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Please select A Charm of Lullabies op. 41 An American Overture Ballad of Heroes op. 14 Canadian Carnival (Kermesse Canadienne) op. 19 Cantata academica, carmen basiliense op. 62 Cantata misericordium op. 69 Chacony in G minor, Z 730 Diversions op. 21 Double Concerto Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes op. 33a Fourteen Folk Songs Friday Afternoons op. 7 God Save the Queen Irish Reel Johnson over Jordan King Arthur Lachrymae op. 48a Les Illuminations op. 18 Love from a Stranger Matinées musicales op. 24 Men of Goodwill Mont Juic op. 12 Movement for Clarinet and Orchestra Nocturne Op. 60 Now sleeps the crimson petal Occasional Overture op. 38 Our Hunting Fathers op. 8 Pas de six, from 'The Prince of the Pagodas' op. 57a Passacaglia from Peter Grimes op. 33b Paul Bunyan Overture Phaedra op. 93 Piano Concerto op. 13 Praise We Great Men Prelude and Dances from the ballet 'The Prince of the Pagodas' op. 57b Prelude and Fugue op. 29 Quatre chansons françaises Rejoice in the Lamb op. 30 Scottish Ballad op. 26 Serenade op. 31 Simple Symphony op. 4 Sinfonia da Requiem op. 20 Sinfonietta op. 1 Soirées musicales op. 9 Spring Night Spring Symphony op. 44 St John Passion, BWV 245 Suite from Death in Venice op. 88a Suite from the Ballet, The Prince of the Pagodas, op. 57 Suite of Songs from Orpheus Britannicus Suite on English Folk Tunes op. 90 Symphonic Suite 'Gloriana' op. 53a Symphony for Cello and Orchestra op. 68 Te Deum in C major Temporal Variations The Building of the House op. 79 The Company of Heaven The National Anthem The Rescue of Penelope The Trout The World of the Spirit The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra op. 34 Three Songs from Orpheus Britannicus Two Portraits Variation on an Elizabethan Theme Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge op. 10 Violin Concerto op. 15 War Requiem op. 66 Welcome Ode op. 95 Welcome Suite What the Wild Flowers tell Me Young Apollo op. 16

Our Hunting Fathers op. 8

Written as a commission from the Norfolk and Norwich Festival and described by the composer as ‘my real opus 1’, Britten’s first mature song-cycle is also his first work to deal with a recurring theme in his output: man’s inhumanity to man. A tour-de-force of vocal bravura (for either soprano or tenor soloist) and of orchestral virtuosity, Our Hunting Fathers is becoming increasingly recognized as one of Britten’s most original and brilliantly daring early works.

 

symphonic cycle for high voice and orchestra

Text source Text devised by W. H. Auden

Dedication

'Dedicated to Ralph Hawkes, Esq.'

Publisher

B&H 1936 (vocal score); 1964 (full score, miniature score)

Formats and Availability

Miniature score, vocal score (Benjamin Britten) on sale; full score, orchestral parts for hire

Orchestra

2 fl (II=picc), 2 ob (II=ca), cl in B flat (=A), cl in E flat (=bass cl), alto sax, 2 bn-4 hn, 2 tpt in C, 2 trbn, bass trbn, tuba-timp, 2 perc (sd, td, cymb, bd, xyl, trgl, tamb)-harp-str

Movements/songs

Prologue (W. H. Auden) 1 Rats away! (anon.) 2 Messalina (anon.) 3 Dance of Death (Thomas Ravenscroft) Epilogue and Funeral March (W. H. Auden)

Performance Information

First performance

25 September 1936, St Andrew's Hall, Norwich, Norfolk and Norwich Triennial Music Festival. Sophie Wyss sop, LPO, Benjamin Britten cond

First broadcast

30 April 1937, BBC National (BBC Concert of Contemporary Music). Sophie Wyss sop, BBC Orchestra (Section D), Sir Adrian Boult cond

Britten recording

1961 (BBC Enterprises, rel. 1981). Peter Pears ten, LSO, Benjamin Britten cond

Notes

The possibility of a new Britten work for the 1936 Norwich Festival was first broached in February 1934, though it was not until 2 January 1936 that Britten began discussing the work with Auden. [Diaries]The composition draft is dated 'June 27^th 1936'. Peter Pears first sang the work (only its second concert performance [CM fax dated 10.02.98]) in June 1950 at Chelsea Town Hall with the Chelsea Symphony Orchestra conducted by Norman Del Mar. The revisions of 1961 (made in preparation for BBC recording sessions on 11 June 1961) involved some rescoring of the Epilogue.

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