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Halle Orchestra, Kent Nagano - Benjamin Britten: The Rescue of Penelope; Phaedra (1996)

Posted By: Designol
Halle Orchestra, Kent Nagano - Benjamin Britten: The Rescue of Penelope; Phaedra (1996)

Benjamin Britten: The Rescue of Penelope; Phaedra (1996)
Dame Janet Baker, narrator; Alison Hagley, soprano; Catherine Wyn-Rogers, mezzo-soprano
John Mark Ainsley, tenor; William Dazeley, bass; Lorraine Hunt, soprano
Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Kent Nagano

EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 190 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 117 Mb | Scans ~ 89 Mb
Genre: Classical | Label: Erato | # 0630 12713-2 | Time: 00:51:10

Soon after his return from America, at the height of the war in 1943, Britten wrote incidental music for a radio play by Edward Sackville-West on the Homeric subject of Odysseus’s return to Penelope. Drawn from the complete score with barely any amendment of the original, and compressed into a 36-minute cantata, with Chris de Souza tailoring the text and Colin Matthews, Britten’s last amanuensis, most tactfully editing the music, the result is extraordinarily powerful. The most important role is that of the narrator, here masterfully taken by Dame Janet Baker who brings the story vividly to life despite the stylized classical language (e.g. “Odysseus, Lord of sea-girt Ithaca” or “His fair wife, white-armed Penelope”). Rather confusingly Athene also appears as a soprano, with the radiant Alison Hagley sounding totally unlike Dame Janet. She is one of a godly quartet of singers who contribute Greek-style commentaries – vocal passages which regularly add to the atmospheric beauty of the piece.

The surprise is that the idiom is not for the most part very Britten-like, except in the vitality of the writing. When Britten wrote his pre-war film scores for the Post Office, he had only a handful of players, and the result is already highly characteristic. Here with a bigger orchestra, he allows himself far richer sounds, with the strings in particular often sounding more like Walton, or even (at the happy end) Hollywood. The result is hugely enjoyable, and for all the unexpected echoes – not just of Walton’s film music but even of Elgar at one point (track 7) and Wagner at another (track 13) – the more one listens, the more one identifies Britten. What matters is that this is all endlessly inventive in a very Britten-like way, as when Odysseus is transformed into an old man, and his theme descends from solo viola, to cello and finally to double-bass. And who else but Britten would have thought of giving the theme of the heroine, Penelope, most poignantly, to an alto saxophone? This is music which is not just illustrative but strong and purposeful in heightening the drama, in bringing home emotions, as when Telemachus recognizes his father. A welcomes addition to the Britten oeuvre.

It is apt that another encapsulated classical drama should provide the coupling, particularly one inspired by the singing of Dame Janet Baker. Phaedra was Britten’s last vocal work, and after the richness of the early work the spareness of the writing hits one the more sharply. Lorraine Hunt’s performance may not quite match that of Dame Janet in conveying the heroine’s agony, but there is comparable intensity, with vocal colouring of similarly grave beauty and variety; with Hunt this is above all the portrait of a deranged woman, chillingly powerful.

In both works Kent Nagano draws strongly committed playing from the Halle, with some fine solo work, instrumental as well as vocal. Though, reasonably enough, Dame Janet’s narration is rather close in the bigger work, the sound is full and well-balanced.'

Review by Edward Greenfield, Gramophone

Erato caught Kent Nagano and the Halle in a magnificent live "Billy Budd," and as a pendant here are two much less familiar works released in 1996. The first, written when Britten returned to England in 1943 from self-imposed exile in America, is "The Rescue of Penelope." It's in a once-copious, now forgotten genre, the radio play, in this case a narration of the last chapter of The Odyssey in which Odysseus returns home to defeat a pack of vulturous rivals who moved into his house as unwanted wooers of his wife Penelope.

The story may be familiar, and Edward Sackville-West didn't improve upon Homer, but there's lot of variety here, with colorful snatches of background music, equally brief bits of chorus and soloist; the main role belongs to the female narrator,the goddess Athene - it's spoken quite expertly by soprano Alison Hegley. Considering how fusty radio dramas seem today, and how outdated the once-obligatory classicism of educated people, this is a lively work. The story moves with considerable pace, and Britten, just on the verge of writing "Peter Grimes," contributes a kaleidoscope of musical bits and bobs. Keepers of the Britten flame, primarily Colin Matthews, have molded the original into a 36 min. "cantata," as the Gramophone dubs it, but in reality the amount of actual singing is minimal compared with the spoken parts. Even so, the amalgam as a whole is gripping and worth a listen by anyone who loves this composer. One surprise is that the idiom mixes in stylistic touches from Vaughan Williams, Walton, and Hollywood; before he left for the States, the young composer got a significant start by writing music for short documentaries produced by the Post Office.

My attraction to this short (52 min.) CD was Phaedra, the ailing Britten's last vocal work; it was dedicated to the great Janet Baker. The late lamented Lorraine Hunt Lieberson took up the solo cantata around time, and I've heard a live performance taped at the Proms (if I recall correctly). there are no cinematic cliches here but a style of considerable spareness, even bleakness; it recalls the chamber works, like curlew River, that occupied Britten later in his career. LHL possessed an ample, feminine mezso that doesn't resemble Baker's more focused, plaintive timbre. She is absolutely compelling, but I feel so much innate sympathy with the voice that I never quite believed that this was a mother obsessed by lust with her young stepson.

The scoring is for strings and percussion, and if you took away the occasional harpsichord continuo, it would be quite reminiscent of Shostakovich's Sym. 14, written in 1969 and dedicated to Britten at a time when the two composers became close friends and simpatico politically. Shostakaovich's subject was death, as viewed through a set of stark, often bleak poems. He found a more powerful idiom, I think, than Britten, whose lyrical monodrama remains true to a kind of classical restraint (or better put, neoclassical, since the original is cruel, passionate, and bloody). the score lacks any real attempt at horror or psychopathology. This is more like an interior monologue. Still, with a great performer, as we have here, the score is engrossing.

So we don't have two masterpieces but two rarities done to a turn, which will be enough for devotees of Britten's whole output.

Review by Santa Fe Listener, Amazon

Halle Orchestra, Kent Nagano - Benjamin Britten: The Rescue of Penelope; Phaedra (1996)



Halle Orchestra, Kent Nagano - Benjamin Britten: The Rescue of Penelope; Phaedra (1996)




Tracklist:

THE RESCUE OF PENELOPE:

01. Eight years have passed (01:25)
02. Yet not all reached their homes (00:54)
03. Worse still, the island (02:59)
04. Children have died of want (02:29)
05. Yet some trust in an end (01:24)
06. Your prayer is answered, Penelope (03:17)
07. Long suffering Odysseus (03:05)
08. Listen. The voices of the gods (02:14)
09. I, Athene, rise to the edge of night (02:05)
10. When I see the sorrow of mortal Odysseus (02:20)
11. How loud the spring sounds all of a sudden (01:29)
12. Bold. - Telemachus, watch the shadow on the wall! (00:56)
13. There it is before you (02:34)
14. Listen, lords of Ithaca (01:25)
15. Telemachus, be swift! (02:12)
16. Now there is silence (05:18)

PHAEDRA:

17. Prologue: 'In May, in brilliant Athens' (01:14)
18. Recitative: 'My lost and dazzled eyes' (01:16)
19. Presto: 'You monster!' (03:37)
20. Recitative: 'O Gods of wrath' (02:45)
21. Adagio: 'My time's too short' (06:02)


Exact Audio Copy V1.1 from 23. June 2015

EAC extraction logfile from 15. March 2016, 23:42

Britten / Dramatic Cantatas - Halle Orchestra, Kent Nagano

Used drive : PLEXTOR CD-R PREMIUM2 Adapter: 5 ID: 1

Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No

Read offset correction : 30
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : Yes
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Installed external ASPI interface
Gap handling : Appended to previous track

Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 896 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\Flac\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -6 -V -T "ARTIST=%artist%" -T "TITLE=%title%" -T "ALBUM=%albumtitle%" -T "DATE=%year%" -T "PERFORMER=%albuminterpret%" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%tracknr%" -T "TOTALTRACKS=%numtracks%" -T "GENRE=%genre%" -T "COMPOSER=%composer%" -T "ALBUMARTIST=%albumartist%" -T "ALBUM ARTIST=%albumartist%" -T "COMMENT=EAC Secure Mode, Test & Copy, AccurateRip, FLAC -6" %source%


TOC of the extracted CD

Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.00 | 1:25.07 | 0 | 6381
2 | 1:25.07 | 0:54.63 | 6382 | 10494
3 | 2:19.70 | 2:59.15 | 10495 | 23934
4 | 5:19.10 | 2:29.65 | 23935 | 35174
5 | 7:49.00 | 1:24.02 | 35175 | 41476
6 | 9:13.02 | 3:17.35 | 41477 | 56286
7 | 12:30.37 | 3:05.13 | 56287 | 70174
8 | 15:35.50 | 2:14.25 | 70175 | 80249
9 | 17:50.00 | 2:05.47 | 80250 | 89671
10 | 19:55.47 | 2:20.68 | 89672 | 100239
11 | 22:16.40 | 1:29.50 | 100240 | 106964
12 | 23:46.15 | 0:56.27 | 106965 | 111191
13 | 24:42.42 | 2:34.50 | 111192 | 122791
14 | 27:17.17 | 1:25.38 | 122792 | 129204
15 | 28:42.55 | 2:12.42 | 129205 | 139146
16 | 30:55.22 | 5:18.03 | 139147 | 162999
17 | 36:13.25 | 1:14.05 | 163000 | 168554
18 | 37:27.30 | 1:16.45 | 168555 | 174299
19 | 38:44.00 | 3:37.70 | 174300 | 190644
20 | 42:21.70 | 2:45.35 | 190645 | 203054
21 | 45:07.30 | 6:02.70 | 203055 | 230274


Track 1

Filename D:\EAC extraction\01 - THE RESCUE OF PENELOPE - Eight years have passed.wav

Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00

Peak level 99.8 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 278C315D
Copy CRC 278C315D
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [6B856EE5] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 2

Filename D:\EAC extraction\02 - Yet not all reached their homes.wav

Peak level 47.5 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 89FA5B3D
Copy CRC 89FA5B3D
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [6ACBA2E2] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 3

Filename D:\EAC extraction\03 - Worse still, the island.wav

Peak level 89.0 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC CAE436CD
Copy CRC CAE436CD
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [2437D976] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 4

Filename D:\EAC extraction\04 - Children have died of want.wav

Peak level 100.0 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC C83B6A5F
Copy CRC C83B6A5F
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [884C2A9F] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 5

Filename D:\EAC extraction\05 - Yet some trust in an end.wav

Peak level 92.2 %
Extraction speed 1.7 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC F7EDE6F5
Copy CRC F7EDE6F5
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [80D3814B] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 6

Filename D:\EAC extraction\06 - Your prayer is answered, Penelope.wav

Peak level 87.2 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 24A14E36
Copy CRC 24A14E36
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [A737B004] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 7

Filename D:\EAC extraction\07 - Long suffering Odysseus.wav

Peak level 81.8 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC D42CD3E2
Copy CRC D42CD3E2
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [DEBD12F5] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 8

Filename D:\EAC extraction\08 - Listen. The voices of the gods.wav

Peak level 46.9 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 32EBEAD7
Copy CRC 32EBEAD7
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [1F28C8AD] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 9

Filename D:\EAC extraction\09 - I, Athene, rise to the edge of night.wav

Pre-gap length 0:00:07.00

Peak level 41.4 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC F8530614
Copy CRC F8530614
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [43F9BF80] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 10

Filename D:\EAC extraction\10 - When I see the sorrow of mortal Odysseus.wav

Peak level 26.7 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 04733A22
Copy CRC 04733A22
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [F12312F4] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 11

Filename D:\EAC extraction\11 - How loud the spring sounds all of a sudden.wav

Peak level 43.9 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 025F6FC1
Copy CRC 025F6FC1
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [7B196677] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 12

Filename D:\EAC extraction\12 - Bold. - Telemachus, watch the shadow on the wall!.wav

Peak level 39.0 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 387D6E11
Copy CRC 387D6E11
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [D04B111F] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 13

Filename D:\EAC extraction\13 - There it is before you.wav

Peak level 68.3 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 89A76BB5
Copy CRC 89A76BB5
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [5B08926E] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 14

Filename D:\EAC extraction\14 - Listen, lords of Ithaca.wav

Peak level 37.8 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 5BAD18A2
Copy CRC 5BAD18A2
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [8261C061] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 15

Filename D:\EAC extraction\15 - Telemachus, be swift!.wav

Peak level 91.0 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 44C9815F
Copy CRC 44C9815F
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [4B521B8D] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 16

Filename D:\EAC extraction\16 - Now there is silence.wav

Peak level 91.0 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC D2D3F8C7
Copy CRC D2D3F8C7
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [8E3E17D3] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 17

Filename D:\EAC extraction\17 - PHAEDRA - Prologue; ''In May, in brilliant Athens''.wav

Pre-gap length 0:00:08.25

Peak level 42.2 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 596AC197
Copy CRC 596AC197
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [81780831] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 18

Filename D:\EAC extraction\18 - Recitative; ''My lost and dazzled eyes''.wav

Peak level 68.9 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 5B86EEDA
Copy CRC 5B86EEDA
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [F1834631] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 19

Filename D:\EAC extraction\19 - Presto; ''You monster!''.wav

Peak level 98.4 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 053460D3
Copy CRC 053460D3
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [8FA13487] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 20

Filename D:\EAC extraction\20 - Recitative; ''O Gods of wrath''.wav

Peak level 64.4 %
Extraction speed 1.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC F3AA5391
Copy CRC F3AA5391
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [C3D71955] (AR v2)
Copy OK

Track 21

Filename D:\EAC extraction\21 - Adagio; ''My time's too short''.wav

Peak level 95.1 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC EE1E4DA7
Copy CRC EE1E4DA7
Accurately ripped (confidence 3) [B44F7543] (AR v2)
Copy OK


All tracks accurately ripped

No errors occurred

End of status report

==== Log checksum 88328C9BC4A4C958B65FFC3E6F2790B32240832A5039A98A73E307EFE983E368 ====

foobar2000 1.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2016-03-23 12:26:49

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Britten / Dramatic Cantatas - Hallé Orchestra, Kent Nagano
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR11 -0.01 dB -18.22 dB 1:25 01-THE RESCUE OF PENELOPE - Eight years have passed
DR14 -6.47 dB -28.47 dB 0:55 02-Yet not all reached their homes
DR13 -1.01 dB -21.54 dB 2:59 03-Worse still, the island
DR14 0.00 dB -20.00 dB 2:30 04-Children have died of want
DR12 -0.70 dB -19.29 dB 1:24 05-Yet some trust in an end
DR13 -1.19 dB -23.15 dB 3:17 06-Your prayer is answered, Penelope
DR13 -1.74 dB -23.99 dB 3:05 07-Long suffering Odysseus
DR13 -6.57 dB -26.82 dB 2:14 08-Listen. The voices of the gods
DR13 -7.66 dB -31.53 dB 2:06 09-I, Athene, rise to the edge of night
DR17 -11.45 dB -33.83 dB 2:21 10-When I see the sorrow of mortal Odysseus
DR12 -7.14 dB -24.76 dB 1:30 11-How loud the spring sounds all of a sudden
DR12 -8.16 dB -25.09 dB 0:56 12-Bold. - Telemachus, watch the shadow on the wall!
DR15 -3.31 dB -26.35 dB 2:35 13-There it is before you
DR15 -8.43 dB -29.34 dB 1:26 14-Listen, lords of Ithaca
DR14 -0.81 dB -20.30 dB 2:13 15-Telemachus, be swift!
DR13 -0.81 dB -21.23 dB 5:18 16-Now there is silence
DR12 -7.48 dB -26.69 dB 1:14 17-PHAEDRA - Prologue: 'In May, in brilliant Athens'
DR14 -3.23 dB -23.13 dB 1:17 18-Recitative: 'My lost and dazzled eyes'
DR15 -0.13 dB -23.06 dB 3:38 19-Presto: 'You monster!'
DR17 -3.81 dB -27.64 dB 2:45 20-Recitative: 'O Gods of wrath'
DR15 -0.43 dB -23.19 dB 6:03 21-Adagio: 'My time's too short'
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 21
Official DR value: DR14

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 486 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

Halle Orchestra, Kent Nagano - Benjamin Britten: The Rescue of Penelope; Phaedra (1996)

Halle Orchestra, Kent Nagano - Benjamin Britten: The Rescue of Penelope; Phaedra (1996)

All thanks to original releaser

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