Latest CD release
Eriks Ešenvalds Passion & Resurrection & other choral music with Britten Sinfonia, Polyphony and Stephen Layton.
In April 2010 Britten Sinfonia premièred works by Eriks Esenvelds with Polyphony in Cambridge and Norwich. The pieces were very well received at the time and we are excited to announce the release of a CD of the works on the Hyperion label on 1 March.
“Rarely before have I sat in a concert hall and heard a new work that sounded so fresh yet so familiar … Ešenvalds Passion and Resurrection is surely set to become a classic, a position Hyperion’s forthcoming CD release of the work should consolidate”
On an Overgrown Path
The live performance last year of this major and substantial work by the young Latvian composer Ešenvalds thrilled critics and audiences alike. As a new liturgical work that looks set to enter the repertoire it is comparable to Arvo Pärt’s Passio.
Eschewing the single narrative perspective that characterizes the great Passion settings of the past, the composer has assembled an interlocking mosaic of texts from the gospels, from Byzantine and Roman liturgies, and from the Old Testament.
Stephen Layton’s commitment to new Baltic music is well-known and he has a deep understanding of the musical language of the area – reflected by performances of great integrity and passion. This recording is particularly splendid, featuring not only the matchless Polyphony and Britten Sinfonia but also Carolyn Sampson, acclaimed for her performances of early music on Hyperion but heard here to dazzling effect, crowning the performance with her extraordinary singing.
“Esenvalds loves to send sopranos into orbit over deep harmonies enriched with added ninths or spiced with soft bitonality. When the polyphony rises to one of his ecstatic climaxes, the web is thickened by octave doublings. Hushed moments, meanwhile, are enhanced by tinkles of bells or gentle whistling.”
The Times, Richard Morrison, 12 April 2010
The CDs will be available to buy for the first time at Britten Sinfonia At Lunch concerts in London, Norwich and Cambridge and at all future concerts. For more information regarding the CD please go to the Hyperion website.
Calendar
Next Production
Padmore sings Mahler
Bradford on Avon, Cambridge and London
12 - 17 May 2012
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Britten Sinfonia at Lunch 4
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
01 May 2012 1:00pm
Renowned tenor, Mark Padmore joins Britten Sinfonia for the final concert in the 2011-12 At Lunch series. At the centre of this programme is a work by British composer, Jonathan Dove, co-commissioned by Britten Sinfonia and Wigmore Hall with support from the Tenner for a Tenor campaign.
Britten Sinfonia at Lunch 4
Wigmore Hall, London
02 May 2012 1:00pm
Renowned tenor, Mark Padmore joins Britten Sinfonia for the final concert in the 2011-12 At Lunch series. At the centre of this programme is a work by British composer, Jonathan Dove, co-commissioned by Britten Sinfonia and Wigmore Hall with support from the Tenner for a Tenor campaign.
Norfolk & Norwich Festival - Padmore Sings Mahler
St Andrew's Hall, Norwich
11 May 2012 7:30pm
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Padmore sings Mahler
Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford on Avon
12 May 2012 7:30pm
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Padmore sings Mahler
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
16 May 2012 7:30pm
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Padmore sings Mahler
Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
17 May 2012 7:30pm
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Brighton Festival - Mahler & Schubert
Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome, Brighton
19 May 2012 7:30pm
Due to family illness, Mark Padmore has had to withdraw from this performance. He will be replaced by baritone Roderick Williams.
Bury St Edmunds Festival
The Apex, Bury St. Edmunds
20 May 2012 7:30pm
Britten Sinfonia returns to the festival for in 2012.
Brighton Festival - King Priam
Corn Exchange, Brighton Dome, Brighton
27 May 2012 7:00pm
‘I have to sing songs for those who can’t sing for themselves. Those songs come from the torments and horrors that have happened. I can’t lose faith in humanity.’ Sir Michael Tippett
Britten Sinfonia at Museo Reina Sofia
Museo Reina Sofia , Madrid
28 May 2012 7:30pm
Fabián Panisello conducts his song cycle Libro del Frio with soprano Allison Bell and Britten Sinfonia
