Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, for strings, Op. 10
Lament, for string orchestra, H. 117
Serenade for string orchestra, Op. 12
Music for Strings, for string orchestra, Op. 54, F. 123
The pieces on this release by the Sinfonia of London and conductor John Wilson all date from the 1930s, except for the Lament of Frank Bridge, and even that fits with the other works to a remarkable degree. Partly this is because Britten and Bridge were student and teacher, and Britten's Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, Op. 10, were explicitly meant as a tribute. That work has a detailed program, but even without knowing that, the listener will respond strongly to a fine performance, and this is one of the finest on ...
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The pieces on this release by the Sinfonia of London and conductor John Wilson all date from the 1930s, except for the Lament of Frank Bridge, and even that fits with the other works to a remarkable degree. Partly this is because Britten and Bridge were student and teacher, and Britten's Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge, Op. 10, were explicitly meant as a tribute. That work has a detailed program, but even without knowing that, the listener will respond strongly to a fine performance, and this is one of the finest on record. The work is a virtuoso essay in neoclassicism, with the links of the variations to the main theme often subtle or allusive rather than direct. The Variations have a brash sequence of brilliant instrumental effects from the young Britten, and it is this edge that Wilson captures that sets this performance apart from others. The three subsequent works on the program are less well known, but they all have beauty and power. The unease of war hangs over them, not only Bridge's...
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