Opera Workshop - Scenes from the Operas of Benjamin Britten Brian Demaris
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“Music-Making in a Joyous Sense”: Democratization, Modernity, and Community at Benjamin Britten's Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts
“Music-making in a Joyous Sense”: Democratization, Modernity, and Community at Benjamin Britten's Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts Daniel Hautzinger Candidate for Senior Honors in History Oberlin College Thesis Advisor: Annemarie Sammartino Spring 2016 Hautzinger ii Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Historiography and the Origin of the Festival 9 a. Historiography 9 b. The Origin of the Festival 14 3. The Democratization of Music 19 4. Technology, Modernity, and Their Dangers 31 5. The Festival as Community 39 6. Conclusion 53 7. Bibliography 57 a. Primary Sources 57 b. Secondary Sources 58 Hautzinger iii Acknowledgements This thesis would never have come together without the help and support of several people. First, endless gratitude to Annemarie Sammartino. Her incredible intellect, voracious curiosity, outstanding ability for drawing together disparate strands, and unceasing drive to learn more and know more have been an inspiring example over the past four years. This thesis owes much of its existence to her and her comments, recommendations, edits, and support. Thank you also to Ellen Wurtzel for guiding me through my first large-scale research paper in my third year at Oberlin, and for encouraging me to pursue honors. Shelley Lee has been an invaluable resource and advisor in the daunting process of putting together a fifty-some page research paper, while my fellow History honors candidates have been supportive, helpful in their advice, and great to commiserate with. Thank you to Steven Plank and everyone else who has listened to me discuss Britten and the Aldeburgh Festival and kindly offered suggestions. -
Britten Spring Symphony Welcome Ode • Psalm 150
BRITTEN SPRING SYMPHONY WELCOME ODE • PSALM 150 Elizabeth Gale soprano London Symphony Chorus Alfreda Hodgson contralto Martyn Hill tenor London Symphony Orchestra Southend Boys’ Choir Richard Hickox Greg Barrett Richard Hickox (1948 – 2008) Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976) Spring Symphony, Op. 44* 44:44 For Soprano, Alto and Tenor solos, Mixed Chorus, Boys’ Choir and Orchestra Part I 1 Introduction. Lento, senza rigore 10:03 2 The Merry Cuckoo. Vivace 1:57 3 Spring, the Sweet Spring. Allegro con slancio 1:47 4 The Driving Boy. Allegro molto 1:58 5 The Morning Star. Molto moderato ma giocoso 3:07 Part II 6 Welcome Maids of Honour. Allegretto rubato 2:38 7 Waters Above. Molto moderato e tranquillo 2:23 8 Out on the Lawn I lie in Bed. Adagio molto tranquillo 6:37 Part III 9 When will my May come. Allegro impetuoso 2:25 10 Fair and Fair. Allegretto grazioso 2:13 11 Sound the Flute. Allegretto molto mosso 1:24 Part IV 12 Finale. Moderato alla valse – Allegro pesante 7:56 3 Welcome Ode, Op. 95† 8:16 13 1 March. Broad and rhythmic (Maestoso) 1:52 14 2 Jig. Quick 1:20 15 3 Roundel. Slower 2:38 16 4 Modulation 0:39 17 5 Canon. Moving on 1:46 18 Psalm 150, Op. 67‡ 5:31 Kurt-Hans Goedicke, LSO timpani Lively March – Lightly – Very lively TT 58:48 4 Elizabeth Gale soprano* Alfreda Hodgson contralto* Martyn Hill tenor* The Southend Boys’ Choir* Michael Crabb director Senior Choirs of the City of London School for Girls† Maggie Donnelly director Senior Choirs of the City of London School† Anthony Gould director Junior Choirs of the City of London School -
Benjamin Britten: a Catalogue of the Orchestral Music
BENJAMIN BRITTEN: A CATALOGUE OF THE ORCHESTRAL MUSIC 1928: “Quatre Chansons Francaises” for soprano and orchestra: 13 minutes 1930: Two Portraits for string orchestra: 15 minutes 1931: Two Psalms for chorus and orchestra Ballet “Plymouth Town” for small orchestra: 27 minutes 1932: Sinfonietta, op.1: 14 minutes Double Concerto in B minor for Violin, Viola and Orchestra: 21 minutes (unfinished) 1934: “Simple Symphony” for strings, op.4: 14 minutes 1936: “Our Hunting Fathers” for soprano or tenor and orchestra, op. 8: 29 minutes “Soirees musicales” for orchestra, op.9: 11 minutes 1937: Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge for string orchestra, op. 10: 27 minutes “Mont Juic” for orchestra, op.12: 11 minutes (with Sir Lennox Berkeley) “The Company of Heaven” for two speakers, soprano, tenor, chorus, timpani, organ and string orchestra: 49 minutes 1938/45: Piano Concerto in D major, op. 13: 34 minutes 1939: “Ballad of Heroes” for soprano or tenor, chorus and orchestra, op.14: 17 minutes 1939/58: Violin Concerto, op. 15: 34 minutes 1939: “Young Apollo” for Piano and strings, op. 16: 7 minutes (withdrawn) “Les Illuminations” for soprano or tenor and strings, op.18: 22 minutes 1939-40: Overture “Canadian Carnival”, op.19: 14 minutes 1940: “Sinfonia da Requiem”, op.20: 21 minutes 1940/54: Diversions for Piano(Left Hand) and orchestra, op.21: 23 minutes 1941: “Matinees musicales” for orchestra, op. 24: 13 minutes “Scottish Ballad” for Two Pianos and Orchestra, op. 26: 15 minutes “An American Overture”, op. 27: 10 minutes 1943: Prelude and Fugue for eighteen solo strings, op. 29: 8 minutes Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, op. -
Owen Wingrave
OWEN WINGRAVE Oper in zwei Akten von Benjamin Britten Libretto von Myfanwy Piper nach der gleichnamigen Kurzgeschichte von Henry James Eine Veranstaltung des Departements für Oper und Musiktheater in Kooperation mit dem Departement für Bühnen- und Kostümgestaltung, Film- und Ausstellungsarchitektur Montag, 20. Jänner 2020 | 19.00 Uhr Dienstag, 21. Jänner 2020 | 19.00 Uhr Mittwoch, 22. Jänner 2020 | 19.00 Uhr (Livestream) Donnerstag, 23. Jänner 2020 | 19.00 Uhr Max Schlereth Saal Universität Mozarteum Mirabellplatz 1 BESETZUNG Owen Wingrave Taesung Kim (20.1./22.1.)/Benjamin Sattlecker (21.1./23.1.) Musikalische Einstudierung Julia Antonovitch, Dariusz Burnecki, Stefan Müller, Walewein Witten Spencer Coyle Xiaofei Liu (20.1./22.1.)/Qi Wang (21.1./23.1.) Szenische Assistenz Agnieszka Lis Lechmere Johannes Hubmer Schauspielcoaching Natalie Forester Miss Wingrave Julia Heiler Sprachcoaching Theresa McDougall Mrs. Coyle Veronika Loy (20.1./22.1.)/Sophie Negoïta (21.1./23.1.) Szenischer Kampf Ulf Kirschhofer Mrs. Julian Chelsea Kolic´ (20.1./22.1.)/Bryndís Guðjónsdóttir (21.1./23.1.) Maske Jutta Martens Kate Vera Bitter Übertitel Leopold Eibensteiner General Wingrave Yu Hsuan Cheng Technische Leitung Andreas Greiml/Thomas Hofmüller/Alexander Lährm Narrator Richard Glöckner Werkstättenleitung Thomas Hofmüller Kinderchor Antonella Hohenadler, Felix Knittel, Florian Kritzinger, Lennart Malm, Sophie Münch, Noah Obermair, Niklas Plasse, Lichtgestaltung Michael Becke Leonhard Radauer Tontechnik Susanne Gasselsberger Musikalische Leitung Gernot Sahler -
Copland As Mentor to Britten, 1939-1942
'You absolutely owe it to England to stay here': Copland as mentor to Britten, 1939-1942 Suzanne Robinson Few details of the circumstances of Benjamin Copland to visit him for the weekend at his home in a Britten's stay in America in the years 1939-42 were converted mill in Snape. On this occasion they familiar- known before the publication in 1991of Britten's letters ised one another with their music; Copland played his and, in 1992, of a biography by Humphrey Carpenter. school opera, The Second Hurricane, singing all the parts And with the exception of a short article on Aaron himself, while Britten performed the first version of his Copland and Britten in an Aldeburgh Festival Programme Piano ~oncerto.~Being July, and England, at the first ~ook,llittle attention has been paid to the significance sign of sunshine the locals escorted their visitor to one of Britten's exposure to Copland's music, which Britten of Suffolk's pebbled beaches (which Copland described regarded as the best America had to offer. More than 20 as a 'shingle'). Copland realised that perhaps he was letters survive between 'Benjie' and 'my dearest Aaron', more accustomed to the effects of the sun, when Ibefore the majority of them belonging to the war years when long it became clear that the assembled group was in Copland was resident in New York and Britten was, for danger of "roasting". When I politely pointed out the the most part, nearby in Long ~sland.~Britten fre- obvious result to be expected from lying unprotected quently referred to Copland as his 'very dear friend', on the beach, I was told: "But we see the sun so and even 'Father' (Copland was the senior of the two rarely"'? When he returned to America, copland wrote by 13 years). -
There's a Real Buzz and Sense of Purpose About What This Company Is Doing
15 FEBRUARY 7.15PM & 17 FEBRUARY 2PM “There’s a real buzz and sense of purpose about what this company is doing” ~ The Guardian www.niopera.com Grand Opera House, Belfast Welcome to The Grand Opera House for this new production of The Flying Dutchman. This is, by some way, NI Opera’s biggest production to date. Our very first opera (Menotti’s The Medium, coincidentally staged two years ago this month) utilised just five singers and a chamber band, and to go from this to a grand opera demanding 50 singers and a full symphony orchestra in such a short space of time indicates impressive progress. Similarly, our performances of Noye’s Fludde at the Beijing Music Festival in October, and our recent Irish Times Theatre Award nominations for The Turn of the Screw, demonstrate that our focus on bringing high quality, innovative opera to the widest possible audience continues to bear fruit. It feels appropriate for us to be staging our first Wagner opera in the bicentenary of the composer’s birth, but this production marks more than just a historical anniversary. Unsurprisingly, given the cost and complexities involved in performing Wagner, this will be the first fully staged Dutchman to be seen in Northern Ireland for generations. More unexpectedly, perhaps, this is the first ever new production of a Wagner opera by a Northern Irish company. Northern Ireland features heavily in this production. The opera begins and ends with ships and the sea, and it does not take too much imagination to link this back to Belfast’s industrial heritage and the recent Titanic commemorations. -
BENJAMIN BRITTEN's USE of the Passacagt.IA Bernadette De Vilxiers a Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Arts University of the Wi
BENJAMIN BRITTEN'S USE OF THE PASSACAGt.IA Bernadette de VilXiers A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Arts University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg 1985 ABSTRACT Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) was perhaps the most prolific cooposer of passaca'?' las in the twentieth century. Die present study of his use of tli? passac^.gl ta font is based on thirteen selected -assacaalias which span hin ire rryi:ivc career and include all genre* of his music. The passacaglia? *r- occur i*' the follovxnc works: - Piano Concerto, Op. 13, III - Violin Concerto, Op. 15, III - "Dirge" from Serenade, op. 31 - Peter Grimes, Op. 33, Interlude IV - "Death, be not proud!1' from The Holy Sonnets o f John Donne, Op. 35 - The Rape o f Lucretia, op. 37, n , ii - Albert Herring, Op. 39, III, Threnody - Billy Budd, op. 50, I, iii - The Turn o f the Screw, op . 54, II, viii - Noye '8 Fludde, O p . 59, Storm - "Agnu Dei" from War Requiem, Op. 66 - Syrrvhony forCello and Orchestra, Op. 68, IV - String Quartet no. 3, Op. 94, V The analysis includes a detailed investigation into the type of ostinato themes used, namely their structure (lengUi, contour, characteristic intervals, tonal centre, metre, rhythm, use of sequence, derivation hod of handling the ostinato (variations in length, tone colouJ -< <>e register, ten$>o, degree of audibility) as well as the influence of the ostinato theme on the conqposition as a whole (effect on length, sectionalization). The accompaniment material is then brought under scrutiny b^th from the point of view of its type (thematic, motivic, unrelated counterpoints) and its importance within the overall frarework of the passacaglia. -
Britten Connections a Guide for Performers and Programmers
Britten Connections A guide for performers and programmers by Paul Kildea Britten –Pears Foundation Telephone 01728 451 700 The Red House, Golf Lane, [email protected] Aldeburgh, Suffolk, IP15 5PZ www.brittenpears.org Britten Connections A guide for performers and programmers by Paul Kildea Contents The twentieth century’s Programming tips for 03 consummate musician 07 13 selected Britten works Britten connected 20 26 Timeline CD sampler tracks The Britten-Pears Foundation is grateful to Orchestra, Naxos, Nimbus Records, NMC the following for permission to use the Recordings, Onyx Classics. EMI recordings recordings featured on the CD sampler: BBC, are licensed courtesy of EMI Classics, Decca Classics, EMI Classics, Hyperion Records, www.emiclassics.com For full track details, 28 Lammas Records, London Philharmonic and all label websites, see pages 26-27. Index of featured works Front cover : Britten in 1938. Photo: Howard Coster © National Portrait Gallery, London. Above: Britten in his composition studio at The Red House, c1958. Photo: Kurt Hutton . 29 Further information Opposite left : Conducting a rehearsal, early 1950s. Opposite right : Demonstrating how to make 'slung mugs' sound like raindrops for Noye's Fludde , 1958. Photo: Kurt Hutton. Britten Connections A guide for performers and programmers 03 The twentieth century's consummate musician In his tweed jackets and woollen ties, and When asked as a boy what he planned to be He had, of course, a great guide and mentor. with his plummy accent, country houses and when he grew up, Britten confidently The English composer Frank Bridge began royal connections, Benjamin Britten looked replied: ‘A composer.’ ‘But what else ?’ was the teaching composition to the teenage Britten every inch the English gentleman. -
Mark Padmore
` BRITTEN Death in Venice, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden At the centre, there’s a tour de force performance by tenor Mark Padmore as the blocked writer Aschenbach, his voice apparently as fresh at the end of this long evening as at the beginning Erica Jeal, The Guardian, November 2019 Tenor Mark Padmore, exquisite of voice, presents Aschenbach’s physical and spiritual breakdown with extraordinary detail and insight Warwick Thompson, Metro, November 2019 Mark Padmore deals in a masterly fashion with the English words, so poetically charged by librettist Myfanwy Piper, and was in his best voice, teasing out beauty with every lyrical solo. Richard Fairman, The Financial Times, November 2019 Mark Padmore is on similarly excellent form as Aschenbach. Padmore doesn’t do much opera, but this role is perfect for him………Padmore is able to bring acute emotion to these scenes, without extravagance or lyricism, drawing the scale of the drama back down to the personal level. Mark Padmore Gavin Dixon, The Arts Desk, November 2019 Tenor ..It’s the performances of Mark Padmore and Gerald Finley that make the show unmissable. …Padmore……conveys so believably the tragic arc of Aschenbach’s disintegration, from pompous self-regard through confusion and brief ecstatic abandon to physical and moral collapse. And the diction of both singers is so clear that surtitles are superfluous. You will not encounter a finer performance of this autumnal masterpiece. Richard Morrison, The Times, November 2019 BACH St John Passion¸ Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Simon Rattle. Royal Festival Hall, London Mark Padmore has given us many excellent evangelists, yet this heartfelt, aggrieved, intimate take on St John’s gospel narrative, sometimes spiked with penetrating pauses, still seemed exceptional. -
Download Booklet
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The artists are grateful for the sponsorship consideration of the following individuals and organiza- tions: Karen Vickers in memory of John E. Vickers and Velma Schuman Oglesby, Michael Wolf in memory SONGS OF JUDITH WEIR, BENJAMIN BRITTEN & HAMISH MACCUNN of Clarice Theisen, Mark and Donna Hance, Nan and Raleigh Klein, Steve and Mary Wolf, Tim and Amanda Orth, Martha and Emil Cook, Brett Cook, Megan Clodi in memory of Eric McMillan, Steve Stapleton, CALEDONIAN SCENES Nathan Munson, Sherri Phelps and Ronaldus Van Uden, Jennifer Fair, Lucy Walker, Tony Solitro, Zachary Justin Vickers, tenor Geoffrey Duce & Gretchen Church, piano Wadsworth, Robert and Margaret Lane, Ian Hamilton in memory of John Hamilton, Anthony and Maria Moore, Carren Moham, Melissa Johnson, Joy Doran in memory of Steve Doran, Jonathan Schaar in memory of organist John Weissrock, Jerold Siena and Stasia Forsythe Siena in memory of William J. Forsythe, James Major in memory of Bettie Major, Roy Magnuson, Michele Robillard Raupp, Eric Saylor, Christopher Scheer, Brooks Kuykendall, Thornton Miller, Andrew Luke, Emily Vigneri, Hilary Donaldson, Imani Mosley, Annie Ingersoll and Eric Totte, and Jeanne Wilson and Gary Stoodley; research funds from the School of Music and the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts at Illinois State University; a grant from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Illinois State University; an Illinois Arts Council Grant; research funds from Illinois Wesleyan University; and a PSC-CUNY Grant from City University of New York. The MacCunn songs and the cycle on this disc may be found in Hamish MacCunn: Complete Songs for Solo Voice and Piano, Parts 1 and 2 (A-R Editions, 2016), edited by Jennifer Oates. -
Britten's Acoustic Miracles in Noye's Fludde and Curlew River
Britten’s Acoustic Miracles in Noye’s Fludde and Curlew River A thesis submitted by Cole D. Swanson In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Music TUFTS UNIVERSITY May 2017 Advisor: Alessandra Campana Readers: Joseph Auner Philip Rupprecht ii ABSTRACT Benjamin Britten sought to engage the English musical public through the creation of new theatrical genres that renewed, rather than simply reused, historical frameworks and religious gestures. I argue that Britten’s process in creating these genres and their representative works denotes an operation of theatrical and musical “re-enchantment,” returning spiritual and aesthetic resonance to the cultural relics of a shared British heritage. My study focuses particularly on how this process of renewal further enabled Britten to engage with the state of amateur and communal music participation in post-war England. His new, genre-bending works that I engage with represent conscious attempts to provide greater opportunities for amateur performance, as well cultivating sonically and thematically inclusive sound worlds. As such, Noye’s Fludde (1958) was designed as a means to revive the musical past while immersing the Aldeburgh Festival community in present musical performance through Anglican hymn singing. Curlew River (1964) stages a cultural encounter between the medieval past and the Japanese Nō theatre tradition, creating an atmosphere of sensory ritual that encourages sustained and empathetic listening. To explore these genre-bending works, this thesis considers how these musical and theatrical gestures to the past are reactions to the post-war revivalist environment as well as expressions of Britten’s own musical ethics and frustrations. -
Newsletter 32
The W. H. Auden Society Newsletter Number 32 ● July 2009 Memberships and Subscriptions Annual memberships include a subscription to the Newsletter: Contents Individual members £9 $15 Katherine Bucknell: Edward Upward (1903-2009) 5 Students £5 $8 Nicholas Jenkins: Institutions and paper copies £18 $30 Lost and Found . and Offered for Sale 14 Hugh Wright: W. H. Auden and the Grasshopper of 1955 16 New members of the Society and members wishing to renew should David Collard: either ( a) pay online with any currency by following the link at A New DVD in the G.P.O. Film Collection 18 http://audensociety.org/membership.html Recent and Forthcoming Books and Events 24 or ( b) use postal mail to send sterling (not dollar!) cheques payable to “The W. H. Auden Society” to Katherine Bucknell, Memberships and Subscriptions 26 78 Clarendon Road, London W11 2HW, Receipts available on request. A Note to Members The W. H. Auden Society is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales as Charity No. 1104496. The Society’s membership fees no longer cover the costs of printing and mailing the Newsletter . The Newsletter will continue to appear, but The Newsletter is edited by Farnoosh Fathi. Submissions this number will be the last to be distributed on paper to all members. may be made by post to: The W. H. Auden Society, Future issues of the Newsletter will be posted in electronic form on the 78 Clarendon Road, London W11 2HW; or by Society’s web site, and a password that gives access to the Newsletter e-mail to: [email protected] will be made available to members.