet: the three numbered quartets and the Three Divertimenti.
The Belceas performed the Quartets Nos 1-3 in a concert to mark the 25th anniversary of the composer’s death in 2001 and there’s something of that sense of occasion which finds its way into these recordings, made later.
Our critic said of the disc: ‘For all-round excellence, the Belcea’s becomes the new benchmark for these works.’
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https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5MCRPZ7AU8mm5TRZDrNhCq
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#morninglistening to #Stravinsky w/@mariinskyEN & @ValeryGergiev in #Petrushka & @JeuDeCartes
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@ClassicsInsider essentially called this an unnecessary/pointless recording. I can readily believe it, but let’s listen in first!
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Dohnányi didn’t exactly try to disguise the subject matter of his 1953 American Rhapsody in clever harmonic twists and turns. ‘On Top of Old Smo-key!’ blasts the brass section at the work’s ebullient opening, ‘all covered in snow.’
The mood then gets more sombre when we are introduced to ‘Poor wayfaring stranger’ by way of oboe and clarinet solos and, as the work progresses, we also hear references to various other American tunes, not least a jaunty rendition of ‘Turkey in the straw’ on the tuba.
For all the fun and games, however, the Hungarian composer also reminds us poignantly of his home country, which he left behind in 1944 – listen out for the brief reference to Kodaly’s Háry János, while the return to ‘Poor wayfaring stranger’ at the end is no accident.
Look to any number of Copland’s works from the 1930s onwards and you’ll find folk influences. Appalachian Spring – his 1940s ballet score – is a fine example, though the Shaker tune ‘Simple Gifts’, which features in part seven of the orchestral suite, is really more of a hymn. If you want legitimate folk song then look no further than his earlier ballet score for Billy the Kid.
Premiered in its orchestral setting in 1939, Copland was convinced by the ballet’s director Lincoln Kirstein to include traditional ‘Cowboy Songs’. The composer admitted later that he wasn’t entirely enamoured with the idea of using the ballads, which he felt were ‘less than exciting’, but once he began working with them he discovered their musical joys.
The work, about the period leading up 21-year-old outlaw William Bonney’s shooting in 1881, features six tunes: ‘Great Grandad’, ‘The Old Chisholm Trail’, ‘Git Along Little Dogies’, ‘Trouble for the Range Cook’, ‘Goodbye Old Paint’ and ‘The Dying Cowboy (Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie)’.
It remains quintessential Copland and defined the soundworld of the ‘Old West’ for any composer that set foot in it thereafter.
It was Copland who recommended that the Oklahoma-born, California-raised Roy Harris go to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger. He was soon on the path to becoming a prolific composer with 13 symphonies to his name.
His Third (1938) was hailed as ‘the first great symphony by an American composer’ by the conductor Serge Koussevitsky, while his Fourth drew on the fount of American traditional and folk melodies.
The colourful Folksong Symphony is a seven-movement work for chorus and orchestra, with its opening and closing movements based on the Civil War songs ‘The Girl I Left Behind Me’ and ‘Johnny Comes Marching Home’. In between, we get cowboy and mountaineer songs, spirituals, and two orchestral interludes.
Many of Florence Price’s compositions are rooted in the American spiritual tradition, reflecting her cultural heritage in the Deep South. Five Folksongs in Counterpoint is one of two string quartets Price wrote, also known as Negro Folksongs in Counterpoint. It features a handful of African-American spirituals played in contrapuntal textures: ‘Calvary’, ‘Clementine’, ‘Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes’, ‘Shortnin’ Bread’ and ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’.
Each spiritual is given slightly different treatment, with some in a hymn-like style and others performed in a lively fashion. Price framed these typically African-American spirituals within a traditionally European classical music form and tradition to reflect the melting pot of cultures in America at the time.
The Seattle-born composer bucks the traditional organ trend with these virtuosic arrangements of American spirituals and gospel hymns.
Blending jazz, cabaret, gospel (naturally) alongside smatterings of atonalism, Bolcom in his six books of preludes manages simultaneously to straddle the boundaries between the serious and light-hearted.
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, based on a spiritual from the 1870s, is dedicated to Marvin Gaye who had just been murdered by his father. The jaunty pedal ostinato clashes with the increasingly ugly, dissonant chords in the manual to quite staggering effect.
This whirlwind burst of orchestral colour and American folk song dates from 1939 and was commissioned by Alan Lomax for his CBS series American Folk Songs and Wellsprings of Music.
Crawford Seeger (1901-53) soon moved on to her ‘ultra-modern’ style, but the short Rissolty, Rossolty plays with three catchy melodies – the title song, another called ‘Phoebe’, and the fiddlers’ tune ‘The Death of Callahan’.
It’s wittily, smartly orchestrated, gathering pace towards an Ivesian moment where all three tunes are juxtaposed. And there are strong links to Copland: his orchestral piece John Henry was also commissioned by Lomax, and Copland used Crawford Seeger’s transcription of ‘Bonyparte’ for the ‘Hoe-Down’ in his ballet Rodeo.
https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2BTBOLQ7Pb8VDwtvVLShgC
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It’s hard to think of a musician more evocative of the 1980’s than Sade Adu. Known, alongside her bandmates Paul Denman, Andrew Hale, and Stuart Matthewman, as simply Sade, her sophisticated poise and icy cool vocals came to soothe an era of rapid change, spiralling excess and social upheaval. The band’s music helped conjure a sense of serenity and escapism that was so sorely needed in the late 20th century – a fact which has since been confirmed by their gargantuan commercial success, which to date has seen them sell over 75 Million albums worldwide.
Tune in on Sunday 25th November 2018 at 12pm and 6pm GMT to the show here.
The show will be available on demand shortly after broadcast.
The album is available to buy here.
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