Search - Benjamin Britten, Kent Nagano, Gidon Kremer :: Britten - Double Concerto · Young Apollo · Sinfonietta / Kremer · Bashmet · Nagano

Four Works of Youth Worth Obtaining

Eugene G. Barnes | Dunn Loring, VA USA | 10/16/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was amazed, after I heard the piece, to learn that Britten had written the Double Concerto at the tender age of 18. This is a piece that could easily find its way into the standard repertoire. There's a lot of mature Britten here. The work is both immediately engaging and thought-provoking, like the best of his other concertos and string quartets. Obviously that must have been what attracted Bashmet and Kremer to the piece. These superstars are exactly the right prescription for a successful performance - 100% commitment and unparalleled musicianship. The other pieces are also engaging, of course: "Young Apollo" and "Two Portraits" are in that category of Britten where the composer goes out on a limb compositionally but doesn't cut off the branch behind him. Most Britten lovers already know the Sinfonietta, Op. 1. Here we have an alternative orchestration, rediscovered in the 1980's, in an excellent, balanced performance and recording. The Halle under Kent Nagano is superb. Do yourself a favor - get this CD!"

An unusually fine window into early Britten

Bruce Hodges | New York, NY | 06/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For admirers of Benjamin Britten's work, this recording will probably be seen as indispensable, given the rarity of the pieces. All are engaging, and played with great spirit by the Halle Orchestra with Kent Nagano at the helm. My favorite is a work I had never heard before this recording, "Young Apollo" for piano and strings. About seven minutes long, it is ripe with gorgeous harmonies, catchy rhythms, and its sunny spirit is just beautifully handled by Nagano and the orchestra. Needless to say, it makes a fine, attention-getting start to the recording. The rest of the CD is terrific, ending with an impressively virtuosic performance of the "Sinfonietta," in its version for small orchestra. Erato's sound quality is lovely -- very warm and natural -- only adding to the pleasure."

Marvellous Early Benjamin Britten

D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 11/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I happened to hear the last movement of the Double Concerto played on the radio and immediately wanted to hear the entire work. While not an expert on the music of Benjamin Britten, I could not place the Double Concerto in any time frame, and as it turned out it was a work that was not performed during the composer's lifetime.



This disc has two world premieres: the Double Concerto and Two Portraits. Two Portraits is the earliest work recorded here, from 1930, and was composed just after Britten entered the Royal College of Music. The portraits are of one of the composer's school friends and Britten himself. A third movement was contemplated but never written. The work is scored for string orchestra and is quite mature for a teenage composer. The Double Concerto was written in 1932 in conjunction with the Sinfonietta but was not fully orchestrated; it was possible to fully realize the score from Britten's detailed notation. The concerto was probably left as it was because of the difficulties Britten experienced with the student orchestra during the first performance of the Sinfonietta. It is an engaging concerto that sounds so typical of the mature Britten; the melodies are engaging and the orchestration confident and original.



The Sinfonietta is Britten's opus 1 and he was determined in the work to make a statement - an effort to say he had arrived. The piece was scored for 10 players but Britten added a second horn and made indications in the score for a full string orchestra, which is the version recorded here. Young Apollo was composed in 1939 on a commission from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and is scored for piano and orchestra. It is a sunny work and a perfect overture.



The performances are superb and well-recorded. It you have an interest in Britten's music you will want this CD.

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