Britten. Piano Concerto. Mewton-wood/pears

Peter Pears (tenor), Noel Mewton-Wood (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, Basil Cameron

Britten: Piano Concerto; Seiber: To Poetry; Bush: Voices of the Prophets

This disc brings to light both the unjustly neglected talents of Australian pianist Noel Mewton-Wood and two rare recordings by the great English tenor Peter Pears. This is the first commercial release of these performances, originally recorded by the BBC in 1947 and 1953. Mewton-Wood died at the age of thirty-one and made very few commercial recordings. Therefore, any broadcasts that add to his recorded legacy are of the utmost importance. Benjamin Britten gave the premiere of his Piano Concerto at the 1938 Proms, but revised the work in 1945. This revised version was first recorded in 1947 by Mewton-Wood, joined by the London Symphony Orchestra and Basil Cameron. The vocal works here were commissioned by Pears for a recital that he and Mewton-Wood gave in May 1953. Four months later, the BBC asked the two musicians to record the works for future broadcast.