Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings; Les Illuminations; Nocturne

1	Les illuminations, song c
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11	Serenade, for tenor, horn
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Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings; Les Illuminations; Nocturne
1.	Les illuminations, song cycle for high voice & strings, Op. 18 22:40
	Composed by Benjamin Britten
	Performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Ian Bostridge
	Conducted by Simon Rattle
2.	Serenade, for tenor, horn & strings, Op. 31 23:58
	Composed by Benjamin Britten
	Performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Ian Bostridge and Radek Baborák
	Conducted by Simon Rattle
3.	Nocturne, for tenor, 7 instruments & strings, Op. 60 28:03
	Composed by Benjamin Britten
	Performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Andreas Blau, Ian Bostridge, Wenzel Fuchs, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Stefan Schweigert, Radek Baborák, Wieland Welzel and Dominik Wollenweber
	Conducted by Simon Rattle

Barnes & Noble

Benjamin Britten's music for the tenor voice still seems to be owned, decades posthumously, by Peter Pears, whose recording of the composer's three great song cycles holds an especially treasured place in the discography. Nowadays, the mantle of Britten's leading interpreter has fallen to Ian Bostridge: With recordings of several of the composer's solo vocal works and operas to his credit, Bostridge has staked a claim to this repertoire for a decade now. But the present album is the one we've been waiting for. Bostridge has actually recorded the Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings once before -- coupled unusually with the Strauss Horn Concertos -- but this new version puts the work in the context it deserves, bookended by the youthful exuberance of Les Illuminations and the spare elegies of the later Nocturne. The singer has a seemingly effortless way of sustaining a musical line while shading the words with nuances of meaning, the all-important text always coming through with admirable clarity. These works may have been written for the idiosyncrasies of Pears's voice, but they sound more marvelous than ever as sung by Bostridge. Praise is also due to horn soloist Radek Baborák, whose contribution to the Serenade perfectly sets this work's tone of ineffable yearning. And it must also be noted that this is yet another in a series of superb recent recordings from the Berlin Philharmonic led by Sir Simon Rattle, whose direction provides an ideally subtle and responsive underscoring. But in the end, this is Bostridge's show, and it's one of his most important recordings: Henceforth it must at least share the top recommendation in these works with Pears, while many listeners are likely to find that it has a decided edge over the venerable competition. Scott Paulin

All Music Guide

Tenor Ian Bostridge brings together three of Britten's most important song cycles: "Serenade for tenor, horn and strings," "Les Illuminations," and "Nocturne." His performances are notable for their dramatic range, particularly the power and passion and vocal abandon he brings to these works. He fully inhabits the music, which leads to some daring interpretive choices. In "Serenade," there is a thrilling wildness to "Nocturne" that one does not usually associate with this music, his "Dirge" is a harrowing beacon of doom, and his performance of "Nocturne"'s "But that night when on my bed I lay," is crazed, almost demented sounding. At the opposite end of the spectrum, his "Sonnet" is sung with languid and woozy simplicity. The interpretive integrity of "Les Illuminations" makes the piece seem more like a mini-opera than a set of songs. Throughout, Bostridge's performance is notable for the radiance of his tone, the power of his voice over the wide range he is required to traverse, and a technique that allows him to produce an exquisite, almost inaudible mezza voce. Hornist Radek Baborák has a warm and robust tone, but his performance doesn't quite match the fire of Bostridge's. Simon Rattle, leading the Berlin Philharmonic, fully supports the singer's interpretive perspective. At the end of "Sonnet," though, the uncharacteristically poor intonation of the strings produces an unnerving pulsing pattern that destroys the music's mood of drugged serenity. Listeners who prefer their Britten to be well mannered may want to steer clear of this CD, but for anyone who wants a fresh take on these works, the pure visceral impact of Bostridge's performance is hard to beat. EMI's sound is present, clear, and resonant. Stephen Eddins

New York Times

The performances, while true to the Pears model, represent boldly reconsidered and bracingly fresh takes.... Mr. Bostridge, in his way, sings the ethereal passages in these scores with boyish lightness and shapes the phrases with cool elegance. Then, when the music heats up and turns sensual, he exudes a husky, almost adolescent virility. Anthony Tommasini

Gramophone

[December 2005 CD of the Month] A profoundly considered and technically immaculate traversal of Britten's three great and varied cycles for tenor and orchestra. Alan Blyth

The New Yorker

In a tonally attractive but disturbingly detailed performance, [Bostridge] unmasks the [Nocturne] as a searing tragedy.... He and Rattle give the work's final moments...an almost shocking power. Russell Platt

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Bostridge sings [this music] in a plummier style than Pears, and his attention to words and keen phrasing pays remarkable dividends. Sir Simon Rattle has an affinity for Britten's moods and colors, and the instrumental soloists - especially hornist Radek Baborak in the Serenade - are exceptional singers in their own right. [Grade: A]