Britten: Violin Concerto / Canadian Carnival / Mont Juic

Description

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Canadian Carnival Violin ConcertoBritten / Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989): Mont JuicBenjamin Britten's post-war pre-eminence as an operacomposer has tended somewhat to overshadow theconsiderable achievements of his earlier years. Thethree works included on this recording all date from thelate 1930s at a time when Britten, then in his midtwenties,was fluently and prolifically writing works inevery medium. Two lighter and still relatively littleknownorchestral works here frame the Violin Concerto,one of the most substantial and serious of thecomposer's instrumental scores.In April 1939, keen to distance himself from somepersonal issues at home and in any case happy to beleaving what he felt to be the uncongenial artisticclimate in England, Britten, in the company of PeterPears, set sail across the Atlantic in search of freshopportunities in America. Before reaching their ultimatedestination, the two men spent a few weeks in Canadawhere Britten attended a performance of his FrankBridge Variations given by the Canadian BroadcastingCorporation. It was during this stay that Brittenconceived the idea for an orchestral work based onFrench-Canadian folk-tunes. Originally planned as asuite, it instead became a single-movement workentitled Canadian Carnival (or Kermesse Canadienne),which was completed in December 1939. The firstperformance was given back in Britain as part of a radiobroadcast on the BBC Home Service in June 1940 withClarence Raybould conducting the BBC SymphonyOrchestra. As with the American Overture composedsome two years later, it seems that Britten was intent onassimilating the recognisably American, 'open-prairie'sound associated above all with the music of AaronCopland. Indeed, Britten was in regular contact withCopland at this time and the American composer'sinfluence is apparent from the opening bars ofCanadian Carnival. Over a quiet roll on suspendedcymbals, a lone off-stage trumpet intones a nostalgicfanfare-like theme, which is then taken up by variouswind and brass soloists as if sounding across vastmountain distances. After a climax is reached, theviolins break in with a lively 'alla danza' ideasuggestive of a hoe-down. An expressive rising third onthe trumpets, echoed by horns and bassoons forms thebasis of a graceful new theme, marked Andanteamoroso, featuring paired woodwind and brassinstruments over a slow waltz-like accompaniment onthe harp. After reaching a climax, a mysterioustransitional episode featuring divisi muted violins overquiet chords in the brass and harp leads to a somewhatquirky treatment of the well-known folk-song'Alouette', beginning quietly on the woodwind butgradually increasing in volume and excitement to ariotous climax. A maestoso return of the openingtrumpet melody on the full orchestra leads to anabbreviated review of the opening material until the offstagetrumpet and cymbals sound once again, windingthe music down to a peaceful close.For all its ebullience and brilliance