Britten: Simple Symphony; Temporal Variations; A Charm of Lullabies; Lachrymae; Suite on English Folk Tunes.Britten: Simple Symphony The Simple Symphony is a work for string orchestra by Benjamin Britten. It was written as a piece for school orchestra (although a version for string quartet exists) and received its first performance in (1934) in Norwich, with Britten conducting an amateur orchestra. ; Temporal Variations; A Charm of Lullabies; Lachrymae; Suite on English Folk Tunes. Steuart Bedford Steuart Bedford (born 31 July 1939, London) is a British orchestral and opera conductor. Bedford is particularly associated with the music of Benjamin Britten, having conducted the world premiere of Death in Venice in 1973 which he subsequently recorded. , Northern Sinfonia Northern Sinfonia is a leading chamber orchestra based at The Sage Gateshead and was formed by Michael Hall in 1958 as the first permanent chamber orchestra in Britain. Its current musical director is Thomas Zehetmair. . Naxos 8.557205. There probably isn't another conductor alive who knows the works of Benjamin Britten better than Steuart Bedford. A program note tells us that he was an occasional collaborator with the composer and conducted Britten's operas "throughout the world, including the world premiere of Death in Venice Death in Venice aging successful author loses his lifelong self-discipline in his love for a beautiful Polish boy. [Ger. Lit: Death in Venice] See : Homosexuality in 1973." I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if that qualifies Bedford's interpretations as the most definitive ones--Previn, Hickox, Handley, Marriner, Rattle, and the composer himself being no slouches with the scores--but they are certainly enjoyable. I have to admit, though, that I liked the first and last of the five works on the disc best. They would be the youthful Simple Symphony (1934) and the far more mature but still enthusiastic Suite on English Folk Tunes (1974). The three other pieces, Temporal Variations (1936), A Charm of Lullabies (1947), and Lachrymae (1976) are a bit too serious and somber for my taste. Still, they are all presented with an obviously loving manner, with no excessive affectations to mar the naturalness of the music. The sound goes a long way toward our enjoying the album as well. Naxos engineers have created a wonderfully clean, detailed soundstage, with instruments well defined and frequency balances well gauged. As the Northern Sinfonia is a relatively small group (the music is intended for chamber orchestras or even quartets), the textures would presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. be more transparent, anyway, but the sonics make a good thing even better. Well, actually, the bargain price probably makes it even better; I mean, what more could one ask for than excellent performances in excellent sound at the lowest possible price? |
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