Sir Peter Pears; Dennis Brain; “An dem Strom“; Franz Schubert

This channel is the re-establishment of previous channels that have been sadly terminated. =================== Sir Peter Pears--tenor Dennis Brain--horn Noel Mewton-Wood--piano 1953 ================= “The Age of Gold Review by James Leonard [-] With Milton’s The Age of Gold as a title, this disc has a lot to live up to. But this BBC broadcast recital from January 28, 1953, performed by tenor Peter Pears accompanied by pianist Noel Mewton-Wood with guest hornist Dennis Brain, featuring works by Schubert, Beethoven, Hindemith, and Tippett, does indeed qualify as an authentic aesthetic artifact from a golden age of English musicianship. Peter Pears -- with his intimate pianissimos, his ringing fortissimos, and his highly emotional espressivo -- was one of the great tenors of the middle years of the twentieth century, and this recital catches him in his youthful prime. Mewton-Wood was never a household word in America, but in England he was known as an excellent accompanist with wonderful insight into the music. Brain, however, was internationally known as the greatest hornist of his time, and one who worked with the best musicians of the period. The recital begins with Schubert’s Auf dem Strom performed as a deeply soulful duet for Pears and Brain above Mewton-Wood’s sensitive accompaniment. Brain then sits out while Pears performs Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte as a rapturous aria in the form of a song cycle above Mewton-Wood’s almost orchestral accompaniment.“allmusic