Signatures

Benjamin Britten is usually thought of as a musical dramatist on a large, operatic scale, but the instinct to capture psychological conflict in music burst through in his smaller musical forms as well. Written throughout his career, Britten's five Canticles chart the personal and creative relationship between the revered composer and his most important muse, tenor Peter Pears, drawing on varied subject matter from biblical stories to meditations on love and loss. Renowned tenor Ian Bostridge is joined by countertenor Iestyn Davies, baritone Joshua Hopkins, and pianist Julius Drake to perform the entire sequence of these mysterious pieces, as well as some of his realizations of songs by Henry Purcell, all in celebration of the centenary of Britten’s birth.