Britten: Choral Edition, Vol. 3

Benjamin Britten (Composer), Finzi Singers (Performer), Helen Groves (Performer), Mhairi Lawson (Performer), Andrew Carwood (Performer), James Gilchrist (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Finzi Singers, Helen Groves, Mhairi Lawson, Andrew Carwood, James Gilchrist
• Composer: Benjamin Britten
• Audio CD (February 9, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Chandos
• ASIN: B00000I0TK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #672,113 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Time to arise...., April 25, 2000

By 

Mark Swinton - See all my reviews

This review is from: Britten: Choral Edition, Vol. 3 (Audio CD)

This is a slightly more recherche release than the previous two in the Britten Choral Edition, but it is of no less quality. The above words are a quotation from the short piece "Advance Democracy" which is surely the most unusual of all Britten's choral works. An epitome of the 1930s political climate, it is given a taught rendition here by the Finzi Singers which would not seem completely out of place as the background music to one of the old "Movietone News" bulletins (played in cinemas, especially during the Second World War).

Also on this disc are the captivating "Flower Songs," the compelling and unusual "Sacred and Profane" (in which the singers capture the melancholy atmosphere of Britten's final years - this piece was written merely months before he died) and, for contrast, the celebrated experimental work "A Boy Was Born," in which Andrew Lumsden's choristers of Lichfield Cathedral make a welcome appearance.

As I have said before, this set of recordings is an ample tribute to Britten's choral legacy, and the Finzi Singers under Paul Spicer really have done him justice with their performances.