Unusually Moving

 

Music is at its best when it finds you unprepared for its greatness...

This is the motto of The Oozy Keep, and I remind readers of our official statement when a recording affects me as this one has.

Perhaps it is simply I haven't visited the music of Britten in some time, or my state of mind whilst listening, but Canticle II found me welling up unexpectedly.

This feeling was bolstered by Canticle I, where the narrator shares their dependencies tethered to the titular beloved. Here, Britten inventively suggests both the sacred and the secular as the possible beloved, a brilliant and effective choice.

This leads into the sacrificial story of Abraham and his son Isaac in Canticle II, the latter character sung by contralto Jean Rigby, using Britten's dedication of the role to Kathleen Ferrier to inform this performance. The bookends of God's command uses the All-Hollows Church acoustic to superb effect, taking a distant, unearthly approach. Britten sets the story as a dramatic scene, making the emotional core of the story foremost; it ended up being excruciating and greatly effective for this listener.

The Heart of the Matter is a balm from what came before. These last three canticles are more dissonant in their harmonies, so I am kept more at arms length as a listener.

Here, tenor, horn, piano, and narrator take on the subject of heart, rose, and core. Edith Sitwell's poetry sounds more interested in curious word combinations than any earthly meaning. While I would love to hear Sitwell herself speaking her own poetry, Dame Judy Dench does a nice job, if not spoken a touch too imperiously.

I appreciate hornist Frank Lloyd being so sensitive with his playing, as the horn is often subtly hanging out in the background texturally rather than in the spotlight. Britten's recurring fanfare is a terrific musical device, as is the entire structure of Canticle III, ably entwined amidst The Heart of the Matter. Horn and piano bandy between tenor intonings inventively in this Canticle, where each repetition of solo tenor ramps up in passion and complexity as the work moves on.

The idea of focusing on the travel difficulties of the Three Wise Men on their way to the Holy Birth is such an interesting idea. In this way, Canticle IV shares a dramatic scope akin to Canticle II, where the Three Kings almost sound whingy in their tribulations before finding the Newborn King. There are the slightest hints of musical exoticisms here, plus Britten's use of counter-tenor, tenor, and baritone is remarkable.

I am uncertain regarding Britten's Canticle V for tenor and harp, based on the tales of St. Narcissus and St. Sebastian. T.S. Eliot's prose is vivid, yet also quite disturbing, the latter aspect given to Philip Langridge's tenor rather than the late Osian Ellis' light harp accompaniment.

I always point to Benjamin Britten's own recordings as the first place to hear his music. On Decca, Peter Pears' fluting tenor is married to Britten at the piano. Pears also narrated The Heart of the Matter on EMI shortly before his death, although like his sprechstimme in Canticle III, it is more sung than spoken.

In this case, Philip Langridge inhabits the role of Peter Pears, although he adds a dramatic intensity over Pears' textual eloquence. Langridge has a light, open tone I have come to appreciate over the years, here in his 50s at the time of this recording. Rigby, Finley, and Ragin are fine partners in their Canticle roles, while Britten collaborator Steuart Bedford is always a boon to have at the keyboard. This 90s Collins recording was reissued on Naxos in 2004 with different liner notes; I personally prefer the many Britten quotes in the Collins release over Malcolm MacDonald's on Naxos.

There are now many recordings of the five Canticles together with The Heart of the Matter; yet just as often you can find the five Canticles all on their own, such as the wonderful program from Ian Bostridge on Virgin. There is a little extra music having Heart on hand though; again that wonderful recurring horn fanfare as well as some tenor musings, but a great majority of the additions are spoken narration.

Despite not always being agreeable with Britten's brand of musical modernism, I am always surprised how often I walk away from his music believing the composer an absolute genius. The way he makes words just as important as the music is his gift, ably illustrated in these Canticle settings. Outstanding!

 

 

 

 

Works
Canticle I (7.07)
Canticle II (15.58)
Heart of the Matter (13.08)
Canticle III (11.27)
Canticle IV (10.40)
Canticle V (7.31)

Performers
Jean Rigby, contralto
Philip Langridge, tenor
Derek Lee Ragin, counter-tenor
Gerald Finley, baritone

Frank Lloyd, horn
Osian Ellis, harp
Steuart Bedford, piano

Dame Judy Dench, narrator

Label: Collins
Year: 1996
Total Timing: 66.45

 

 

 

 

 

I would easily suggest this recording of Britten's five Canticles, with tenor Philip Langridge and Steuart Bedford, as the finest following Britten's own, but I know voice types are of a personal taste.

Langridge comes closest to what we might hear from Peter Pears, methinks. I also love how Collins uses their recording location to get to the emotional core of Britten's music, an added bonus.

Regardless, the important part is hearing these pieces, and how Britten ably ties words to his music.