Of the four song cycles Britten composed for voice and larger ensembles, only one – Les Illuminations – sets the words of a single poet (Arthur Rimbaud). The remaining three – Our Hunting Fathers, Serenade and Nocturne – consist of anthologies of poetry, each cycle being held together by its subject matter.
In the case of the Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings, that subject is, as its title suggests, evening as it drifts into night. From the sunsets of Cotton and Tennyson to Keats’ insomniac but drowsy hymn to Sleep, the cycle covers both the beauty and the more sinister aspects of the coming of the dark.
I. Prologue 00:18
II. Pastoral 01:43
III. Nocturne 05:25
IV. Elegy 09:36
V. Dirge 14:09
VI. Hymn 17:39
VII. Sonnet 20:09
VIII. Epilogue 24:38
And here – by popular demand – is the Slovenian live performance of the work:
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Pantygwydr!
The Art of Listening 