Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings (Pieces by Goossens, Ireland, Walton) – John Wilson

For this third album of English music for strings, John Wilson and Sinfonia of London have built a fascinating programme featuring four composers whose lives and works were intertwined. The centrepiece of the programme is Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, performed here with Laurence Kilsby (tenor) and Christopher Parkes (horn). This early masterpiece was composed in 1943 for Peter Pears and Denis Brain. Following the success of the premiere, the same soloists went on to record the work twice: once in 1944 with the composer conducting, and again in 1953 with the New Symphony Orchestra of London conducted by Eugene Goossens. Goossens also conducted the first recordings of works by Ireland (Mai-Dun) and Walton (Violin Concerto), and was one of Britten’s teachers at the Royal College of Music. Walton and Britten also became close friends, following the first Performance of Walton’s The Bear at Britten’s Aldeburgh Festival in 1967.