Britten: The Canticles; Ian Bostridge, David Daniels

Ian Bostridge (Artist), David Daniels (Artist), Christopher Maltman (Performer), Julius Drake (Composer), Aline Brewer (Artist), Timothy Brown (Artist), Benjamin Britten (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Christopher Maltman
• Composer: Julius Drake
• Audio CD (November 5, 2002)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00005UV9G
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #275,547 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Britten's Canticles - Bostridge, Daniels..., November 9, 2002

By 

David M. Key (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Britten: The Canticles; Ian Bostridge, David Daniels (Audio CD)

A CD of the year to be sure! Another fine example of Bostridge being at the fore-front of Britten interpretations. His singing, as we have now come to expect, is so refined and detailed and full of warmth. The use of the countertenor is another example of pure genius on Britten's part looking back to the vocal spirit of Purcell's 'Golden Age' of Music, and is exemplified in Canticle No. 2 'Abraham and Isaac.' The Canticles are masterpieces in their own right and the combination of Bostridge, Daniels and Maltman confirms their exquisite splendor throughtout.
The CD ends with a collection of very fine Folksong Arrangements from the 'British Isles' with excellent singing from all: Ian Bostridge~tenor, David Daniels~countertenor, Christopher Maltman~baritone and not to mention very fine intrumental playing from Timothy Brown~horn, Aline Brewer~harp and the wonderful Julius Drake~piano.
A highly anticipated CD and well worth adding to the collection...

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite Singing in Lesser Known Britten, December 26, 2002

By 

Christopher Forbes "weirdears" (Brooklyn,, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Britten: The Canticles; Ian Bostridge, David Daniels (Audio CD)

This may be the vocal CD of the year. Bostridge, Daniels and Maltman sing this repertoire with all of the conviction of the original London recordings. And the Canticles themselves are pinnacles of Britten's vocal art.

Neither art songs nor operatic scena, in the Canticles Britten fashions his own vocal form, based in part on the extended Baroque solo cantata as realized by Purcell. Each Canticle is based on a poem with religious overtones, and set with sensitivity to the prosody and shades of meaning conveyed by the poet. The first Canticle, set to a parody of the Song of Songs by Anglican poet Frances Quarles, is fashioned in the most Purcellian manner of the Canticles, complete with Baroque devices like the canon and the ground bass. Each stanza is given a different form, almost like a suite, though unified by melodic material. The second stanza is a setting of the story of Abraham and Isaac from the Chester Miracle plays for tenor and countertenor (originally for alto, the tendency now is to use countertenor.) The work is dramatic, a mini-scena with many sections forcasting a very different setting of this story in the War Requiem. Canticle III is composed for tenor and horn and uses the very beautiful Sitwell poem, Still Falls the Rain. Britten's music matches the deep pathos of the poem. The final two Canticles use poetry by T.S. Eliot. They are in Britten's late style, tonal and yet austere and richly dissonant. Canticle V in particular has overtones of the music Britten would use for his final operatic masterpiece, Death in Venice.

The performances on this CD are stupendous. Ian Bostridge is probably the finest interpreter of English art song alive today. His attention to diction, nuance of text, beauty of tone and intelligence make these for me even better than the marvelous Peter Pears performances of these works. David Daniels is the finest countertenor working today. His tone is honey-sweet but never weird or cloying as Alfred Deller could be. And he strikes the perfect tone as Isaac, both childlike and saintly. Maltman too is in fine form in Canticle IV. The instrumentalists are also superb. Special mention goes to Julius Drake, who is a technically brilliant and sensitive accompanist in music that sounds simple but is deceptively tricky.

The disc is rounded out by several of Britten's beautiful settings of English folk songs. A marvelous way to end a truly spectacular vocal disc.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Amazing Voices at Their Peak, August 17, 2004

By 

Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Britten: The Canticles; Ian Bostridge, David Daniels (Audio CD)

With tones alternately dream-like and discordant, Benjamin Britten could certainly write music that can challenge as well as soothe, and his five canticles are no exception. Amazingly, he wrote these canticles over a 26-year period, the first in 1947 and the last in 1973 near his death, yet in spite of each canticle's individuality, they feel very much like parts of a whole. The two longest canticles, "Abraham and Isaac" (Canticle 2) and "Journey of the Magi" (Canticle 4, based on the poem by T.S. Eliot), are the most dramatically effective. Canticle 2 is especially moving because of the touching story it tells of the sacrifice of the child Isaac for his father Abraham only to be spared at the last minute. Canticle 4 provides an emotional retelling of the Three Kings' journey to the Christ child heightened by the immaculate blending of the three distinct voice types. It is no coincidence that countertenor David Daniels plays a prominent role in both as he is a highly skilled and versatile actor when it comes to playing a king or evoking the pleas of an innocent child. The voice, of course, is unparalleled. Tenor Ian Bostridge sings prominently on all five canticles and does quite well throughout, in particular, with his diction and tone. He is called on to exhibit a wide variety of emotions, and he rises to the challenge despite the towering shadow of Peter Pears.

The last twenty minutes of the disc are devoted to a wide array of English folk songs, and this is where each singer gets an opportunity to shine in solo turns. In particular, baritone Christopher Maltman does a fine job on "The Plough Boy" and "The Salley Gardens". Although Britten is not for everyone's taste, this is a beautifully realized recording with three great singers at their peak, and special mention needs to go to pianist Julius Drake who accompanies with great skill.