COMPOSERS: Britten,Schubert
LABELS: Decca
ALBUM TITLE: Schubert, Britten
WORKS: Schubert
Winterreise
Britten
Folksong Arrangements: The Foggy, Foggy Dew; O Waly, Waly; Sweet Polly Oliver; Sally in our Alley; Tom Bowling; The Lincolnshire Poacher; The Ploughboy; Oliver Cromwell; plus Purcell: Man is for the Woman Made (ar
PERFORMER: Peter Pears (tenor),
Benjamin Britten (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: 074 3257
Schubert’s Winterreise coupled with a number of Britten’s folksong arrangements. Other filmed Winterreises, notably Ian Bostridge’s, are largely unsatisfying. Here, in this 1970 telecast, Culshaw wisely added only Wieland Wagnerish rostra and backgrounds to suggest the bleak atmosphere, with Pears in Biedermeier costume and Britten, at his own insistence, out of sight. It works well, less distracting than the usual recital hall, and because these interpretations remain very compelling. The less formal folksong recital, recorded in 1964 before a guest audience, is equally engaging. Michael Scott Rohan
Schubert, Britten
Schubert’s Winterreise coupled with a number of Britten’s folksong arrangements. Other filmed Winterreises, notably Ian Bostridge’s, are largely unsatisfying. Here, in this 1970 telecast, Culshaw wisely added only Wieland Wagnerish rostra and backgrounds to suggest the bleak atmosphere, with Pears in Biedermeier costume and Britten, at his own insistence, out of sight. It works well, less distracting than the usual recital hall, and because these interpretations remain very compelling.
Published: January 20, 2012 at 4:10 pm