Britten Thematic Catalogue

Beta Version

BTC587 QUATRE CHANSONS FRANCAISES

For high voice and orchestra
Period of composition: 17 Jun - 31 Aug 1928
First performance: 30 Mar 1980 >>
Type of performance: Broadcast
Location: BBC Radio 3 (pre-recorded on 4 Jun 1979)
Performance details:

Heather Harper sop, English Chamber Orchestra, Steuart Bedford cond.

Genre: Solo vocal
Text: Victor Hugo (1802 -1885) (Nos 1 and 3); Paul Verlaine (1844-1896) (Nos 2 and 4)
Performing forces:

Orchestra: 2 fl, 0b, 2 cl in B flat (I=cl in A), bass cl, 2 bn - 4 hn - perc (susp cymb) - pf, harp - str

Dedication: 'Dedicated to Mr and Mrs R. V. Britten on the twenty-seventh aniversary of their wedding, September 5th 1928'

Notes

Published in 1982. Britten later arranged this work for voice and piano (see 'Related works' above). The published vocal score is a reduction of the orchestral version, not Britten's voice and piano arrangement.

All content copyright (C) Britten-Pears Foundation 2012 unless stated. Please note all BTC numbers are provisional at this stage.