BENJAMIN BRITTEN

Songs & ProverbsOF William Blake

GERALD FINLEY JULIUS DRAKE

G R A M O P H O N E A W A R D W I N N E R 2 0 1 1

ALTHOUGH BRITTEN is particularly celebrated forthe substantial body of music he composed forthe tenor voicealmost all of it directly inspired by the artistry of his long-term partner and creative muse,Peter Pearsthe composer also left an important legacyof music for baritone. Characteristically, Brittens outputfor low voice was also inspired by the talents of specificperformers with whom he was closely associated, amongthem Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, John Shirley-Quirk, OwenBrannigan and Benjamin Luxon. In addition to song-cycles, individual songs and folksong arrangements,Britten wrote challenging baritone roles in operas asdiverse as Billy Budd (1951), Owen Wingrave (1970) andDeath in Venice (1972)the title role of the second ofthese made very much Gerald Finleys own in hismagnificent interpretation in Margaret Williamss 2001television film of the opera. Even when Britten was writingfor other singers, however, Pearss influence remainedapparent in the composers choice of texts for musicalsetting, which often reflected the tenors literary tastes aswell as Brittens own.

The many poems set to music by Britten when he wasa prolific schoolboy composer date from long before hemet Pears, and the composers literary choices were atthat early stage fairly conservative. Brittens favourite poetduring his youth was Walter de la Mare, and in 1968 themature composer assembled a set of five of his juvenilesettings of de la Mares poetry under the title Tit for Tatbuco, which was given its first performance by JohnShirley-Quirk and the composer at the Aldeburgh Festivalin 1969. In his programme note written for the occasion,Britten commented that he had made his selection fromsongs composed between the ages of fourteen andseventeen; he said that he had cleaned them very slightly,and here at this first performance, offer them in gratitudeto the poets son, the wise and encouraging chairman of

my new publishers, whose fathers poems have meant somuch to me all through my life. (The reference was toRichard de la Mare, who was celebrating his seventiethbirthday in that year, and who had become Chairmanof Faber Music in 1966, having previously served asChairman of the parent company Faber & Faber.) Brittenspunctilious attention to detail in his manuscripts meantthat all the songs could be dated fairly precisely: A Song ofEnchantment was composed in January 1929, Autumn(originally accompanied by string quartet) on 28 January1931, Silver on 13 June 1928, Vigil on 23 December1930, and the concluding title song in the first two weeksof 1929. In his preface to the published score, Brittennoted that oddly enough, the inadequacies seemed to bemore striking in the later songsnew musical styles hadappeared on the composers horizon too recently to beassimilated At any rate, although I hold no claimswhatever for the songs importance or originality, I do feelthat the boys vision has a simplicity and clarity whichmight have given a little pleasure to the great poet, with hisunique insight into a childs mind.

Four years before Shirley-Quirk gave the premiere ofTit for Tat, the Aldeburgh Festival had also been the venuefor a more substantial and challenging baritone cycle,the Songs and Proverbs of William Blake 5bt.Brittens close association with the legendary Germanbaritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau began in the early1960s, and the baritone parts in Brittens War Requiem(1962) and Cantata Misericordium (1963) had beenwritten specifically for him to sing. Shortly afterwards thecomposer embarked on the composition of a solo song-cycle designed to showcase Fischer-Dieskaus uniqueblend of intense lyricism and dramatic characterization,and Britten turned for inspiration to the vivid andsometimes visionary poetry of William Blake. Brittensworking title for the cyclewhich was based on fourteen

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short but striking Blake texts selected by PearswasSongs and Sentences of William Blake. The score wascompleted on 6 April 1965, the manuscript inscribed withthe words For Dieter: the past and the future. The work,under its slightly revised title, was first performed by itsdedicatee and composer at Aldeburghs Parish Church on24 June 1965, and six months later the two men recordedtheir powerful interpretation for Decca at Kingsway Hall,London.

Brittens Blake cycle returns in places to the darkintensity of his much earlier Blake setting, The Sick Rose(Elegy) from the Serenade for tenor, horn and strings of1943. Both the fully chromatic melody and striking imageof cankerous corruption in the earlier song look directlyahead to the Songs and Proverbswhich are based ontexts drawn from Blakes Songs of Experience (1794), inwhich The Sick Rose is also to be found. With the additionof one poem from the Songs of Innocence (1789) andseveral epigrams from the undated Proverbs of Hell,Britten created a continuous structure in which theProverbs are set to recurrent but constantly reworkedritornello material, a structural plan familiar from otherBritten works of the late 1950s and early 1960s (princi-pally the orchestral song-cycle Nocturne, the opera AMidsummer Nights Dream and the Cantata Miseri-cordium). These stark Proverbs are clearly distinguishedfrom the songs they punctuate by their disconcerting lackof metrical synchronization between voice and pianoafeature retained from the Church Parable Curlew River,composed in the previous yearand they also makelimited use of twelve-note techniques.

As so often in Brittens later music, the tensionbetween luminous diatonicism and elusive chromaticismis exploited throughout the cycle as a potent symbol for theconflict between innocence and experience at the heart ofBlakes poetry. The settings of London and Every Night

and every Morn that frame the cycle are closely relatedin their ambiguous and subtly disturbing chromaticism,while greater tonal simplicity is reserved for naturalscenes: the bright glow of The Tyger and the lament forThe Fly. Moments of tremendous rhetorical power arestrategically located in A Poison Tree and Ah, Sun-flower.A Poison Tree features a highly original use of simplemajor and minor triads within a context of chromaticsaturation. The young Britten had previously set this sameBlake text to music on 2 March 1935; the earlier songremained unperformed until 1986, and is also includedin the present recording (see track cq). As in the opera TheTurn of the Screw (1954), the intense chromaticism of themature treatment of this gripping text serves as a graphicsymbol of cankerous evil, and forms the utterly chillingcore of the cycle.

The last of Brittens many published sets of folksongarrangements was prepared in the summer of 1976,shortly before his death, and featured harp rather thanpiano accompaniment since the composer had for sometime been too ill to accompany Pears in public. The harpistOsian Ellis had accordingly become one of Pearss regularaccompanists, and the 1976 folksongs were designed toserve (as had Brittens earlier folksong settings with piano)as popular encore items for the duo. Shes like theswallow 2 and Bird Scarers Song do were firstperformed in this capacity at the Aldeburgh Festival on 17June 1976, and Lemady 1 was first performed at theUniversity of Chicago on 10 November 1977. David of theWhite Rock (Dafydd y Garreg Wen) cu was a tribute toElliss Welsh ancestry. The Eight Folksong Arrangementsof which these songs formed part were published post-humously in two distinct editions in 1980, the originalwith harp accompaniment and an alternative version withpiano accompaniment prepared by the composers musicassistant Colin Matthews.

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The other songs on the present disc also receivedexposure and publication only after the composers deathin December 1976. Several date from the early 1940swhen Britten and Pears were beginning to make theirnames in the USA as a recital duo: these include the settingof Greensleeves dl and The Crocodile dm , the latterperformed on 14 December 1941 at a concert given underthe Auspices of the American Womens Hospitals ReserveCorps at Southold High School in upstate New York, as partof a programme that also included Charles Dibdins TomBowling (1789) 4a song of which Britten later pre-pared his own realization, launched at the AldeburghFestival in 1959 and recorded by Pears in the same year. Iwonder as I wander 3 was frequently performed along-side Brittens folksong arrangements in his recitals withPears following their return to the UK in 1942, but theynever recorded or published it since they subsequentlydiscovered that the words and melody were not in thepublic domain: the song had been published by JohnJacob Niles in 1934, and in direct consequence Brittensversion did not receive its first recording until 1995,thanks to a belated special arrangement between Nilesspublishers and the Britten Estate. The triptych Evening,Morning and Night crct (first published in 1988)originally formed part of the incidental music Brittencomposed in 1945 for the Masque and Anti-Masque of

This Way to the Tomb, a play by Ronald Duncan, who inthe following year went on to provide the libretto forBrittens opera The Rape of Lucretia.

Two other songs date from the 1950s, although thedate of the second remains uncertain. In 1952, Brittenprepared a comic duet arrangement of the Appalachianfolksong The Deaf Womans Courtship dn for KathleenFerrier to sing as part of a national tour with Pears andBritten conceived with the aim of raising funds for theEnglish Opera Group. According to Brittens memoir ofFerrier, she sang her part in a feeble, cracked voice, theperfect reply to Peters magisterial roar. A masterpiece ofhumour, which had the audience rocking, but never brokethe style of the rest of the concert. After Ferriers untimelydeath, the contralto part was taken over by Norma Procter,though the arrangement was to remain unpublished until2001. Brittens setting of Goethes Um Mitternacht cp(published in 1994) was probably composed in 1959,shortly after the composers strong interest in Germanpoetry had borne fruit in his tenor song-cycle SechsHlderlin-Fragmente. At this time, Pears was enjoying anenviable reputation as one of the leading exponents ofLieder in the world, repeatedly earning ecstatic reviews inthe German press that inspired the BBC to capitalize onthis success by carefully promoting his and Brittens workin Germany.

MERVYN COOKE 2010

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If you have enjoyed this recording perhaps you would like a catalogue listing the many others available on the Hyperion and Helios labels. If so,please write to Hyperion Records Ltd, PO Box 25, London SE9 1AX, England, or email us at info@hyperion-records.co.uk, and we will be pleasedto send you one free of charge.

The Hyperion catalogue can also be accessed on the Internet at www.hyperion-records.co.uk

1 LemadyOne midsummers morn as I were a-walkingThe fields and the meadows were covered with green,The birds a-sweetly singing so pleasant and so charming,So early in the morning by the break of the day.

Arise, arise, go pluck your love a posyOf the prettiest flowers that grows in yonder green,O yes Ill arise and pluck lilies, pinks and rosesAll for my dearest Lemady, the girl I adore.

O Lemady, O Lemady what a lovely lass thou art,Thou art the fairest creature that ever my eye did see!Ill play you a tune all on the pipes of ivorySo early in the morning by the break of the day.MARY NEAL (18601924)

2 Shes like the swallowShes like the swallow that flies so high,Shes like the river that never runs dry,Shes like the sunshine on the lee shore,I love my love and love is no more.

Twas out in the garden this fair maid did go,A-picking the beautiful primerose;The more she pluckd the more she pulledUntil she got her aperon full.

Its out of those roses she made a bed,A stony pillow for her head.She laid her down, no word did say,Until this fair maids heart did break.

3 I wonder as I wanderI wonder as I wander out under the sky,How Jesus our Saviour did come for to die.For poor ornry people like you and like I,I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

When Mary birthed Jesus twas in a cow stall,With wise men and shepherds and farmers and all.On high from Gods heaven the stars light did fall,And the promise of the ages it did then recall.

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If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing;Or all of Gods angels in heavn for to sing,He surely couldve had it for he was the King!

4 Tom BowlingHere, a sheer hulk, lies poor Tom Bowling,

the darling of our crew;No more hell hear the tempest howling

for death has broached him to.His form was of the manliest beauty,

his heart was kind and soft,Faithful below Tom did his duty,

and now hes gone aloft.

Tom never from his word departed, his virtues were so rare,

His friends were many and true-hearted, his Poll was kind and fair.

And then hed sing so blithe and jolly, ah, manys the time and oft,

But mirth is turned to melancholy, for Tom is gone aloft.

Yet shall poor Tom find pleasant weather when he who all commands

Shall give, to call lifes crew together, the word to pipe all hands.

Thus Death, who kings and tars despatches, in vain Toms life hath doffed,

For though his bodys under hatches, his soul is gone aloft.

CHARLES DIBDIN (17451814)

Songs and Proverbs of William Blake5 Proverb I

The pride of the peacock is the glory of God. The lust of the goat is the bounty of God. The wrath of the lion is the wisdom of God. The nakedness of woman is the work of God.

6 LondonI wander thro each charterd street, Near where the charterd Thames does flow And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every Man, In every Infants cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban, The mind-forgd manacles I hear.

How the Chimney-sweepers cry Every blackning Church appalls, And the hapless Soldiers sigh Runs in blood down Palace walls.

But most thro midnight streets I hearHow the youthful Harlots curseBlasts the new-born Infants tearAnd blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.

7 Proverb IIPrisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels

with bricks of Religion.

8 The Chimney-SweeperA little black thing among the snow, Crying weep weep in notes of woe! Where are thy father and mother? say? They are both gone up to the church to pray.

Because I was happy upon the heath, And smild among the winters snow They clothed me in the clothes of death, And taught me to sing the notes of woe.

And because I am happy and dance and sing They think they have done me no injury, And are gone to praise God and his Priest and King Who make up a heaven of our misery.

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9 Proverb IIIThe bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.

bl A Poison TreeI was angry with my friend:I told my wrath, my wrath did end.I was angry with my foe:I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I waterd it in fears, Night and morning with my tears; And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine, And he knew that it was mine.

And into my garden stoleWhen the night had veild the pole,In the morning glad I seeMy foe outstretchd beneath the tree.

bm Proverb IVThink in the morning. Act in the noon.

Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.

bn The TygerTyger! Tyger! burning bright In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, and what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand? and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? what dread grasp Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears, And waterd heaven with their tears, Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

bo Proverb VThe tygers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction. If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise. If others had not been foolish, we should be so.

bp The FlyLittle Fly,Thy summers play My thoughtless hand Has brushd away.

Am not I A fly like thee?Or art not thou A man like me?

For I dance And drink and sing: Till some blind hand Shall brush my wing.

If thought is lifeAnd strength and breathAnd the wantOf thought is death;

Then am I A happy fly, If I live, Or if I die.

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bq Proverb VIThe hours of folly are measurd by the clock; but of wisdom,

no clock can measure. The busy bee has no time for sorrow. Eternity is in love with the productions of time.

br Ah, Sun-flowerAh, Sun-flower! weary of time, Who countest the steps of the Sun; Seeking after that sweet golden clime, Where the travellers journey is done:

Where the Youth pined away with desire, And the pale Virgin shrouded in snow, Arise from their graves and aspire Where my Sun-flower wishes to go.

bs Proverb VIITo see a World in a Grain of Sand,And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,And Eternity in an hour.

bt Every Night and every MornEvery Night and every MornSome to Misery are Born.Every Morn and every NightSome are Born to sweet delight.Some are Born to sweet delight,Some are Born to Endless Night.We are led to Believe a LieWhen we see not Thro the Eye,Which was Born in a Night, to perish in a Night,When the Soul Slept in Beams of Light.God Appears and God is LightTo those poor Souls who dwell in Night,But does a Human Form DisplayTo those who Dwell in Realms of Day.

WILLIAM BLAKE (17571827)

Tit for Tatbu A Song of Enchantment

A Song of Enchantment I sang me there,In a green-green wood, by waters fair,Just as the words came up to meI sang it under the wild wood tree.

Widdershins turned I, singing it low,Watching the wild birds come and go;No cloud in the deep dark blue to be seenUnder the thick-thatched branches green.

Twilight came; silence came;The planet of evenings silver flame;By darkening paths I wandered throughThickets trembling with drops of dew.

But the music is lost and the words are goneOf the song I sang as I sat alone,Ages and ages have fallen on meOn the wood and the pool and the elder tree.

cl AutumnTheres a wind where the rose was;Cold rain where sweet grass was;And clouds like sheepStream oer the steepGrey skies where the lark was.

Nought gold where your hair was;Nought warm where your hand was;But phantom, forlorn,Beneath the thorn,Your ghost where your face was.

Sad winds where your voice was;Tears, tears where my heart was;And ever with me,Child, ever with me,Silence where hope was.

cm SilverSlowly, silently, now the moonWalks the night in her silver shoon.This way, and that, she peers and seesSilver fruit upon silver trees;

One by one the casements catch Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;Couched in his kennel, like a log,With paws of silver sleeps the dog;

A harvest mouse goes scampering by,With silvery claws, and silver eye;And moveless fish in the water gleam,By silver reeds in a silver stream.

cn VigilDark is the night,The fire burns faint and low,Hoursdaysyears,Into grey ashes go;I strive to read,But sombre is the glow.

Thumbed are the pages,And the print is small;Mocking the windsThat from the darkness call;Feeble the fire that lendsIts light withal.

O ghost, draw nearer;Let thy shadowy hairBlot out the pagesThat we cannot share;Be ours the one last leafBy Fate left bare!

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Lets Finis scrawl,And then Lifes book put by;Turn each to eachIn all simplicity:Ere the last flame is goneTo warm us by.

co Tit for TatHave you been catching of fish, Tom Noddy? Have you snared a weeping hare? Have you whistled No Nunny and gunned a poor bunny,Or a blinded bird of the air?

Have you trod like a murderer through the green woods,Through the dewy deep dingles and glooms,While every small creature cries shrill to Dame NatureHe comesand he comes!?

Wonder I very much do, Tom Noddy,If ever, when you are a-roam,An ogre from space will stoop a lean faceAnd lug you home:

Lug you home over his fence, Tom Noddy,Of thorn-stocks nine yards high,With your bent knees strung round his old iron gunAnd your head dan-dangling by:

And hang you up stiff on a hook, Tom Noddy,From a stone-cold pantry shelf,Whence your eyes will glare in an empty stare,Till you are cooked yourself!

WALTER DE LA MARE (18731956)by permission of The Literary Trustees of Walter De La Mare and the Society of Authors as their representative

cp Um MitternachtUm Mitternacht ging ich, nicht eben gerne,Klein kleiner Knabe, jenen Kirchhof hinZu Vaters Haus, des Pfarrers; Stern am SterneSie leuchteten doch alle gar zu schn,

Um Mitternacht.

Wenn ich dann ferner in des Lebens WeiteZur Liebsten mute, mute, weil sie zogGestirn und Nordschein ber mir im Streite.Ich gehend, kommend Seligkeiten sog;

Um Mitternacht.

Bis dann zuletzt des vollen Mondes HelleSo klar und deutlich mir ins Finstere drang,Auch der Gedanke willig, sinnig, schnelleSich ums Vergangne wie ums Knftige schlang;

Um Mitternacht.

At midnightAt midnight, as a very little boy, I would walk,Far from willingly, past that churchyardTo fathers vicarage; star on star,How beautifully they all shone;

At midnight.

When further on in life I had to goTo my beloved, had to because she drew me on,I saw the stars and Northern Lights compete;I came, I went, drinking in her bliss;

At midnight.

Until at last the full moons radiancePierced my darkness so clearly and brightly,That even my thoughts, willingly, meaningfully, swiftlyEmbraced the past and the future;

At midnight.

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE (17491832)English translation by Richard Stokes

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cq A Poison Treesee track bl for text

cr EveningThe red fox, the sun, tears the throat of the evening; makes

the light of the day bleed into the ocean.The laced grace of gulls lift up from the corn fields; fly

across the sunset, scarlet their silhouette.The old owl, the moon, drifts from its loose thatch of clouds,

throws an ivory glance on an enamelled sea.Eyes of mice, the stars, from the privacy of light peep into

the darkness with the temerity of night.RONALD DUNCAN (19141982)

cs MorningMorning is onlyA heron risingWith great wings Lifting day into the sky.

Morning is onlyThe white plumes of smokeAs the velvet snakeNight leaves the green valley.

Morning is onlyA scarlet stallionJumping the ocean,Its mane aflame on the sea.

Morning is onlyWomen bent at the wellLifting their pails fullOf their hearts, too heavy.RONALD DUNCAN (19141982)

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ct NightNight is no more than a cat which creeps to the saucer of

light laps, then sleeps.Night is no more than the place waves reach with their

hands of surf seeking the beach.Night is no more than the hounds of fear with bloody jowl

and bark bullying the year.Night is no more than my love who liesShe dreams of a dream lives, then dies.RONALD DUNCAN (19141982)The Ronald Duncan poems are taken from This Way to the Tomb: A Masque and Anti-Masque(London: Faber and Faber, 1946). Reproduced by kind permission ofthe Ronald Duncan Literary Foundation

cu David of the White RockLife and its follies are fading away,Love hath departed, why then should I stay?Cold is my pale cheek and furrowed with care,Dim is my eyesight, and snow-white my hair.

Near me, in silence, my harp lies unstrung,Weak are my fingers, and faltring my tongue!Tuneful companion, we parted must be;Thou canst no longer bring comfort to me.

Yet ere we sever, thy master would fainSwan-like expire in a last dying strain;And when above him the cypress bough wave,Spirits shall murmur it over his grave.JOHN HUGHES (16771720) translated by THOMAS OLIPHANT (17991873)

dl GreensleevesAlas, my love, you do me wrong,To cast me off discourteously;And I have loved you so long,Rejoicing in your company.

Greensleeves was all my joy,Greensleeves was my delight,Greensleeves was my heart of gold,And who but my lady Greensleeves?

I have been ready at your hand,To grant whatever you did crave;And I have waged both life and land,Your love and good-will for to gain.

dm The CrocodileNow listen you landsmen unto me, To tell you the truth Im bound, What happened to me by going to sea, And the wonders that I found: Shipwrecked I was once off Perouse,And cast upon the shore, So then I did resolve to roam, The country to explore.

To my rit fal lal li bollem tit! To my rit fal lal li dee!To my rit fal lal li bollem tit! To my rit fal lal li dee!

Twas far I had not scouted outWhen close alongside the ocean I saw something move which at first I thoughtWas all the world in motion; But steering up close alongside I found twas a crocodile; And from his nose to the tip of his tailHe measured five hundred mile.

Twas a crocodile, I plainly could seeHe was not of a common race, For I was obliged to climb a high treeBefore I could see his face; And when he lifted up his jawThough perhaps you may think tis a lie,He reached above the clouds for miles three score, And almost touched the sky.

While up aloft the wind was high,It blew a gale from the south.I lost my hold and away did flyRight into the crocodiles mouth. He quickly closed his jaws on me,And thought hed got a victim, But I ran down his throat, dye see?And thats the way I tricked him.

I travelled on for a month or two,Till I got into his maw, Where I found of rum-kegs not a few, And a thousand fat bullocks in store. Of life I banished all my care, For of food I was not stinted, And in this crocodile I lived ten years And very well contented.

This crocodile being very old, One day, alas he died. He was ten long years a-getting cold, He was so long and wide. His skin was eight miles thick, Im sure, Or very near about, For I was full ten years or more A-cutting my way out.

And now I am once more got on earth Ive vowed no more to roam,In a ship that passed I got a berth, And now Im safe at home. And if my story you should doubt, Should you ever travel the Nile, Its ten to one youll find the shell Of the wonderful crocodile.

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dn The Deaf Womans CourtshipOld woman, old woman, are you fond of smoking?Speak a little louder, sir, Im rather fond of hearing.

Old woman, old woman, are you fond of knitting?Speak a little louder, sir, Im rather hard of hearing.

Old woman, old woman, will you let me court you?Speak a little louder, sir, I just begin to hear you.

Old woman, old woman, dont you want to marry me?Lawks a mercy on you, sir, I think that now I hear you.

do Bird Scarers SongShoo all er birds you be so black,When I lay down to have a nap.Shoo arlo arlo arlo arlo arlo arlo arlo arlo birds.Hi shoo all er birds!

Out of masters ground into Tom Tuckers ground,Out of Tom Tuckers ground into Luke Coless groundOut of Luke Coless ground into Bill Veaters ground.Shoo arlo arlo arlo arlo arlo arlo arlo arlo birds.Ha! Ha!

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Also available by Gerald Finley and Julius Drake on Hyperion

SAMUEL BARBER (19101981) Songs(with The Aronowitz Ensemble for Dover Beach, Op 3)Compact Disc CDA67528In my book, Samuel Barber is one of the finest of all songwriters of the 20thcentury Finley communicates with finesse every poetic nuance, his goldenbaritone allied to rare poetic intelligence (The Sunday Times) Gerald Finley isgolden in tone, persuasive in phrasing, and unfailingly responsive to the soundand sense of the words A very satisfying recital (BBC Music Magazine)GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER

CHARLES IVES (18741954) A SongFor AnythingCompact Disc CDA67516I cannot praise Gerald Finleys performance too highly The whole disc is arevelation (The Sunday Telegraph) Absolutely brilliant (Independent on Sunday)Gerald Finley has a voice of great beauty, but its always under the control of hispenetrating intelligence Overall, a disc offering sustained illumination andenjoyment (BBC Music Magazine)

CHARLES IVES (18741954) Romanzo di Central ParkCompact Disc CDA67644Gerald Finley has everything and more in his darkly full-bodied voice to match theoften formidable technical and expressive requirements of Ivess songbookreinforcedby Drakes elastic, expressive piano This is a must-buy album (The Times)

MAURICE RAVEL (18751937) SongsCompact Disc CDA67728It feels inadequate just to describe this enchanting new collection from GeraldFinley and Julius Drake as the best modern recital devoted to the wonderfully variedworld of Ravels songs Julius Drakes warm-toned playing is, as ever, a perfectfoil, all captured in Hyperions wonderful sound. Riches indeed (BBC MusicMagazine) Finleys mellifluous, malleable baritone is an ideal match for thisrepertoire a beguiling programme, beautifully performed (Gramophone)

ROBERT SCHUMANN (18101856) Dichterliebe & other Heine settingsCompact Disc CDA67676In close collusion with the ever-sentient Julius Drake, Gerald Finley gives one of the mostbeautifully sung and intensely experienced performances on disc of Schumanns cycle ofrapture, disillusion and tender regret A glorious Schumann recital (Gramophone)Gerald Finleys burnished baritone is one of the most beautiful voices to have recordedthe cycle (The Daily Telegraph) GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER

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The Canadian baritone Gerald Finley has become one ofthe leading singers and dramatic interpreters of hisgeneration, performing at the major opera and concertvenues in a wide variety of repertoire, all to criticalacclaim. His Hyperion recordings with Julius Drake havewon three Gramophone awards, the Editors Choice Awardin 2006 being followed by awards for the best solo vocalrecording in 2008 (songs by Samuel Barber) and in 2009(Schumanns Dichterliebe and other Heine settings). Hisrelationships with leading conductors including NikolausHarnoncourt, Sir Roger Norrington, Antonio Pappano andSir Simon Rattle have been part of a flourishing career.

Gerald Finleys work in opera has been founded onMozart (Glyndebourne, Salzburg, Met, Covent Garden), aswell as championing new repertoire, most notably J RobertOppenheimer in John Adamss Dr Atomic. Further criticalsuccesses include Eugene Onegin, and Golaud in Pellaset Mlisande at Covent Garden. His concert and recordingwork is equally prestigious, including Brittens WarRequiem and Vaughan Williamss A Sea Symphony. Hehas also premiered new works by Turnage, Saariaho,Philips, Picker and Lieberson.

Gerald Finley works regularly as a recitalist with JuliusDrake, appearing throughout Europe and North America,and is a frequent guest at Londons Wigmore Hall. Hisrecordings with Julius Drake of songs by Ives, Barber,Ravel and Schumanns Dichterliebe have all been widelyacclaimed. He began singing as a chorister in Ottawa,Canada, and continued his musical studies in the UnitedKingdom at the Royal College of Music, King's College,Cambridge, and the National Opera Studio. He currentlyworks with Gary Coward in London.

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GERALD Finley

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The pianist Julius Drake lives in London and specializesin chamber and vocal music, working with many of theworlds leading artists, both in recital and on disc. Heappears at all the major music centres, including theAldeburgh, Edinburgh, Munich, Schubertiade, and Salz-burg Music Festivals; Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center,New York; Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; Philarmonie,Cologne; Chtelet and Muse de Louvre, Paris; La Scala,Milan; Liceu, Barcelona; Musikverein and Konzerthaus,Vienna; and Wigmore Hall and the BBC Proms in London.

Director of the Perth International Chamber MusicFestival in Australia from 2000 to 2003, his duo with oboistNicholas Daniel has been described by The Independentas one of the most satisfying in British chamber music:vital, thoughtful and confirmed in musical integrity of thehighest order. Among the many outstanding vocal artistshe has partnered are Victoria de los Angeles, Sir ThomasAllen, Barbara Bonney, Ian Bostridge, Gerald Finley,Matthias Goerne, Dame Felicity Lott, Simon Keenlyside,Angelika Kirchschlager and Willard White. Professor at theRoyal Academy of Music in London and visiting professorat the Royal Northern College of Music he gives regularmasterclasses.

Julius Drakes many recordings include live recitals forthe Wigmore Hall Live label, with among other artists thelate Lorraine Hunt Liebersen; award-winning recordingswith Ian Bostridge for EMI; and his recent widelyacclaimed series with Gerald Finley for Hyperion,including discs of Barber Songs and Schumanns Dichter-liebe that won Gramophone Awards in 2008 and 2009respectively. Julius Drake now embarks on a major projectfor Hyperion to record the complete songs of Franz Liszt.

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JULIUS Drake

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SIL EST PARTICULIREMENT clbre pour sonsubstantiel corpus duvres ddies la voix detnorpresque tout entier inspir par le talentartistique de Peter Pears, son partenaire au long cours etsa muse, Britten nous lgua aussi de nombreusespices pour baryton. Cette production pour voix gravelui fut, l encore, inspire par le talent dinterprtesavec lesquels il entretenait une troite collaboration,notamment Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, John Shirley-Quirk,Owen Brannigan et Benjamin Luxon. Outre des cycles demlodies, des chants et des arrangements de chansonstraditionnelles, il conut de stimulants rles de barytonpour des opras aussi divers que Billy Budd (1951), OwenWingrave (1970) et Death in Venice (1972)GeraldFinley fit magnifiquement sien le rle-titre dOwenWingrave dans la version tlevise ralise par MargaretWilliams en 2001. Mais mme lorsque Britten crivaitpour dautres chanteurs, linfluence de Pears transparais-sait dans le choix des textes mettre en musique, refletdes gots littraires de lun autant que de lautre.

Bien avant de rencontrer Pears, quand il tait unprolifique colier-compositeur, Britten mit en musiquequantit de pomes et ses choix littraires taient alorsplutt conservateurs. Dans sa jeunesse, son pote favoritait Walter de la Mare et, en 1968, sa maturit, il runitcinq de ses juvenilia consacres ce pote en un corpusintitul Tit for Tat buco quil cra avec John Shirley-Quirk au Festival dAldeburgh, en 1969. Dans les notes deprogramme quil rdigea pour la circonstance, il dclaraavoir puis dans des chants crits de quatorze dix-septans ; il les avait un tout petit peu dpoussirs pour lesoffrir ici, pour cette premire excution, en tmoignagede gratitude au fils du pote, le sage et encourageant direc-teur de mes nouveaux diteurs, dont le pre crivit despomes qui comptrent tant pour moi, tout au long de ma

vie . (Une rfrence Richard de la Mare, qui ftait cetteanne-l ses soixante-dix ans et qui dirigeait Faber Musicdepuis 1966, aprs avoir tenu les rnes de la maison mreFaber & Faber.) Grce au pointilleux souci du dtail desmanuscrits britteniens, tous ces chants sont datables avecune assez grande prcision : A Song of Enchantment fut compos en janvier 1929, Autumn (originellementaccompagn par un quatuor cordes) le 28 janvier 1931, Silver le 13 juin 1928, Vigil le 23 dcembre 1930et la mlodie-titre conclusive dans les deux premiressemaines de 1929. Dans sa prface la partition publie,Britten constata : assez curieusement, les insuffisancesme parurent plus frappantes dans les chants tardifsdenouveaux styles avaient point lhorizon du compositeur,trop rcemment pour tre assimils En tout cas,mme si je ne prtends pas que ces chants soient impor-tants ou originaux, il me semble vraiment que cette visionjuvnile a une simplicit et une clart qui auraientpu plaire un peu au grand pote, avec sa comprhensionunique de lme enfantine.

Quatre ans avant que Shirley-Quirk crt Tit for Tat, leFestival dAldeburgh avait accueilli un cycle pour baryton,plus substantiel et plus ardu, les Songs and Proverbs ofWilliam Blake 5bt. Au dbut des annes 1960, Brittencommena collaborer troitement avec le lgendairebaryton allemand Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, pour lequelil conut les parties de baryton du War Requiem (1962)et de la Cantata Misericordium (1963). Peu aprs, ilentreprit dcrire un cycle de chants solo pour mettreen lumire la fusion unique, chez Fischer-Dieskau, entrelyrisme intense et caractrisation dramatique. Il puisason inspiration dans la posie trs vivante, et parfoisvisionnaire, de William Blake, dont Pears choisit quatorzetextes, courts mais saisissants, pour servir de base ce cycle provisoirement intitul Songs and Sentences of

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BENJAMIN BRITTEN uvres pour baryton

William Blake. La partition fut acheve le 6 avril 1965et Britten en ddia ainsi le manuscrit : Pour Dieter : lepass et lavenir. Le 24 juin 1965, Fischer-Dieskau et luicrrent cette uvre, sous son titre lgrement modifi, la Parish Church dAldeburgh ; six mois plus tard, ilsen gravrent une puissante interprtation pour Decca, Kingsway Hall (Londres).

Par endroits, ce cycle renoue avec la sombre intensitdune autre mise en musique brittenienne de Blake, TheSick Rose ( Elegy ), tire de la Srnade pour tnor,cor et cordes de 1943. Avec sa mlodie entirement chro-matique et sa saisissante image de corruption chancreuse, The Sick Rose regarde directement vers les Songsand Proverbsemprunts, comme elle, aux Songs ofExperience (1794) de Blake. Ajouter un pome tir desSongs of Innocence (1789) et plusieurs pigrammesextraites des Proverbs of Hell (non dats) permit Brittende crer une structure continue o les Proverbes sontexprims sur un matriel de ritornello rcurrent maissans cesse retravaillun plan structurel prsent dansplusieurs uvres de la fin des annes 1950 et du dbutdes annes 1960 (notamment le cycle de mlodies orches-trales Nocturne, lopra A Midsummer Nights Dream etla Cantata Misericordium). Ces austres Proverbes sedistinguent nettement des chants quils ponctuent parleur dconcertante absence de synchronisation mtriqueentre la voix et le pianocomme dans Curlew River, uneChurch Parable compose lanne prcdente, tout enfaisant un usage limit des techniques dodcaphoniques.

Comme si souvent chez le Britten tardif, la tensionentre diatonisme lumineux et chromatisme insaisissableest exploite tout au long du cycle comme un symbole fortdu conflit, au cur de la posie de Blake, entre innocenceet exprience. Aux deux extrmits du cycle, London et Every Night and every Morn sont troitement

apparents par leur chromatisme ambigu et subtilementtroublant, cependant quune plus grande simplicit tonaleest rserve aux scnes de nature : la lueur tincelantede The Tyger et la lamentation pour The Fly . Desmoments dimmense puissance rhtorique marquentstratgiquement A Poison Tree et Ah, Sun-flower , lepremier prsentant un usage fort original de simplesaccords parfaits majeurs et mineurs dans un contexte desaturation chromatique. Ce texte de Blake, Britten lavaitdj mis en musique dans sa jeunesse, le 2 mars 1935 ;cette version, qui ne fut pas excute avant 1986, figuregalement sur le prsent enregistrement (cf. piste cq).Comme dans lopra The Turn of the Screw (1954),lintense chromatisme du traitement abouti de ce textecaptivant symbolise le mal dvorateur et constitue lenoyau absolument glaant du cycle.

lt de 1976, peu avant sa mort, Britten prparale dernier de ses nombreux corpus darrangements dechants traditionnels mais, trop malade depuis quelquetemps pour accompagner Pears en public, il remplaale piano par la harpe. Pears et le harpiste Osian Ellisformrent donc un duo rgulier et les chants traditionnelsde 1976 furent conus (comme lavaient t ceux avecpiano) pour leur servir de bis populaires. Viol comment Shes like the swallow 2 et Bird Scarers Song dofurent crs au Festival dAldeburgh le 17 juin 1976 ; Lemady 1 fut interprt pour la premire fois lUniversit de Chicago le 10 novembre 1977. David ofthe White Rock ( Dafydd y Garreg Wen ) cu fut, lui, unhommage aux anctres gallois de Ellis. Les Eight FolksongArrangements, dont ces chants sont issus, furent publisposthumement (1980) en deux ditions distinctes :loriginal avec accompagnement de harpe et une versionalternative avec accompagnement pianistique prparepar Colin Matthews, lassistant musical de Britten.

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Les autres chants de ce disque furent, eux aussi,dvoils et publis aprs la mort de Britten, survenue endcembre 1976. Plusieurs datent du dbut des annes1940, quand le duo de rcital Pears/Britten commena se faire un nom aux tats-Unis. Tel est le cas de Greensleeves dl et de The Crocodile dm , lequel futjou le 14 dcembre 1941 la Southold High School (dansle nord de New York), sous les auspices de lAmericanWomens Hospitals Reserve Corps et dans le cadre dunprogramme o figurait aussi Tom Bowling (1789) 4de Charles Dibdinun chant dont Britten prparaplus tard sa propre version, qui fut cre au FestivaldAldeburgh en 1959 et enregistre par Pears la mmeanne. Souvent jou aux cts des arrangements dechants traditionnels lors des rcitals que Pears et Brittendonnrent une fois rentrs au Royaume-Uni, en 1942, Iwonder as I wander 3 ne fut jamais enregistr ni publi,les deux hommes ayant dcouvert, aprs coup, que nises paroles, ni sa musique ntaient dans le domainepublicce chant avait t publi par John Jacob Niles en1934. Aussi la version brittenienne ne fut-elle enregistrequen 1995, grce un arrangement tardif entre les di-teurs de Niles et le Britten Estate. lorigine, le triptyque Evening , Morning et Night crct (paru pourla premire fois en 1988) faisait partie de la musiquede scne que Britten composa en 1945 pour le Masque et

lAnti-Masque de This Way to the Tomb, une pice deRonald Duncanlequel lui fournira, lanne suivante, lelivret de son opra The Rape of Lucretia.

Deux autres chants remontent aux annes 1950,mme si la date du second demeure incertaine. En1952, Britten arrangea pour duo comique le folksongappalachien The Deaf Womans Courtship dn afin queKathleen Ferrier le chantt, avec Pears et lui, lors dunetourne nationale visant lever des fonds pour lEnglishOpera Group. Ferrier, se souvint-il, chanta sa partie dune voix faiblarde, casse, parfaite rplique au magis-tral rugissement de Peter. Un chef-duvre dhumour, quibranlait lauditoire, mais sans jamais briser le style dureste du concert. Aprs la mort prmature de Ferrier, lapartie de contralto fut confie Norma Procter, mme sicet arrangement demeura indit jusquen 2001. La miseen musique du goethen Um Mitternacht cp (publieen 1994) date probablement de 1959, peu aprs que le vifintrt de Britten pour la posie allemande eut port sesfruits dans un cycle de lieder pour tnor, Sechs Hlderlin-Fragmente. cette poque, Pears avait lenviablerputation de compter parmi les plus grands aptresmondiaux du lied, sattirant plusieurs reprises lescritiques extatiques de la presse allemandedo lidede la BBC dexploiter ce succs en se faisant le promoteurattentif de son travail et de celui de Britten en Allemagne.

MERVYN COOKE 2010Traduction HYPERION

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OBWOHL BRITTEN in erster Linie gerhmt wirdfr sein umfangreichen Schaffen fr die Tenor-stimme, das fast ausschlielich von der Kunstseines langjhrigen Lebensgefhrten Peter Pears unddessen Kreativitt inspiriert wurde, hinterlie er auchein bedeutendes Vermchtnis fr die Baritonstimme. Auchdiese Werke waren bezeichnenderweise inspiriert vomTalent der Interpreten, mit denen er eng verbunden war,wie zum Beispiel Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, John Shirley-Quirk, Owen Brannigan und Benjamin Luxon. Brittenschrieb nicht nur Liederzyklen, einzelne Lieder undArrangements von Volksliedern, sondern auch anspruchs-volle Baritonrollen fr so unterschiedliche Opern wie BillyBudd (1951), Owen Wingrave (1970) und Death inVenice (1972). Gerald Finley machte sich im Jahr 2001 inder TV-Verfilmung von Owen Wingrave der RegisseurinMargaret Williams mit seiner berzeugenden Interpre-tation die Titelrolle zueigen, doch selbst wenn Brittenfr andere Snger komponierte, war stets der Einflussvon Peter Pears auf Brittens Wahl der Texte fr seineVertonungen und hufig die bereinstimmung ihresliterarischen Geschmacks sprbar.

Der Schler Britten vertonte zahlreiche Gedichte,lange bevor er die Bekanntschaft von Pears machte, alssein literarischer Geschmack noch recht konservativ war.In seiner Jugend schtzte er vor allem Walter de laMare (18731956), englischer Dichter, Autor von Kurz-geschichten, Romanen und Kinderbchern, und imJahr 1968 stellte der reifere Komponist einen Satz vonfnf seiner jugendlichen Vertonungen von de la MaresGedichten unter dem Titel Tit for Tat buco zusammen,der 1969 von John Shirley-Quirk und dem Komponistenam Klavier beim Aldeburgh-Festival in England urauf-gefhrt wurde. Im Programmheft zum Konzert schriebBritten, es handle sich um eine Auswahl von Liedern, die

er im Alter von vierzehn bis sechzehn Jahren komponiertund nun sehr geringfgig bereinigt habe, und ich stellesie mit dieser Urauffhrung in Dankbarkeit fr den weisenund ermutigenden Vorsitzenden meines neuen Verlagsund Sohn des Mannes vor, dessen Gedichte mein ganzesLeben lang so viel fr mich bedeutet haben. Damitmeinte er Richard de la Mare, Vorsitzender des Musik-verlags Faber Music seit 1966 und zuvor Vorsitzender desMutterverlags Faber & Faber. Brittens Sorgfalt in derBearbeitung seiner Manuskripte ermglicht die ziemlichgenaue Datierung aller Lieder: A Song of Enchantmententstand im Januar 1929, Autumn (ursprnglich frStreichquartettbegleitung) am 28. Januar 1931, Silveram 13. Juni 1928, Vigil am 23. Dezember 1930 unddas abschlieende Titellied Tit for Tat in den beidenersten Wochen des Jahres 1929. Neue musikalische Stil-richtungen hatten sich noch nicht ausreichend etabliert,um von Britten assimiliert zu werden, und so schrieb erin seinem Vorwort zur verffentlichten Partitur, dass dieMngel merkwrdigerweise in den spteren Liedernaufflliger sind Auf jeden Fall, und ohne jeglicheBedeutung oder Originalitt dieser Lieder fr mich inAnspruch zu nehmen, habe ich das Gefhl, dass der jungeMann eine einfache und klare Vision hatte, die demgroen Dichter mit seinem einzigartigen Einblick indie kindliche Gedankenwelt vielleicht ein wenig Freudegemacht hat.

Vier Jahre vor der Urauffhrung von Tit for Tat mitShirley-Quirk war das Aldeburgh-Festival bereits Schau-platz des gehalt- und anspruchsvolleren BaritonzyklusSongs and Proverbs of William Blake 5bt gewesen.Brittens enge Beziehungen zu dem deutschen BaritonDietrich Fischer-Dieskau begannen Anfang der 1960-erJahre, und er komponierte den Baritonpart im WarRequiem (1962) und in der Cantata Misericordium

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BENJAMIN BRITTEN Werke fr Bariton

(1963) speziell fr diesen Snger. Kurz darauf begannBritten mit der Arbeit an einem Sololiederzyklus, derFischer-Dieskaus einzigartige Mischung einfhlsamerLyrik und dramatischer Charakterisierung zur vollenGeltung bringen sollte. Dazu lie sich Britten von derlebendigen und bisweilen visionren Dichtung von WilliamBlake inspirieren und vertonte vierzehn von Pearsausgewhlte kurze, aber prgnante Texte unter dem

Arbeitstitel Songs and Sentences of William Blake. Ervollendete die Partitur am 6. April 1965, und das Manu-skript trgt die Widmung Fr Dieter: die Vergangenheitund die Zukunft. Britten und Fischer-Dieskau fhrtendas Werk erstmals am 24. Juni 1965 in der Gemeinde-kirche von Aldeburgh auf und spielten ihre kraftvolleInterpretation unter dem leicht genderten Titel sechsMonate spter fr Decca Records in der LondonerKingsway Hall ein.

Mit diesem Blake-Zyklus kehrte Britten stellenweise zuseiner sehr viel frheren Blake-Vertonung The Sick Rose(Elegy) aus der Serenade fr Tenor, Horn und Streichervon 1943 zurck. Sowohl die voll chromatische Melodieals auch das eindrucksvolle Bild zersetzender Korruptionim frheren Lied blicken unmittelbar voraus auf die Songsand Proverbs mit Texten aus Blakes Songs of Experience(1794), die auch The Sick Rose enthalten. Mit einemzustzlichen Gedicht aus den Songs of Innocence (1789)und mehreren Epigrammen aus den undatierten Proverbsof Hell gestaltete Britten eine durchgngige Struktur, inder die Sprichwrter mit wiederkehrendem, aber stndigvariiertem Ritornello-Material vertont sind. SolcheStrukturplanung findet sich auch in anderen Werkenvon Britten aus den spten 1950-er und frhen 1960-erJahren und vor allem im Orchesterliedzyklus Nocturne,der Oper A Midsummer Nights Dream und der CantataMisericordium. Diese knappen Proverbs unterscheidensich deutlich von den sie umgebenden Liedern durchihre verstrende Abwesenheit metrischer Synchronisationzwischen Singstimme und Klavier, ein von der im Jahrzuvor komponierten Kirchenparabel Curlew River ber-nommenes Merkmal, sowie durch begrenzte Verwendungvon Zwlftontechnik.

Wie so oft in Brittens spteren Werken wird dieSpannung zwischen brillanter Diatonik und flchtigerChromatik im gesamten Zyklus als ausdrucksstarkes

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BENJAMIN BRITTEN

Symbol fr den Konflikt zwischen Unschuld undErfahrung im Kern von Blakes Dichtung ausgeschpft. Dieden Zyklus umrahmenden Vertonungen von Londonund Every Night and every Morn stehen durch Mehr-deutigkeit und leicht verstrende Chromatik in Beziehungzueinander, whrend grere tonale Einfachheit denNaturszenen vorbehalten bleibt: dem hellen Glanz vonThe Tyger und der Klage um The Fly. An strategischenStellen in A Poison Tree und Ah, Sun-flower findensich Augenblicke strkster rhetorischer Ausdruckskraft.A Poison Tree arbeitet mit hchst originellen, einfachenDur- und Molldreiklngen in Zusammenhang mit chro-matischer Sttigung. Der junge Britten hatte den Blake-Text bereits am 2. Mrz 1935 vertont, doch dieses Liedblieb bis 1986 unaufgefhrt und ist in diese Einspielung(siehe cq aufgenommen). Wie in der Oper The Turn of theScrew (1954) dient die intensive Chromatik der reifenBehandlung dieses ergreifenden Textes als berzeugendesSymbol zerstrerischen bels und bildet den durch unddurch frsteln machenden Kern des Zyklus.

Im Sommer 1976, kurz vor seinem Tod, bereiteteBritten das letzte seiner zahlreichen verffentlichtenVolksliedarrangements vor, und zwar fr Harfen- stattKlavierbegleitung, da er schon seit einiger Zeit zu krankwar, um Pears bei ffentlichen Auftritten zu begleiten,weshalb der Harfenist Osian Ellis diese Aufgabe ber-nommen hatte. Die Volkslieder des Jahres 1976 waren,wie schon frhere Volksliedarrangements fr Klavier, alspopulre Zugaben gedacht. Shes like the swallow 2und Bird Scarers Song do erlebten ihre Urauffhrungin dieser Funktion beim Aldeburgh-Festival am 17. June1976, und Lemady 1 wurde am 10. November 1977 ander Universitt von Chicago uraufgefhrt. David of theWhite Rock (Dafydd y Garreg Wen) cu ist ein Tributan die walisische Herkunft von Ellis. Die Eight FolksongArrangements, denen diese Lieder entnommen sind,

wurden 1980 posthum in zwei verschiedenen Ausgabenverffentlicht, und zwar in der Originalfassung fr Harfen-begleitung und in einer von Brittens Assistent ColinMatthews besorgten Fassung fr Klavierbegleitung.

Die anderen Lieder in dieser Einspielung wurdeebenfalls erst nach Brittens Tod im Dezember 1976aufgefhrt und verffentlicht. Verschiedentlich stammensie aus den frhen 1940-er Jahren, als Britten und Pearssich in den USA einen Namen als Vortragsduo zu machenbegannen, und zwar die Vertonungen von Greensleevesdl und The Crocodile dm . Letztere wurde am 14. Dezem-ber 1941 in einem vom American Womens HospitalsReserve Corps an der Southold High School bei New Yorkveranstalteten Konzert im Rahmen eines Programms auf-gefhrt, das auch das Lied Tom Bowling 4 von CharlesDibdin aus dem Jahr 1789 umfasste und das Brittenspter fr seine eigene, 1959 beim Aldeburgh-Festivalaufgefhrte und von Pears noch im selben Jahr ein-gespielte Vertonung verwendete. I wonder as I wander 3wurde von Pears und Britten nach ihrer Rckkehr nachEngland im Jahr 1942 hufig zusammen mit BrittensVolksliedarrangements aufgefhrt, jedoch niemals ein-gespielt oder verffentlicht, da sie mittlerweile festgestellthatten, dass Text und Melodie von John Jacob Niles1934 verffentlicht worden und somit urheberrechtlichgeschtzt waren. Demzufolge erschien die Einspielungvon Brittens Fassung erst 1995 dank einer versptetenbereinkunft zwischen dem Verlag von Niles und BrittensNachlassverwaltern, dem Britten Estate. Das zuerst 1988verffentlichte Triptychon von Evening, Morning undNight crct gehrte ursprnglich zu der von Britten1945 komponierten Zwischenmusik fr die Masque undAnti-Masque des Theaterstcks This Way to the Tomb vonRonald Duncan, der im folgenden Jahr das Libretto frBrittens Oper The Rape of Lucretia lieferte.

Zwei weitere Lieder stammen aus den 1950-er Jahren,

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wenngleich das genaue Datum des zweiten Lieds unklarbleibt. 1952 komponierte Britten das Arrangement frein komisches Duett auf Grundlage eines Appalachen-Volkslieds namens The Deaf Womans Courtship dn frKathleen Ferrier anlsslich einer britischen Tournee mitBritten und Pears zur Beschaffung von Mitteln fr dieEnglish Opera Group. Britten erinnerte sich, dass KathleenFerrier ihren Part mit schwchlich-brchiger Stimme imperfekten Kontrast zu Peters bombastischem Drhnensang. Ein Meisterstck an Humor, der das Publikum inLachkrmpfe versetzte, aber niemals den Stil des brigenKonzerts beeintrchtigte. Nach Kathleen Ferriers frhemTod wurde ihr Part von Norma Procter bernommen,

wenngleich das Arrangement erst 2001 verffentlichtwurde. Brittens 1994 verffentlichte Vertonung vonGoethes Um Mitternacht cp entstand wahrscheinlich1959, kurz nachdem Brittens starkes Interesse andeutscher Lyrik seinen Ausdruck in dem Tenorlieder-zyklus Sechs Hlderlin-Fragmente gefunden hatte. Zudieser Zeit war Pears als fhrender Liederinterpretweltberhmt und erhielt regelmig die lobendstenKritiken in der deutschen Presse, was die BBC veranlasste,diesen Erfolg durch sorgfltige Frderung des Schaffensvon Britten und Pears in Deutschland nutzbar zu machen.

MERVYN COOKE 2010bersetzung HENNING WEBER

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Recorded in All Saints, Durham Road, East Finchley, London, on 1113 December 2008Recording Engineer JULIAN MILLARD

Recording Producer MARK BROWNPiano STEINWAY & SONS

Booklet Editor TIM PARRYExecutive Producer SIMON PERRY

P & C Hyperion Records Ltd, London, MMX

Front illustration: The Tyger (plate 42 from Songs of Innocence and of Experience, copy AA, P.1251950.pt42) (c181526) by William Blake (17571827)

Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge / The Bridgeman Art Library, London

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www.hyperion-records.co.ukwhere you can also listen to extracts of all recordings and browse an up-to-date catalogue

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Copyright subsists in all Hyperion recordings and it is illegal to copy them, in whole or in part, for any purpose whatsoever, withoutpermission from the copyright holder, Hyperion Records Ltd, PO Box 25, London SE9 1AX, England. Any unauthorized copyingor re-recording, broadcasting, or public performance of this or any other Hyperion recording will constitute an infringement ofcopyright. Applications for a public performance licence should be sent to Phonographic Performance Ltd, 1 Upper James Street,London W1F 9DE

1 Lemady [1'21]2 Shes like the swallow [2'43]3 I wonder as I wander [3'29]4 Tom Bowling [5'29]

Songs and Proverbs of William Blake [25'44]

5 Proverb I [1'06]6 London [2'04]7 Proverb II [0'33]8 The Chimney-Sweeper [2'14]9 Proverb III [0'42]bl A Poison Tree [4'52]bm Proverb IV [0'57]bn The Tyger [2'00]bo Proverb V [0'51]bp The Fly [1'57]bq Proverb VI [1'30]br Ah, Sun-flower [2'56]bs Proverb VII [0'44]bt Every Night and every Morn [3'04]

CDA67778

Tit for Tat [10'07]bu A Song of Enchantment [2'41]cl Autumn [1'09]cm Silver [2'02]cn Vigil [1'58]co Tit for Tat [2'05]

cp Um Mitternacht [3'41]

cq A Poison Tree [3'06]

cr Evening [1'45]cs Morning [1'06]ct Night [1'44]

cu David of the White Rock [3'33]dl Greensleeves [2'11]dm The Crocodile [5'21]dn The Deaf Womans Courtship [1'31]do Bird Scarers Song [1'02]

BENJAMIN

BRITTEN(19131976)

GERALD FINLEY baritoneJULIUS DRAKE piano

MADE IN FRANCEwww.hyperion-records.co.uk

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NOTES EN FRANAIS + MIT DEUTSCHEM KOMMENTAR CDA67778Duration 74'21

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BENJAMIN

BRITTEN(19131976)

1 Lemady [1'21] 2 Shes like the swallow [2'43]3 I wonder as I wander [3'29] 4 Tom Bowling [5'29]

5 Songs and Proverbs of William Blake [25'44]bu Tit for Tat [10'07]

cp Um Mitternacht [3'41] cq A Poison Tree [3'06]cr Evening [1'45] cs Morning [1'06] ct Night [1'44]

cu David of the White Rock [3'33] dl Greensleeves [2'11] dm The Crocodile [5'21]dn The Deaf Womans Courtship [1'31] do Bird Scarers Song [1'02]

If you want to know, or simply need reminding, why Gerald Finley is up there in the Premier League of baritone recitalists then strike out for the final five songs on this magnificent new recording Originally written for Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,

Finley proves himself the equal of his noble predecessor, both in expressivity and emotional weight. How good it is to have this difficult music available in such a fine modern performance it is a mark of the quality of these two fine artists

that everything on this new release should sound newly minted (International Record Review)

GERALD FINLEY baritoneJULIUS DRAKE piano