The Golden Vanity (Britten)
The Golden Vanity is a
The Golden Vanity was composed in 1966, and
According to Graham, the Vienna Boys Choir gave a "riotous" performance at the premiere; but when they returned to England to perform it at the Royal Festival Hall some months later, they were "absolutely shattered and exhausted" after "one of their interminable world tours". Britten "was furious and lodged a formal complaint with the director of the choir for exploiting and exhausting the boys". The work was subsequently dropped from their repertoire.[2]
Britten set one of the darker versions of the song, in which the brave
The work includes passing literary and musical allusions to Britten's 1951 opera Billy Budd.[3]
It falls into four sections:
- "There Was a Ship Came from the North Country"
- "Then Up Spake the Cabin-boy"
- "Casting His Clothes Off He Dived into the Sea"
- "They Laid Him on the Deck"
A typical performance takes about 18 minutes.[6]
Recordings
- 1993 – The Wandsworth School Boys' Choir, Benjamin Britten (piano), Russell Burgess (choral director). Decca CD 436 397-2; recorded 1970 [4][6][7]
- 1994 –
- 2005 – Fuga Libera FUG507 CD [9]
References
- ^ Liner notes to Decca SET 445 (1970) and CD Box Set 475 6040, p.28
- ^ ISBN 0-571-14324-5.
- ^ ISBN 0-460-04350-1.
- ^ a b Liner notes to Decca CD 436 397-2.
- ^ a b "Listening to Britten – The Golden Vanity, Op.78". Good Morning Britten. December 23, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ AllMusic. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ "Britten's Noye's Fludde and The Golden Vanity". The Gramophone. October 9, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ^ Wiener Sängerknaben, Andrei Gavrilov – Britten – The Golden Vanity at Discogs
- ^ Monnaie Children's Choir, Bruno Crabbé – Britten – Works for Children's Voices at Discogs