Here you go t-p.  There's a transcription here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenade_for_Tenor,_Horn_and_Strings

The Serenade sets well-known English poems.  The one in Mary's clip is by Tennyson.  I can't remember hearing it by a non-anglophone Tenor before - even when I heard it at de Doelen the Tenor was ....Ian Bostridge. 

If you don't know the whole work you're in for a treat if you get hold of a decent recording.  It's a wonderful piece.

That's quite a good article. It has been recorded by Christoph Pregardian and Peter Schreier, both German, and both not too good in English, though probably no worse than many English singers of German lieder.


T-p., it is Serenade in its original sense of "evening music". All the poems are about evening, leading up to the final sonnet which is about sleep. Britten later (1958) wrote a sort of continuation, Nocturne, which is about night and dreams, and also uses English poetry.

It is a sort of serenade to nature. I see pictures in my mind every time I hear it.

Went to hear the marvellous Schubert Ensemble at the Barber Institute at Birmingham University tonight. Their programme was:

Lekeu   Piano Quartet Movement
Mozart   Piano Quartet No. 2 in E flat K493
Brahms   Piano Quintet in F minor, op. 34

Didn't know the 1st piece at all, in fact I'd never even heard of the composer, but I found it very enjoyable. And the Brahms is one of my favourites so I was bound to enjoy that even if it hadn't been played as well as it was tonight. They really must be one of the best ensembles in the country.

Just heard from a friend that she's got us tickets for John Cage, Variations VII at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art next Friday.

http://www.avfestival.co.uk/press/releases/john_cage

I really have absolutely no idea what to expect.


...no, I still have no idea what to expect 

That looks like fun. Don't think I'll be able to go though...

It'll mean a dash for me, strina, but I'm certainly going to try! How's the practising going? 

I've been to 2 very good concerts today. The first was a pleasant surprise; I went to Birmingham Uni to hear a final year students' lunchtime concert and instead found that we were getting a recital from the pianist Di Xiao. I've heard her before when she was at the Conservatoire so I knew we were in for a treat. She's been selected for the 2008-9 Rising Stars series.

10 minutes before the concert was due to start the fire alarm went off and the Barber Institute was evacuated. The fire service arrived about 3 minutes later since they're just down the road.



It soon turned out to be a false alarm and the concert started on time. She played Scarlatti, Schubert, Chopin and Ravel.

This evening I went to hear a new contemporary group called the Swift Ensemble at the Conservatoire. An excellent programme which mixed all sorts of pieces by new and established composers. It included Oliver Knussen's Hums and Songs for Winnie the Pooh - there were several toy Poohs and Tiggers on view while they performed it but no Eeyores - sorry Don B!