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Painfully grainy and up-front sound, especially in louder sections. Oh well.
I'm glad I got around to exploring Britten's chamber music, especially the Cello Suites which I believe to be extremely expressive and imaginative.
The first and third SQ's are equally interesting: often fantastic color and interesting musical ideas, some of which are quite haunting, such as the opening of the 1st Quartet.
Like many, I started with Britten's Young Person's Guide and the Four Interludes from Peter Grimes, then Peter Grimes complete. I had a hard time with the other operas and unfortunately gave up on Britten for years, until hearing his first Cello Suite on the radio just recently which rekindled my interest in the composer.
I look forward to checking out another recording of the SQ's soon, but hopefully one with a little more "glow" and air!
As for recent recordings of the Cello Suite 1, I prefer Gerhardt's on Hyperion for combination of expression, incisiveness, and recorded sound.
Follow Ups:
Don't really know Midsummer.
Grimes, of course. Budd is very worth while and Albert Herring is a hoot.
Don't know the chamber stuff much.
Sinfonia da Requiem. Good.
Sang in the chorus of the War Requiem under Shaw. Quite something.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
Ceremony of Carols
Noyes Fludde
Spring Symphony
with all the wrong notes. : ) I found the very collectible Argo Lp but unfortunately didn't care for the music, even though I knew what Britten was trying to do and say.
Yeah, don't know Noye's, the others are worthy, certainly.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
...and Britten's own performance is excellent. The others I've heard are also good, but they don't have Owen Brannigan, who is a riot.
Wasn't he great?! The Robert Newton of singers! Another exemplar - his Polyphemus in Haendl's "Acis" is without peer.
Jeremy
nt
Same with Billy Budd. Maybe seeing them live would enhance the experience.
I saw Death in Venice live at the SF opera a while back. Opening scene is very haunting but overall I'm not sure the whole thing works, but who am I to say?
nt
Try the Brodsky on Chandos; not nearly as in-your-face, and a bit smoother than the Emperor quartet (if that's the one you mean on BIS; your pictures didn't come up on my screen). Even smoother/warmer is the Allegri on Decca/London (I think that's the correct label).
.
Too bad about the sound quality. I like the Britten quartets, as well as those of the other big 20th century Brits--Walton and Vaughn Williams. I very much like the Quartets of Alwyn too, a much overlooked composer.
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