Given the exceptional and varied musical talent that gathered each summer for Benjamin Britten’s Aldeburgh Festival concerts, it’s no surprise that these performances resulted in rare and often magical collaborations, many of which, fortunately for us, were recorded by the BBC. The main attraction here is the Liebeslieder Waltzes Op. 52–part of a 1968 concert titled “Four Voices and Four Hands”–featuring six such outstanding artists, including Britten himself at the piano. But the real surprises are found in the lovely and rarely heard Tchaikovsky duets, performed with absolute ease and engaging style by the incomparable Heather Harper and Janet Baker, and in the charming Rossini songs, all of which is complemented by Britten’s equally masterful accompaniment. Highlights include some of Pears’ most endearing and lyrical singing in “Nicht wandle, mein Licht” and Harper’s sublime rendition of Rossini’s “La promessa”. You’ll barely notice the very polite audience during the performances. [9/27/1999]
