Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream / Britten: Nocturne

Dawson (Artist), Tear (Artist), Tate (Artist), Mendelssohn (Composer), Britten (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Mendelssohn, Britten
• Audio CD (April 7, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI
• ASIN: B00000631J
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #765,778 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Britten Nocturne is a hidden gem, February 18, 2007

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream / Britten: Nocturne (Audio CD)

EMI cared so little about Robert Tear's recording of Britten's Nocturne for tenor and seven solo instruments that they don't even list it on the cover of this Red Line CD. But it's the gem here, not the rather average Midsummer Night's Dream incidental music from Tate and the Rotterdam Phil. For anyone who appreciates Britten's great vocal works, comparison always comes down to Peter Pears, the singer for whom almost every work was written over a span of three decades.

This is one instance where Pears is bettered by another artist. The Nocturne isn't a charming, melodic work like the more famous Serenade for tenor, horn, and strings, even though it is closely related to that work, both being suites drawn from English lyric verse. The Nocturne is in an almost atonal style, and the poems have a linked theme of night, ranging in mood, however, from the grotesque to the deeply melancholy--few are happy and none are serenades. Pears brought great artistry to his recording with Britten, but his voice wasn't in the best shape. Tear's is in perfect shape, and as pure singing his version leaves Pears far behind.

In addition, Tear doesn't imitate Pears' uniquely nuanced, sensitive style but goes on his own path, which is highly dramatic, forceful, and extroverted. The piece is strong enough to sound wonderful both ways, and I hope more people will discover this great performance--I hit on it by chance--which also features remarkable solo work from the winds of the English chamber Orch. and nice sound to boot.