Britten Sinfonia's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings

On the evening of Sunday 17th November 2013 I attended the Britten Sinfonia Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings concert at Norwich Theatre Royal. Britten Sinfonia’s recent recording of Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with Mark Padmore has been acclaimed worldwide and these artists performed the work in this fascinating concert.

Violinist Pekka Kuusisto directed the orchestra in an illuminating programme of works which also included a new work by Judith Weir, commissioned by the Britten Pears Foundation and Royal Philharmonic Society, to celebrate Britten’s centenary and the Bicentenary of the Royal Philharmonic Society. The programme was jointly devised by Pekka Kuusisto and Britten Sinfonia.

The programme consisted of Three Songs for Tenor and violin (and drone from orchestra) - Nico Muhly, Fourth movement from Quartet no. 4 - Bartok, Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal - Britten, Lighthouse - Tuur, I give you the end of a golden string (world premiere tour) - Judith Weir, Individualisierte Höhemessung der Lagen (from Partita fur Paul) - Arne Nordheim, Material in E flat for violin and drone from orchestra - Nico Muhly, Third movement from Quartet no. 4 - Bartok, Kanon - Berg arr Schnittke, Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten - Arvo Part, God Music from Black Angels - George Crumb, Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings - Britten.

Britten Sinfonia were joined by Mark Padmore - tenor, Pekka Kuusisto - violin and Stephen Bell - horn on a wonderful night of classical music at Norwich Theatre Royal. They played twelve works by nine different composers which proved to be a varied and enjoyable concert. The performance took the audience to new and unfamiliar places.

Mark Padmore at Norwich Assembly House

On Friday 27th April 2012 I attended the Britten Sinfonia at Lunch concert at Norwich Assembly House which featured tenor Mark Padmore. Also performing were Nicholas Daniel - oboe, Emer McDonough - flute, Jacqueline Shave - violin, Miranda Dale - violin, Clare Finnimore - viola and Caroline Dearnley - cello.

The programme consisted of Ten Blake Songs - Vaughan Williams, The End - Jonathan Dove - The End and The Curlew - Warlock. This performance was the World Premiere of Jonathan Dove's The End which was commissioned with the Tenner for a Tenor campaign.

This concert highlighted the host of British composers who found inspiration in the poetry and folksongs of the British Isles in the first half of the twentieth century. Also Jonathan Dove's The End was performed in the middle of the concert. This was a concert of the highest quality which began with Vaughan Williams' Ten Blake Songs which were written as settings of Blake's poetry for the film The Vision of William Blake.

Jonathan Dove's commission is music composed for Mark Strand's poem The End. The music suggests the gentle rocking motion of a ship slipping into darkness and the sound of birds suspended in flight. The concert finished with Peter Warlock's The Curlew which is a song cycle of poems by W.B. Yeats. This was a brilliant lunchtime at Norwich Assembly House with Britten Sinfonia once again giving us a performance to remember.