It might reasonably be assumed that a collection of new performances of music Benjamin Britten wrote for industrial and educational films in the mid-'30s (e.g., Men Behind the Meters for the British Commercial Gas Association) would be of interest solely to the most rabid collectors of Britteniana. The music, however, is totally charming, and while it may not rank among the composer's greatest works, its inventiveness, illustrative power, compassion, and sly wit make this CD a real pleasure. Britten recycled some of the ...
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It might reasonably be assumed that a collection of new performances of music Benjamin Britten wrote for industrial and educational films in the mid-'30s (e.g., Men Behind the Meters for the British Commercial Gas Association) would be of interest solely to the most rabid collectors of Britteniana. The music, however, is totally charming, and while it may not rank among the composer's greatest works, its inventiveness, illustrative power, compassion, and sly wit make this CD a real pleasure. Britten recycled some of the music; the score for The Tocher, in which he developed themes by Rossini, was the basis for his Soirées Musicales and Matinées Musicales. The perky music for The King's Stamp has the sophistication to stand alone as a 10-movement suite for flute, clarinet, percussion, and piano. Negroes, a film about the eighteenth century British slave trade, with a text by W.H. Auden, uses narration that's entirely sung in expressive recitative. It's essentially a cantata accompanied by a film, and it...
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Add this copy of Britten on Film-9 Works W Narrator Soprano Choir & Orch to cart. $38.05, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by NMC Recordings.