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Vicki StroeherMarshall University Huntington, WV
David Castleberry[lang ]castlebe[commat]marshall.edu[rang ] (EDITOR)
Benjamin Britten
Polyphony, Stephen Layton, conductor Recorded in Temple Church, London, on October 6, 1999 and April 26 and 27, 2000 Hyperion: CDA67140, DDD, 61´26
Editor's Note: Dr. Vicki Stroeher expands upon the typical review format in this discussion of Sacred And Profane, drawing upon her extensive dissertation research for ''Form and Meaning in Benjamin Britten's Sonnet Cycles,'' along with materials assembled for publications and through her residency at the Britten-Pears Library in Aldeburgh, England. By linking relevant background information with performance considerations of selected works, she provides insights meaningful to listeners and conductors preparing these works for performance.
The choral works of English composer Benjamin Britten (1913-76), like his efforts in other forms, have been overshadowed by his operas. 1 War Requiem, essentially operatic in character, along with Rejoice in the Lamb, and A Ceremony of Carols, have risen to the top of the choral repertoire and receive the majority of the attention paid today as concert and recording fare. These, however, obscure a number of other excellent works in Britten's choral output. Sacred and Profane, a release by Stephen Layton and Polyphony, provides a useful glimpse at some of Britten's lesser known works for mixed chorus, including previously unpublished (and even discarded) juvenilia. 2 The recording spans Britten's career with works from his school days, his prime, and his final choral offering, and takes listeners on a chronological journey through the composer's development and maturity.
Britten's choral works were composed most often to fulfill commissions, either from church choirs or individuals, or in the commemoration of specific occasions. The Five Flower Songs (1950), the first selections on the current disc, are a case in point. Britten composed these pieces to honor Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst, contributors to Britten's English Opera Group, on the occasion of their silver wedding anniversary. The texts were chosen to celebrate the Elmhirsts's fondness for botany. 3 A student choir directed by Imogen Hoist, daughter of Gustav Hoist and a tireless employee of Britten, premiered the work outdoors on July 23, 1950. Britten almost certainly knew of the outdoor arrangements and the...