Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Tenor Ian Bostridge brings together three of Britten's most important song cycles: Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, Les Illuminations, and Nocturne. His performances are notable for their dramatic range, particularly the power and passion and vocal abandon he brings to these works. He fully inhabits the music, which leads to some daring interpretive choices. In Serenade, there is a thrilling wildness to "Nocturne" that one does not usually associate with this music, his "Dirge" is a harrowing beacon of doom, and his performance of Nocturne's "But that night when on my bed I lay," is crazed, almost demented sounding. At the opposite end of the spectrum, his "Sonnet" is sung with languid and woozy simplicity. The interpretive integrity of Les Illuminations makes the piece seem more like a mini-opera than a set of songs. Throughout, Bostridge's performance is notable for the radiance of his tone, the power of his voice over the wide range he is required to traverse, and a technique that allows him to produce an exquisite, almost inaudible mezza voce. Hornist Radek Baborák has a warm and robust tone, but his performance doesn't quite match the fire of Bostridge's. Simon Rattle, leading the Berlin Philharmonic, fully supports the singer's interpretive perspective. At the end of "Sonnet," though, the uncharacteristically poor intonation of the strings produces an unnerving pulsing pattern that destroys the music's mood of drugged serenity. Listeners who prefer their Britten to be well mannered may want to steer clear of this CD, but for anyone who wants a fresh take on these works, the pure visceral impact of Bostridge's performance is hard to beat. EMI's sound is present, clear, and resonant.
© TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Arthur Rimbaud, Poet
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Arthur Rimbaud, Poet
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Arthur Rimbaud, Poet
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Arthur Rimbaud, Poet
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Arthur Rimbaud, Poet
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Arthur Rimbaud, Poet
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Arthur Rimbaud, Poet
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Arthur Rimbaud, Poet
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Arthur Rimbaud, Poet
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Arthur Rimbaud, Poet
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor, MainArtist - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Radek Baborak, French Horn, FeaturedArtist
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor, MainArtist - Benjamin Britten, Composer - Radek Baborak, French Horn, FeaturedArtist
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
John Fraser, Producer - Ian Bostridge, Tenor Vocals, MainArtist - Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestra - Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor - Benjamin Britten, Composer
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
Album review
Tenor Ian Bostridge brings together three of Britten's most important song cycles: Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, Les Illuminations, and Nocturne. His performances are notable for their dramatic range, particularly the power and passion and vocal abandon he brings to these works. He fully inhabits the music, which leads to some daring interpretive choices. In Serenade, there is a thrilling wildness to "Nocturne" that one does not usually associate with this music, his "Dirge" is a harrowing beacon of doom, and his performance of Nocturne's "But that night when on my bed I lay," is crazed, almost demented sounding. At the opposite end of the spectrum, his "Sonnet" is sung with languid and woozy simplicity. The interpretive integrity of Les Illuminations makes the piece seem more like a mini-opera than a set of songs. Throughout, Bostridge's performance is notable for the radiance of his tone, the power of his voice over the wide range he is required to traverse, and a technique that allows him to produce an exquisite, almost inaudible mezza voce. Hornist Radek Baborák has a warm and robust tone, but his performance doesn't quite match the fire of Bostridge's. Simon Rattle, leading the Berlin Philharmonic, fully supports the singer's interpretive perspective. At the end of "Sonnet," though, the uncharacteristically poor intonation of the strings produces an unnerving pulsing pattern that destroys the music's mood of drugged serenity. Listeners who prefer their Britten to be well mannered may want to steer clear of this CD, but for anyone who wants a fresh take on these works, the pure visceral impact of Bostridge's performance is hard to beat. EMI's sound is present, clear, and resonant.
© TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 26 track(s)
- Total length: 01:14:40
- Main artists: Ian Bostridge Sir Simon Rattle Berliner Philharmoniker
- Composer: Benjamin Britten
- Label: Warner Classics
- Genre: Classical
A Warner Classics release, © 2005 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2005 Parlophone Records Limited
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.