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Britten and America

Donald Macleod follows Benjamin Britten to America.

Donald Macleod follows Benjamin Britten to America.

Britten wasn’t necessarily intending to stay very long in the United States. The reception he got in Canada and then in Michigan, when he arrived in 1939, made him think that his future may indeed lie on the other side of the Atlantic.

But as time went on, despite American friendship and support, his feelings became more conflicted.

Calypso
Della Jones, mezzo-soprano
Steuart Bedford, piano

Young Apollo for Piano and Strings
Peter Donohoe, piano
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Simon Rattle, conductor

Violin Concerto in D minor
Sebastian Bohren, violin
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Andrew Litton, conductor

An American Overture
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Simon Rattle, conductor

Ceremony of Carols
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers, conductor
Sioned Williams, harp

59 minutes

Music Played

  • Benjamin Britten

    Four Cabaret Songs (No 4, Calypso)

    Performer: Steuart Bedford. Singer: Della Jones.
    • NAXOS : 8.-557204.
    • NAXOS.
    • 22.
  • Benjamin Britten

    Young Apollo, Op 16

    Performer: Peter Donohoe. Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle.
    • EMI : 5 739-83 2.
    • EMI.
    • 2.
  • Benjamin Britten

    Violin Concerto, Op 15 (1st & 2nd mvt)

    Performer: Sebastian Bohren. Performer: Andrew Litton. Orchestra: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
    • RCA : G010004045782R.
    • RCA.
    • 1.
  • Benjamin Britten

    An American Overture

    Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle.
    • EMI : 5 739-83 2.
    • EMI.
    • 17.
  • Benjamin Britten

    A Ceremony of Carols, Op 28 (Nos 7 & 8)

    Performer: Sioned Williams. Choir: The Sixteen. Conductor: Harry Christophers.
    • COLLINS CLASSICS : 13702-.
    • COLLINS CLASSICS.
    • 8.

Broadcast

  • Tue 29 Jun 2021 12:00

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