Susan Gritton sings Britten, Delius & Finzi

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...there is much to admire in [Gritton's] delicate, considered vocalism, as well as in her refined musicianship...With the BBC string players on sterling form, Finzi's haunting blend of lyricism... — BBC Music Magazine, June 2010, 3 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 29th Mar 2010
Catalogue No: CHAN10590
Label: Chandos
Length: 68 minutes

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Finzi: Dies natalis, Op. 8

Work length26:08

$6.00

$7.80

$8.80

Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Susan Gritton

I. Intrada

Track length5:11

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$1.60

II. Rhapsody

Track length7:22

$2.00

$2.60

$2.40

III. The Rapture

Track length4:04

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IV. Wonder

Track length4:59

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V. The Salutation

Track length4:32

$1.00

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Britten: Les illuminations, Op. 18

Work length23:04

$10.00

$13.00

$16.00

Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Susan Gritton

I. Fanfare

Track length2:00

$1.00

$1.30

$1.60

II. Villes

Track length2:32

$1.00

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IIIa. Phrase

Track length1:01

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IIIb. Antique

Track length1:59

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IV. Royauté

Track length1:40

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V. Marine

Track length1:06

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VI. Interlude

Track length2:53

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VII. Being Beauteous

Track length4:18

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VIII. Parade

Track length2:55

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IX. Départ

Track length2:40

$1.00

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Britten: Quatre Chansons Françaises

Work length13:32

$4.00

$5.20

$6.40

Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Susan Gritton

I. Nuits de Juin

Track length3:05

$1.00

$1.30

$1.60

II. Sagesse

Track length3:18

$1.00

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$1.60

III. L'Enfance

Track length4:46

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IV. Chanson d'Automne

Track length2:23

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$1.60

Delius: A Late Lark, RT III / 6

Work length5:19

$1.00

$1.30

$1.60

Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Susan Gritton

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One of Britain’s leading lyric sopranos, Susan Gritton here performs a unique programme of works by three English composers, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Edward Gardner, ENO’s Musical Director.

The quintessence of Finzi, Dies natalis sets texts by the seventeenth-century poet Thomas Traherne, which reflect the joy and wonder of a newborn child’s innocent perspective on the world. The richly textured, resourceful string writing and the long melodic lines are hallmarks of Finzi’s style. The subtle inflections of the word-setting and lyricism have attracted many leading vocalists both in concert and on disc. Although particularly associated with the tenor voice, Dies natalis was premiered, and is increasingly performed by, sopranos.

This premiere recording of the version of Delius’s A Late Lark for soprano voice is currently the only available recording of the work. A setting of W.E. Henley’s poem ‘I.M. Margaritæ Sorori’, it offers a lovely lyrical reflection of the serene acceptance of death and is especially poignant as it was one of Delius’s last works. Eric Fenby, Delius’s friend and amanuensis, recalls that one day after he had read the poem through to Delius, ‘and had finished playing his setting, [Delius] said, “Yes, that is how I want to go.”’

Susan Gritton, who also appears on Chandos’ Grammy Award© winning Paul Bunyan, here includes the Quatre Chansons françaises, the most significant work of Britten’s juvenilia. The songs, to texts by Verlaine and Hugo, were composed between June and August 1928 when Britten was a mere fourteen, and demonstrate the flair for instrumental colour that was to become the hallmark of the mature composer. The album is completed by the later song cycle Les Illuminations, which offers a further development in his exploration of the orchestral song cycle, a genre that he was to make very much his own during his career.

Reviews

June 2010

...there is much to admire in [Gritton's] delicate, considered vocalism, as well as in her refined musicianship...With the BBC string players on sterling form, Finzi's haunting blend of lyricism and astringency, the bite of his harmonic scrunches and the fluid interplay of his lines...all come over.

July 2010

The pleasures here are many...right from the outset one can hardly fail to be struck by the exquisite (but never self-aware) sheen of the BBC SO's response. Edward Gardner directs with the utmost sensitivity...Susan Gritton, too, sings with heartfelt empathy, radiance and intelligence, and her alliance with Gardner certainly distills the necessary tingle-factor.

15th April 2010

Gritton's performance [of Les illuminations) is lustrous and joyous, a precociously talented young man's music brilliantly presented.

Offer,Susan Gritton sings Britten, Delius & Finzi

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