Programme note: In Memoriam Benjamin Britten

[CONCEPT] The theme of this day is a homage to Benjamin Britten, who died fifty years ago. Britten was one of the 20th century’s most versatile composers. His impressive body of work ranges from intimate solo and chamber pieces to imposing large-scale compositions for choir and orchestra like his unsurpassed War Requiem; he is probably best known for his operas. Britten nearly always managed to exhibit a recognisable style very much his own, that was at once modern and accessible. Today, we will highlight three aspects of his artistry: his close ties to the English musical tradition, his sincere interest in making music with and/or for amateurs, and his exceptional talent for writing for the human voice. 

[LACHRYMAE] One of today’s main works is Lachrymae, a composition with two versions, one for viola and piano (1950) and one for viola and string orchestra (1976). Based on a well-known song by the English early baroque composer John Dowland, it is actually a series of variations. The original version can be heard during a lecture-recital (at 5:00 p.m.). Pieter Bergé will contextualise this enigmatic work and share his insights about its most important characteristics. An hour later, the professional musicians of BOHO Strings and the students of SLAC will join forces in a continuous programme of the Dowland songs as well as the orchestral version of Britten’s Lachrymae. Going even deeper into the source and inspiration of Britten’s piece, the morning concert will feature a performance of the complete volume by Dowland. The Hathor Ensemble will play his Seven Tears, along with Six Interludes written by Annelies Van Parys several years ago. As with Britten’s Lachrymae, we’ll hear a dialogue of old and new music. 

[AMATEURS] The amateur musicians will have the place to themselves during the concert in the Sint-Michiel-Vredeskerk (15:00). The instrumentalists will play a movement from the Simple Symphony, a chamber piece written when Britten was barely twenty. The premiere of the piece was played by an amateur orchestra from Norwich, conducted by Britten. The musicians will play the ballade from this piece, and will stay in this contemplative mood for a while afterwards. More particularly, they’ll play the piece that Arvo Pärt composed to mark Britten’s death in 1976. It is a composition with an interesting paradox: the mood it emanates is almost ethereal, but its framework is pure mathematics. The choirs will devote themselves to two of Britten’s many religious works. In particular, Rejoice in the Lamb is pure Britten, with its many gradations of colour, transparent texture and mildly dissonant harmonies.

[FINAL CONCERT] The final concert will focus on Britten’s skill as a composer of vocal music and his sensitivity for subtle orchestration. Les Illuminations (1939) is a thrilling, sensual setting of the visionary and eccentric texts by the French poet Arthur Rimbaud. The Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (1943) is darker and more contemplative: the voice sings of the evening and night, while the horn (sometimes imitating a natural horn) gives the piece a rustic feel. In between these two works you’ll hear the series of variations that Britten wrote on a theme by his mentor Frank Bridge. With eloquent ease he evokes a variety of musical worlds, from romance and Italian aria to a bourree and Viennese waltz, to a funeral march and fugue.

Pieter Bergé