Benjamin Britten - Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings op. 31

[@Christopher-ym8fo]

The horn's melody for the Hymn is why I play the horn. AWESOME!

[@stephenfletcher6801]

Hands down, the most effective and beautiful recording I have heard of this brilliant composition. Robert Tears’s sensitivity creates a masterpiece. Conducting is perfection, as is the horn.

[@fierywomanpacnw7004]

I totally agree -- utterly exquisite.

[@michaelmiller1215]

The finest recording of this composition!

[@rsoares57]

My favorite, Peter Pears since half a century ago. Big speakers were vogue. Lovely. Perfect tempos. Nuances in the string orchestra. Horn just right. Thanks for posting the lyrics too.

[@samuelgreenrod1812]

Absolutely wonderful. Really touched my heart, beautiful poetry too. Thank you for this treat!

[@abranchesf]

+God Sloth : So glad to hear it.

[@TheMrpinpon]

Robert Tear! Increíble! ❤️

[@BytomGirl]

There is a ballet based on the Elegy (The Sick Rose) called Rose Malade that shows a rose invaded by the obsessed worm and rose dies at the end leaving a grieving worm, it's to music of 5th symphony of Mahler. I love poetry so tomorrow will read all the poems as it it's getting late. Thank you for posting them.

[@martinturner2309]

Thankyou for the info re ballet , I had never heard of that before . It sounds very beautiful . I saw a ballet at Saddlers Wells in the 1990s based around The Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss , which was moving. They used the Jesse Norman recording.

[@stevecoe5521]

An absolutely wonderful performance. I have the Decca Recording of the composer and Peter Pears too. Altogether one of my favourite works.

[@michaelmiller1215]

The finest recording of this masterpiece.

[@parratt-world]

Superb ... absolutely superb.

[@MaxPower-grrl]

Clevenger is a beast.

[@hanbaars3177]

Absoluut de mooiste uitvoering!

[@smijification]

find it on the Poetry Archive website

[@smijification]

sorry reply intended for Mike Karren

[@lawrencetendler2342]

THIS GIVES ME THE HORN...

[@christopherbubbadad7911]

Ml.

[@terrygibson7496]

If you liked this, you will also like Dame Janet Baker's recordings of Britten, Mahler, and especially of Edward Elgars 'Sea Pictures' directed by Sir John Barbirolli.

[@ΝικόλΞενοπούλου]

O Rose, thou art sick! The invisible worm, That flies in the night In the howling storm, Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy: And his dark secret love Does thy life destroy. William Blake (1757-1827)

[@stephenhall3515]

Tear has the voice for this but either the conductor or engineers made a mess of the dynamics between the horn and the rest. Try Langridge with Bedford.

[@mikekarren5010]

Is this the piece Britten wrote for Peter Pears when he first met him? Emily Bronte's poems? Obviously not, poets are listed...does anyone have that piece, it's called "A Thousand Gleaming Fires"

[@smijification]

find it on the Poetry Archive website

[@henriaug]

He played Bb (14th harmonic) instead of the the A natural (13th harmonic) on 12th measure. That A natural should sound very close to the middle frequency between Ab and A (or aprox 59 cents flat comparing to the tempered A) Notice the difference comparing to the video with title "Ian Bostridge: The complete "Serenade Op. 31" (Britten) "

[@RichardASalisbury1]

I listened to the horn intro in the Bostridge, which I haven't heard before, then in the Pears/Brain, which I've owned for many years; latter was first performance of this I ever heard, around 40 years ago, and I thought at first Brain had gone off in his playing, though I knew his reputation. Then I heard another, like recording, read liner notes more carefully, and understood. As for the high note you refer to, it seems here closer to a full half-tone higher, compared to the preceding note, than it does in the Pears recording, which I'm familiar with. Yet oddly, I didn't pick up on the discrepancy in this recording; in fact, listening to both in succession just now, this one seemed more "right"--maybe just because, not having listened to this work in a long time my well-tempered brain just expects in a general way that the intro will sound "weird."

[@HornFool]

This is both traditional and the harmonic intended, or at least preferred, by Britten himself according to Dennis Brain (for whom the part was written). For a somewhat more thorough discussion: www.undergraduatelibrary.org/system/files/489i.pdf

[@spacevspitch4028]

@@HornFool Nuts! I just discovered this work while looking at the wikipedia entry for "Harmonic seventh". The score for the intro horn part is shown with a midi file of it. So, I immediately went to youtube to hear a live recording and found this. Then I noticed the horn player played the 14th harmonic as opposed to the 13th. So I scroll a bit to see if anyone else noticed and wham! There's an entire paper on it! Thanks for the link! Interesting read :D

[@fierywomanpacnw7004]

I l-o-v-e this note and how it's played here!

[@charlesdeering5882]

I always played the 14th harmonic because Dennis Brain played it and because I liked it better. It was written for Brain and I'm sure his choice was no accident. I think most players do the same.

[@stephenfletcher6801]

Where can I purchase a CD of this recording. Please, please, please.......someone know the answer!!!

[@nb2816]

Britten's one true masterpiece, in my opinion. In the final Keats setting he achieves true profundity, as opposed to his usual mere consummate craftsmanship, and the recap of the horn solo at the end is truly moving. This is a very good performance, but I will always be partial to the Pears/Goossens recording as capturing best the true essence of this work.

[@jamessmith5433]

The War Requiem is his towering masterpiece followed closely by Peter Grimes. This is wonderful but. …No. not his masterpiece

[@nb2816]

@@jamessmith5433 The War Requiem is his most ambitious score, next to his operas, but I've always found it pretentious and overinflated, and the solo vocal writing intolerable at best. I used to enjoy Peter Grimes, but I find it wears thin over time, as with most of Britten's music generally, as technique is generally elevated above true depth and substance. But in my opinion the Serenade, alone among his works, remains a gem for the long haul.

[@reuvenal]

...And who is the horn player ?

[@abranchesf]

reuvenal It's Dale Clevenger -- at his best. See the video description for more information (including the lyrics).

[@reuvenal]

Tnx!

[@derekrussell7120]

+Fernando Abranches Clevenger was absolutely stunning in his day.

[@Jiffy1932]

I have always loved Peter Pears singing thismore than any other tenor until hearing Robert Tear sing it. Only trouble for my ears came from the horn accompaniment which was often too loud or booming. The sound engineers were too enthusiastic here.

[@davidthom7127]

The tenor and horn are meant to be dueting and dancing around together. Two males, no one leading.