Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Benjamin Britten's five Canticles have been popular in 2013, the centenary of his birth. While it is difficult to pick any single work as being typical of a composer with such wide interests perhaps the Canticles come closest. Britten was a master of setting songs and here the five poems he has selected must have challenged him in different ways. They are "My Beloved Is Mine" by Francis Quarles (1592-1644), "Abraham And Isaac" from an anonymous 15th century poet, "Still Falls The Rain - The Raids. Night And Dawn" by Dame Edith Sitwell (1887-1964), and two by T S Eliot (1888-1963), "Journey Of The Magi" and "The Death Of Saint Narcissus". All five Canticles gave Peter Pears, Britten's favourite tenor, ample opportunity to show his talent. On this new recording it is Mark Padmore who takes centre stage and delivers five excellent performances, ably assisted by Iestyn Davies (countertenor), Marcus Farnsworth (baritone), Julius Drake (piano), Lucy Wakeford (harp), and Richard Watkins (horn). There are many other recordings available, whether you chose to go back to those made under Britten himself or more recent takes. I am sure that Britten aficionados will want as many as they can get but for the rest of us one recording of the five Canticles is a vital part of any collection of twentieth century classical music. This Wigmore Hall Live CD is certainly good enough to recommend, the audio quality is excellent and the booklet notes informative. All in all, this is a worthy commemoration of Benjamin Britten's centenary.

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