Benjamin Britten - Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra; etc (Benjamin Britten)

Information

Composer: Benjamin Britten

1. The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34
2. Simple Symphony, Op. 4: I. Boisterous Bourrée
3. Simple Symphony, Op. 4: II. Playful Pizzicato
4. Simple Symphony, Op. 4: III. Sentimental Saraband
5. Simple Symphony, Op. 4: IV. Frolicsome Finale
6. Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10: 1. Introduction and Theme
7. Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10: 2. Adagio
8. Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10: 3. March
9. Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10: 4. Romance
10. Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10: 5. Aria Italiana
11. Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10: 6. Bourrée Classique
12. Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10: 7. Wiener Waltzer
13. Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10: 8. Moto Perpetuo
14. Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10: 9. Funeral March
15. Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10: 10. Chant
16. Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10: 11. Fugue and Finale

London Symphony Orchestra (1)
English Chamber Orchestra (2-16)
Benjamin Britten, conductor

Date: 1963 (1), 1966 (6-16), 1968 (2-4)
Label: Decca
http://www.deccaclassics.com/us/cat/4175092

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Review

Like the similarly generous CD coupling of Britten's own recordings of his three song-cycles with orchestra, the Serenade, the Nocturne and Les illuminations (417 153-2DH, 7/86) this compilation brings together three unique performances to be cherished not just by Britten devotees but by the widest possible range of music-lovers. This is Britten at his most immediately appealing, though his brisk account of the most popular piece of all, the Young Person's Guide, may startle some by its fierceness in relation to almost any other reading on record. That fierceness is underlined by the CD transfer which emphasizes the top response and the lack of roundness in the Kingsway Hall recording, which I confess I had not registered on the original LP, a coupling for Britten's last recording of the Serenade.

I rather wish that oldest and least sweet of the recordings had been put at the end, for the string sound of the English Chamber Orchestra in the other two works is superb, fuller and richer with a good, firm bass response set against a warm and helpful ambience. The Variations were in fact recorded at Kingsway, the same hall as was used for the Young Person's Guide, while the Simple Symphony, done a couple of years later, was able to use the newly converted Maltings at Snape. Bands are provided for all the separate variations of the Frank Bridge set, but not for those of the Young Person's Guide, which is a pity but that is a minor irritation in relation to the delight of having such classic, unique performances on Compact Disc.

-- Edward Greenfield, Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/l/lon830392a.php
https://www.amazon.com/Britten-Persons-Orchestra-Variations-Symphony/dp/B0000041S6

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Benjamin Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British classical music, with a range of works including opera, other vocal music, orchestral and chamber pieces. Over the next 28 years, he wrote 14 more operas, establishing himself as one of the leading 20th-century composers in the genre. Britten's other works range from orchestral to choral, solo vocal, chamber and instrumental as well as film music. Britten was also a celebrated pianist and conductor, performing many of his own works in concert and on record.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Britten

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