Britten

(...) Soprano Barbara Hannigan is in fine fettle here, singing very beautifully in excellent French while the virtuoso string orchestra blooms luxuriantly in the warm acoustics of Haarlem’s Philharmonie Hall. (...) a virtue for SACD fanatics.

Barbara Hannigan, has been garnering great critical and public acclamation for her world-wide performances of ‘Les Illuminations’. She certainly comes to high expectations in this programme too. (…) With Candida Thompson’s lead, the Amsterdam Sinfonietta take to Britten’s virtuosic string orchestral accompaniments as if born to the music (...) An account of breathtaking acumen and skill from all participants. (...) Together Gilchrist and de Waal conjure up a marvellous, deeply contemplative and moving Serenade, certainly one to remember and treasure. (...) Channel Classics have got Britten’s Birth Centenary off to a racing start with this marvellous issue.

Amsterdam Sinfonietta, aangevoerd door violiste Candida Thompson, speelt het allemaal op het hoogste niveau. (...) Sopraan Barbara Hannigan zingt bij vlagen bloedstollende hoge lijnen (...) Jasper de Waal speelt de hoornpartij ronduit magistraal (...) tenor Gilchrist weet de poëzie in het hart te raken. (...)

Diese CD ist das reinste Vergnügen. (...) Candida Thompson versteht es, mit ihrem Kammerorchester die raffiniert abgemischten Klangfarben Brittens zu erwecken, Struktur und Ausdruck ins rechte Maß zu setzen und Britten als unverzichtbaren Klassiker der Moderne zu feiern.

Gilchrist's Serenade, with Jasper de Waal the stupendous horn soloist, is one of the best things the English tenor has done on disc - Pears-like in its intensity and crystalline diction. The Sinfonietta's strings have a whale of a time as a band of wannabe Paganinis in the Aria Italiana of the Bridge Variations.

Gilchrist's rendering of the final Keats is breathtaking…

Soprano Barbara Hannigan sounds exquisite in the lovelyIlluminations, tenor James Gilchrist and horn player Jasper de Waal wax lyrical throughout Serenade, and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta under Candida Thompson’s leadership give the Bridge Variations a great workout. The spacious surround sound underlines Britten’s orchestral writing genius. (...)

the sonics are reliable sensational (...) there is an enormous amount of light, shade and real exhilaration in this finely honed contribution to Britten’s centenary celebrations.

De zoetgevooisde stem van Barbara Hannigan beweegt moeiteloos over het strijkorkest. (...) Amsterdam Sinfonietta speelt feilloos. Deze vier werken illustreren uitstekend wat voor smaakvolle, speelse en sensuele muziek Britten heeft geschreven.

The fine SACD sound on this disc adds a sensuality and tangibility that allows the listener to get inside the music, as if he/she were present when it was recorded. (...) There’s a palpability to the silences that magnifies the music’s emotional presence. This is thoughtful and and lovely music, ravishingly performed and recorded. Don’t miss it!

Dat het Amsterdam Sinfonietta zich in dit repertoire als een vis in het water voelt zal geen verbazing wekken, getuige de kwaliteit van de vele opnamen die het ensemble inmiddels op zijn conto heeft staan (...) Smaakvolle en vakkundige bewerkingen van de aan Amsterdam Sinfonietta verbonden bassist Marijn van Prooijen die in de uitvoeringspraktijk staan als een huis. (...) Jasper de Waal is een hoornist uit duizenden. (...)

Amsterdam Sinfonietta gaat tot het uiterste in muzikale precisie en expressie. (...) De superieure audio-opname laat de geproduceerde boventonen glashelder horen.

Besides the excellent soprano Barbara Hannigan, who sparkles in ‘Les Illuminations’, tenor James Gilchrist and hornist Jasper de Waal deliver an impressive contribution to this production with Amsterdam Sinfonietta. (…) The orchestra herself indulges in all imaginable techniques, colours and dynamic extremes that Britten releases from his box of tricks for string orchestra.

Es ist eben die maximal motivierte Mitteilsamkeit dieser famosen Streichertruppe, die Benjamin Britten sich für seine Musik erträumt haben muss. Das Irisierende und Imaginative, das farbig fein Changierende, ja die schillernde „Ambience“ seiner hier immer wieder an den Impressionismus gemahnenden Werke – all das bringt die Amsterdam Sinfonietta mit edler Ekstase zum Klingen. (…) Das ist berückende, subtil süchtig machende Musik in sublimer Interpretation.

These are energetic, expressive versions. The soloists are very good and the precise, matter-of-factness of Britten's original recordings contrasts with the exuberance of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta under Thompson. (…) The versions can stand side-by-side with the very best and hold their own, in their own way.

Recommended.

The soloist here is the transcendent Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan, who now lives in Amsterdam and has become the toast of the European new music scene. A regular with the Berlin Philharmonic with a growing reputation as a gifted conductor, Hannigan brings meticulous musicianship and complete command of the text to this performance. It's simply stunning, and a great way to get to know Benjamin Britten, up close and personal.
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