Britten: Holy Sonnets Op35 / Bostridge, Johnson [Import]

Benjamin Britten (Artist), Ian Bostridge (Artist), Graham Johnson (Artist), Edward Perry (Artist), Jeremiah Taylor (Artist), John Donne (Artist), Peter Burra (Artist), Arthur Waley (Artist), Thomas Lovell Beddoes (Artist), Louis MacNiece (Artist), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 21, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Hyperion UK
• ASIN: B000002ZWS
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #311,470 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Harmonia Sacra: Pelham Humfreys: Lord! I Have Sinned

2. Harmonia Sacra: Pelham Humfreys: Hymn To God The Father

3. Harmonia Sacra: William Croft: A Hymn On Divine Musick

4. The Way To The Tomb...: Evening

5. The Way To The Tomb...: Morning

6. The Way To The Tomb...: Night

7. W H Auden Settings: Night Covers Up The Rigid Land

8. W H Auden Settings: Fish In The Unruffled Lakes

9. W H Auden Settings: To Lie Flat On The Back With The Knees Flexed

10. The Red Cockatoo & Other Songs: A Poison Tree (Blake)

11. The Red Cockatoo & Other Songs: When You're Feeling Like Expressing Your Affection (Auden)

12. The Red Cockatoo & Other Songs: Not Even Summer Yet (Burra)

13. The Red Cockatoo & Other Songs: The Red Cockatoo (Waley)

14. The Red Cockatoo & Other Songs: Wild With Passion (Beddoes)

15. The Red Cockatoo & Other Songs: If Thou Wilt Ease Thine Heart (Beddoes)

16. The Red Cockatoo & Other Songs: Cradle Song For Eleanor (MacNeice)

17. The Red Cockatoo & Other Songs: Birthday Song For Erwin (Duncan)

18. The Red Cockatoo & Other Songs: Um Mitternacht (Goethe)

19. The Holy Sonnets Of John Donne, Op. 35: Oh My Black Soule!

20. The Holy Sonnets Of John Donne, Op. 35: Batter My Heart

See all 27 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE English Singer sings music by THE English Songwriter, February 28, 2000

By 

Bryan S Page (Birmingham, Alabama, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Britten: Holy Sonnets Op35 / Bostridge, Johnson (Audio CD)

This CD lets us know that not only was Britten the greatest of English composers since Purcell, but he is an absolute master at songwriting. His economic style is perfect for songs, his choice of text is truly sophisticated and his idiomatic writing for both piano and voice put the listener always on the edge of his or her seat. Bostridge's light but powerful voice suits these songs perfectly. And Graham Johnson's piano playing is unsurpassable. One of my favorite CDs!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A voice teacher and early music fan, February 6, 2006

By 

George Peabody "Ariel" (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Britten: Holy Sonnets Op35 / Bostridge, Johnson (Audio CD)

OH HEARKEN ALL YE LOVERS OF GOOD MUSIC!


This album presents some of the most profoundly beautiful songs you will ever hear anywhere!!!It would be worthwhile even if you only enjoyed the first 3 songs on the disc: the 3 Realizations from Harmonia Sacra which are 'Lord! I have sinned','Hymn to God the Father' by Pelham Humfreys and 'A Hymn on Divine Music' (which is absolutely so meaningful to us who love the art of music) by William Croft all arranged by Britten for tenor and harp. And all sung by one of the most exquisitely beautiful tenor voices ever to come out of the UK; flawless diction,resonant and vibrant tone quality and highly emotional portraying every little nuance in the song.

I bought this album because the music of Britten has always intrigued me and I was not disappointed in the variety of songs included on this album. The nine Holy Sonnets of John Donne are profound religious meditations,all of which are concerned with death and repentance. The songs 'Evening','Morning', and 'Night', are taken from the incidental music for Ronald Duncan's Masque 'This Way to the Tomb'.There are songs with settings of W.H. Auden, and several other writers too numerous to mention, but suffice it to say that there is sufficient variety to keep all listeners interested throughout the disc. Some of the songs I found particularly interesting are:'The Red Cockatoo',Waley-'A Poison Tree',Blake-'Cradle Song for Eleanor',MacNeice-and 'Death be not Proud'.

When you have an Ian Bostridge available there is no need to look for anyone else. He has all the vocal skills and nuances to sing each song as an island in itself; simply marvelous interpretations, and he is fortunate to have Graham Johnson to accompany him.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but could be much better..., November 1, 2004

By 

Tenor man (Toronto, ON, CANADA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Britten: Holy Sonnets Op35 / Bostridge, Johnson (Audio CD)

While I do like some of what Bostridge does, his recorded performances to me seem to be filled more and more with musical gimmicks. His tone I find refreshing from so many English tenors who sound like they are in pain while singing, but Brostridge truly does lack a good legato line and he often uses a horrible strident quality for emphisis of text.

Peter Pears' recordings of many of these songs are still in many ways the difinitive performances, but I do like to hear other voices sing this repertoire and unfortunately very few options are out there. So, kudos to Bostridge for recording these songs, but lets not crown him THE new Britten singer of our time.