Britten: Britten To America

I'm not familiar with any of the music on this disc, except the setting of "Stop All the Clocks",later arranged as a cabaret number, which is here heard in its original choral form as part of "The Ascent of F6". These pieces were all written as incidental music to plays or radio programmes, and they have the simplicity and vigour that good incidental music needs. I must confess that I prefer this aspect of Britten to most of his more ambitious/pretentious works. These pieces are performed by two main sets of musicians: Ex Cathedra conducted by Jeffrey Skidmore, and the Halle conducted by S'Mark Elder. All bring complete commitment to the music.

This may be mainly for the Britten fan or completest, as NMC release some more little or unknown BB material. It's a curious mixture of music and dialogue and you probably would not listen to it all in one sitting. The pieces were recorded for the BBC after Britten and Pears return from America in 1942. It is well recorded and performed but not full on Britten although glimpses of his genius do shine through. I love Brittens music so I'm biased, and would want this in my collection.

Britten to America might initially be confusing since Benjamin Britten didn’t write any of this music in the US or Canada. However, the last track is taken from the radio series Britain to America, a wonderful play on words. Notwithstanding, three large-scale incidental music scores are programed alongside two short soprano jingles. The latter are characterfully sung by Mary Carewe, where the song Where Do We Go From Here could easily be an old-fashioned James Bond opener. The larger works are narrated by Samuel West, both evoking dignified narration and colorful characterizations. The Ascent of F6 and On the Frontier is music to two W. H. Auden plays, each bearing a mix of verbose prose and verse alongside witty lyrics. The Ascent of F6 is a befuddling mess of words, although when the poet rhymes ‘tennis elbow’ with ‘have got B. O.’, there is some charm. On the Frontier is better, where I am reminded of the skewering of war and governments in The Mouse That Roared. The music is scored for two pianos and an array of percussion. Both find Britten riffing on popular music styles of the 30s, Ascent in a modern, Britten-esque way, and Frontier more populous sounding. A ukulele is added to the former, while two trumpets fill out the latter work more satisfactorily. My favorite of the program is An American in England, probably due to the full orchestration played by the Hallé Orchestra under Sir Mark Elder. The subject of women fulfilling men’s duties ramping up to WWII is interesting, but it is the music which carries this listener. The main theme is used throughout, and it is a strong one, mixed with lots of musical visualizations to aid the radio program’s script. While I find this recording more curious than lovable, those wanting to explore the unplumbed depths of Britten’s composing career will find much to enjoy. The performers are excellent and the NMC engineering is first rate. I don’t know how much I will actually revisit this recording, and I certainly wouldn’t guide new listeners wanting to explore Britten’s music here. Let’s call it a light recommendation.

ブリテンが若いころ手がけた不随音楽を集めたＣＤで、この会社からはもう１枚同種のＣＤが出ています。おそらく１曲を除いて初録音だと思われ、昨年発売されたブリテン全集にも入っていない「Ｆ６登攀」が聞けるので購入しました。オーデンのテキストによるピアノと打楽器が伴奏するナレーション付合唱曲ですが、どれも短い曲ばかりでちょっと物足りない感じです。「辺境にて」も同じようですが、「イギリスのアメリカ人」はオーケストラ伴奏で、なかなかかっこいい曲です。でも、やはり１曲１曲が短すぎて残念。後の２曲はメゾソプラノによる歌曲で、ガーシュウィン風だったりヴァイル風だったり。まあ、私のようなブリテンマニア以外の方にはあまりお薦め出来ないかな。