COLLABORATIVE WORKS FESTIVAL: BRITTEN @ 100
A three-day festival of concerts which celebrated the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth in 2013.
CONCERT I
POETIC MUSES: Britten, Auden, and Sitwell
presented in partnership with The Poetry Foundation
Kiera Duffy, soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Gail Williams, horn
Cindy Gold, narrator
Shannon McGinnis, piano
PROGRAM
While tenor Peter Pears was perhaps his primary muse, he was not Benjamin Britten’s only source of inspiration – Britten enjoyed close friendships with various inspiring talents who also sparked his creativity and had profound impacts on his artistry and life. This opening program explored the influential relationships with two of these friends: The poets W.H. Auden and Dame Edith Sitwell.
BRITTEN: On This Island Op. 11
BRITTEN: The Heart of the Matter
BRITTEN: Cabaret Songs
CONCERT II
ANNUAL RECITAL
David Daniels, countertenor
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Martin Katz, piano
PROGRAM
A solo vocal recital program with countertenor David Daniels and pianist Martin Katz, which included a performance of:
BRITTEN Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac Op. 51
CONCERT III
MUSIC OF THE PEOPLE: Britten and Folk Song
Kiera Duffy, soprano
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
members of eighth blackbird
PROGRAM
Britten’s famous folk song arrangements comprise a significant portion of his song output, and were boundary-pushing in their inventiveness and ingenuity. This program featured some of his arrangements of folk song alongside two other composers similarly inspired by the so-called music of the people: Beethoven and Berio.
BEETHOVEN Welsh folk song arrangements (sel.)
BRITTEN French folk song arrangements (sel.)
BERIO Folk Songs