Benjamin Britten 's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, one of his most evocative works, is a benchmark in his oeuvre, setting to music poetry by Keats, Tennyson and Blake.
Presenter Michael Berkeley , also Britten's godson, explores the story of a man whose talent led WH Auden to comment that he was the only composer capable of preventing English from sounding ridiculous.
Ian Bostridge is the soloist in a full performance of the Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, recorded in Blythburgh Church in Suffolk. The horn soloist is Timothy Brown and Sir Colin Davis conducts the strings of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Director Jonathan Haswell
Series producer Peter Maniura
Digital widescreen Subtitled .. An accompanying series, Six Pieces of Britain. continues on Radio 3 tomorrow at 2.15pm BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE: available monthly at retailers for £3.95
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