Mark Padmore at La Monnaie

Three top-ranking British soloists, including Mark Padmore, who has already been acclaimed at La Monnaie for his rendering of Schumann’s Heine-Lieder, give pride of place to Benjamin Britten on the occasion of the centenary of his birth, with a recital which reflects the many facets of his vocal music. The admiration Britten felt for Purcell is obvious in his arrangements of the composer’s work, particularly the superb arias for counter-tenor. Composed between 1947 and 1974, Britten’s five Canticles are not really a cycle, yet have echoes of the same sacred intensity, whether inspired by the bible or poetry. Closer to miniature drama than to hymn, they bear witness to a stripped back, musical subtlety where the tenor voice is central. Like a silversmith of the English language, Britten polishes, melodically and rhythmically, the songs and sayings of the Romantic poet, William Blake, for baritone voice. An evening that promises to be a captivating journey through an interesting repertoire.