Britten: Serenade for Tenor Horn & Strings; Les Illuminations; Nocturne
The three orchestral song cycles collected here are central to the Britten canon of recorded repertoire and whereas Pears' other recordings of the Serenade and Les Illuminations (with Boyd Neel and Benjamin Britten as conductors) have been in circulation, this mono recording with Goossens receives its first and much-anticipated release on CD. All three recordings date from the 1950s and catch Pears in full vocal flight.