James Way, Natalie Burch - Benjamin Britten: Canticles (2025) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Britten Canticle I, Op. 40 My beloved is mine and I am his
02. Britten Canticle II, Op. 51 Abraham and Isaac
03. Britten Canticle III, Op. 55 Still falls the Rain
04. Britten Canticle IV, Op. 86 Journey of the Magi
05. Britten Canticle V, Op. 89 The Death of Saint Narcissus
06. Rainier Cycle for Declamation I. Wee cannot bid the fruits
07. Rainier Cycle for Declamation II. In the wombe of the earth
08. Rainier Cycle for Declamation III. Nunc, lento sonitu

Benjamin Britten’s five Canticles, written for his lover and muse Peter Pears, stand as some of his most intimate and spiritually charged music. Composed across a period of nearly thirty years, they reflect Britten’s evolving response to poetry, religion and the human condition.

Tenor James Way and his duo partner and wife Natalie Burch lead an exceptional line-up of musicians in performances that capture the emotional depth and complexity of these unique pieces. The programme also features Priaulx Rainier’s unaccompanied Cycle for Declamation, written for Pears in 1955 – settings of Donne that, in their intensity and introspection, find common ground with Britten’s Canticles.

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