ABOUT
A three-day festival of concerts which celebrated the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth in 2013.
PROGRAM I:
POETIC MUSES – Britten, Auden, & Sitwell
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.
presented in partnership with The Poetry Foundation
ARTISTS
Kiera Duffy, soprano | Nicholas Phan, tenor | Gail Williams, horn | Cindy Gold, narrator | Shannon McGinnis, piano
PROGRAM
BENJAMIN BRITTEN: On This Island Op. 11
BRITTEN: The Heart of the Matter
BRITTEN: Cabaret Songs
PROGRAM II:
ANNUAL RECITAL
ARTISTS
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:
BENJAMIN BRITTEN Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac Op. 51
PROGRAM III:
MUSIC OF THE PEOPLE – Britten & Folk Song
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.
ARTISTS
Kiera Duffy, soprano | Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano | Nicholas Phan, tenor | Nuiko Wadden, harp | Ross Karre, percussion
members of eighth blackbird:
Yvonne Lam, violin & viola | Timothy Munro, flute | Michael Maccaferri, clarinet | Nicholas Photinos, cello | Lisa Kaplan, piano | Matthew Duvall, percussion
PROGRAM
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Welsh folk song arrangements (sel.)
BENJAMIN BRITTEN French folk song arrangements (sel.)
LUCIANO BERIO Folk Songs