June 2005
All of these pieces have been recorded with Britten conducting. The composer was an inordinately fine, sensitive maestro. As good as his readings are, the ones on this SACD stand head and shoulders alongside them. You know something special is coming from the opening fanfare of Les Illuminations: precise, virtuoso, and yet thoroughly musical. When Toby Spence makes his first entrance, interest heightens. What a wonderful voice this young man has. Unlike the instruments of most English tenors, his voice is open at the top, and is radiant and secure, capable of stentorian, ringing passages or the quietest intimacy. In the Serenade, horn player Martin Owen, an artist of equal talent, joins him for a performance that glows with lyricism and crackles with drama. The recorded sound is large and full, with singular presence and detail. The center channel is not used, this being a 4.0 recording, but the phantom center image is so stable that no one will miss it. The rear channels provide precisely the right amount of ambience. If you know these works, rush to hear them in fresh and vibrant performances, if you do not, buy this disc for an incredible new experience. It captures a recording session where absolutely everything went right. GO BACK TO: |