DECCA 2-LP BOX SET 252-3: Benjamin BRITTEN - War Requiem, Op. 66 - 1963 UK

Sold Date: January 12, 2018
Start Date: January 11, 2018
Final Price: $99.99 (USD)
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Background -

There are records and then there are "RECORDS". This one belongs in the latter category. Decca is one of the most highly collectible labels produced. The LPs the company issued in the "golden age" of LP recordings are the most sought after by audiophiles across the globe.

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh OM CH (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British classical music, with a range of works including opera, other vocal music, orchestral and chamber pieces. His best-known works include the opera Peter Grimes (1945), the War Requiem (1962) and the orchestral showpiece The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (1945).

Born in Suffolk, the son of a dentist, Britten showed talent from an early age. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London and privately with the composer Frank Bridge. Britten first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy was Born in 1934. With the premiere of Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to international fame. Over the next 28 years, he wrote 14 more operas, establishing himself as one of the leading 20th-century composers in the genre. In addition to large-scale operas for Sadler's Wells and Covent Garden, he wrote "chamber operas" for small forces, suitable for performance in venues of modest size. Among the best known of these is The Turn of the Screw (1954). Recurring themes in his operas include the struggle of an outsider against a hostile society and the corruption of innocence.

Britten's other works range from orchestral to choral, solo vocal, chamber and instrumental as well as film music. He took a great interest in writing music for children and amateur performers, including the opera Noye's Fludde, a Missa Brevis, and the song collection Friday Afternoons. He often composed with particular performers in mind. His most frequent and important muse was his personal and professional partner, the tenor Peter Pears; others included Kathleen Ferrier, Jennifer Vyvyan, Janet Baker, Dennis Brain, Julian Bream, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Mstislav Rostropovich. Britten was a celebrated pianist and conductor, performing many of his own works in concert and on record. He also performed and recorded works by others, such as Bach's Brandenburg concertos, Mozart symphonies, and song cycles by Schubert and Schumann.

Together with Pears and the librettist and producer Eric Crozier, Britten founded the annual Aldeburgh Festival in 1948, and he was responsible for the creation of Snape Maltings concert hall in 1967. In his last year, he was the first composer to be given a life peerage.

The War Requiem, Op. 66, is a large-scale, non-liturgical setting of the Requiem composed by Benjamin Britten mostly in 1961 and completed in January 1962. The War Requiem was performed for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, which was built after the original fourteenth-century structure was destroyed in a World War II bombing raid. The traditional Latin texts are interspersed, in telling juxtaposition, with settings of poems by Wilfred Owen, written in World War I. The work is scored for soprano, tenor and baritone soloists, chorus, boys' choir, organ, and two orchestras (a full orchestra and a chamber orchestra). The chamber orchestra accompanies the intimate settings of the English poetry, while soprano, choirs and orchestra are used for the Latin sections; all forces are combined in the conclusion. The Requiem has a duration of approximately 90 minutes.

Britten's War Requiem (1963) is the first recording of Britten's War Requiem. It featured Galina Vishnevskaya, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Peter Pears with the London Symphony Orchestra and The Bach Choir and was conducted by Britten himself. The recording took place in the Kingsway Hall in London and was produced by John Culshaw for Decca. Within five months of its release in May 1963 it sold 200,000 copies, an unheard-of number for a piece of contemporary classical music at that time. Britten wrote the music with the performers in this recording in mind. He did not originally intend to have a female soloist but hearing Vishnevskaya sing at Aldeburgh inspired him to include one Fischer-Diskau and Pears sang at the first performance however Vishnevskaya was unable due to visa restrictions imposed by the USSR because the piece was seen as "too political". She was however permitted to appear in the recording sessions meaning Britten's intended line-up of a singer from each of Russia, Germany and the UK was achieved.

Recording producer John Culshaw reports that Vishnevskaya threw a tantrum during the recording, as she believed – not having performed the work before – she was being insulted by being placed with the choir instead of at the front with the male soloists.

The recording was exceptionally well received. Gramophone in their review of the first release praised John Culshaw and his team and said "the stereo reproduces the three different planes of sound even more convincingly than any 'live' performance could". The Daily Mail reported that "the Requiem is the highest point of a career that has made Britten one of the world's richest composers". At the 1963 Grammy Awards the album won Classical Album of the Year.

The first thing you realize when working with Benjamin Britten is that he is a thorough professional, though he lives in an era which has tended, in all branches of the arts, to glorify the amateur. It is because of his professional approach that he is so admired by orchestral musicians, despite his shyness about conducting. Any score he writes reveals a unique knowledge of instrumental capabilities, and in rehearsal he talks to the musicians in their own language – without fuss, and always with practical point. 'Strings, I'm going to beat out the very first bar, so watch me. We must be together and get the rhythm right to begin with, but after that I'm not going to spoon-feed you.' For myself, I would like to press-gang just about every star conductor under 45 and make him listen to a Britten rehearsal: the precise instructions, the knowledge of breath control applied to wind and brass instruments, the willingness to ask and take advice of a skilled player and – above all – the refusal to make rehearsals boring by talking too much and playing too little. 

The decision to record the War Requiem was taken by the Directors of Decca before the work was completed, and at that time – December 1961 – there was some thought of recording it live at the first performance in Coventry Cathedral during May 1962. Fortunately this idea had to be abandoned; for although the occasion was a great one, the musical result did something less than justice to the work, and the BBC transcription provides pretty strong evidence against those few critics who still insist on the sanctity of live performances transferred to disc. No amount of talk about 'atmosphere' will alter the fact that a great deal went sadly awry in Coventry that night. That the War Requiem survived such a series of understandable – and, in the case of a single performance, unimportant-mishaps is a tribute to its resilience. 

When it comes to recording, Britten is a joy to work with because he understands that technical developments and improvements are made solely to assist the artist towards a more accurate representation of his work. It requires much more complex and delicate equipment to make a fine stereo recording than a mono; and such equipment demands greater sensitivity on the part of all concerned. You cannot begin to make a good record with an artist whose head is so elevated that he spurns any interest in the technical side, and claims that there is no important difference between recorded sound as it can be today and as it was 10 or 15 years ago. When we wen: planning Peter Grimes a few years ago I went to Aldeburgh to talk to Britten about stereo stage production, because it was something he had not encountered before. He grasped its possibilities and limitations immediately, and discussed every move and effect in detail. 

In other words, he didn't only want to put the notes of Peter Grimes on record: he wanted to take advantage of a medium which had only just come into being. As always, he was treating the matter as a professional. 

The application of stereo to the War Requiem was a different matter, easier in some ways and harder in others. It should be remembered that there are three distinct levels or planes within the structure of the work. Their relationship to one another is fundamental in any performance, for if they fail to balance in terms of sound and perspective both the aural and emotional values of the work may be distorted. In the foreground are the two male soloists-the soldiers-and the chamber orchestra, concerned throughout with the poems of Wilfred Owen. Theirs is the world of here and now: an in tensely personal vision of man driven to an extremity of action and emotion-the extremity of war, and the grief of man for man. Beyond them range the large forces of the Mass itself; soprano soloist, full chorus and orchestra. They represent the formal expression of mourning – the world of ritual – and the liturgical plea for deliverance. Still more distant and separate are the boys' voices and chamber organ: the mystery of innocence and purity conveyed in voices from afar, at an infinite remove from the world of the battlefield. 

The deployment that emerged after discussions with Britten placed the two soldiers and the chamber orchestra on the right in a deliberately dry sort of acoustic, Partly to ensure verbal clarity, and partly to emphasize the often astringent quality of the music for the chamber orchestra (the word 'cold' appears several times in the final song as a tonal instruction to the string players). The large forces of the Mass cover the whole sound area and have a wide open acoustic: a compromise between the smudgy effect of a cathedral and the sort of reverberation desirable for a standard choral work. The boys' chorus and the small organ are on the left in the far distance. Thus, with the composer's help, we were able to embody the perspectives he had in mind when he wrote the War Requiem. 

Such a deployment imposed a tremendous strain on the composer as conductor (for the larger sections of the work there were over 400 participants spread all over Kingsway Hall). But, as always, his directions were specific: 'Chorus, in the first movement please, keep your words and the rhythm clear, but don't sing out. No emotion, no expression: it's a slow procession.' Britten has an intuitive sense not only of how to write a climax, but how to build one when he is conducting. I would mention in particular the headlong plunge into the return of the Dies Irae after Fischer-Dieskau's 'May God curse thee, and cut thee from our soul!" and the approach to the G minor cataclysm in the Libera Me. Britten is extremely modest about his abilities as a conductor, but he is alone in his doubts. It takes a real conductor to control the mighty brass accumulation between (20) and (23) in the Dies Irae, and there is not a single tape join in the passage. 

Everyone present had a sense of taking part in an historic occasion, and I think everyone worked with devotion. I shall not forget Peter Pears who, having given a superb performance of the Agnus Dei to Britten's entire satisfaction, went away to think about it quietly; and then came back an hour later and modestly asked if he might try again. He did, and the sheer perfection of that performance went into the master without alteration. 

Of the work itself I can only say that, having lived with it very closely for about four months, and having heard it upwards of 50 times, its profound impact has not lessened for a moment; on the contrary, like all great music, it yields different values on each hearing. It is a very disturbing piece. The contrasts and indeed contradictions between the three planes of its structure give the War Requiem an extraordinary tension; and their conjunction in the final section of the work is anything but a facile reconciliation. Over these final pages stand, unheard and unset, the words of Wilfred Owen with which Benjamin Britten prefaced the score: 'All a poet can do today is warn.’ - Gramophone LPs made by DECCA Records, in the UK / England / Great Britain
 LPs released in 1963 LPs are recorded in STEREO Record Catalog Number: SET 252-3 Record Labels are primarily VIOLET (PURPLE) & SILVER with inverse SILVER and VIOLET lettering, featuring the Decca Records logo on the record labels, with "Made in England" at the 11 o'clock position. LABELS:
- Violet (Purple) / Silver ‘narrow band' labels
- "MADE IN ENGLAND" at 11 o'clock
- "℗ 1963" at bottom
- Boxed “Decca" logo on all record labels 
- “FFSS” logo on all record labels 
- Matrix numbers printed upside-down
BOX:
- Front laminated
- Stereo printed on spine
- Boxed DECCA logo on front 
- Boxed DECCA logo on insert 
- "The Decca Record Company Limited, England 1963"
- "Sleeve printed in England by MacNeill Press, London S.E.1"
- Sleeve notes in English
INSERT:
- 16-page, full-size booklet, pages all printed
- Contains the lyrics in original language and English translations
OTHER INFORMATION:
CATALOG NUMBERS: 
- SET 252-3 on box and record labels individually (SET 252 and SET 253)
- Sub tracks are not banded on vinyl
• Matrix / Runout (Side A (stamped)): ZAL-5927-5W
• Matrix / Runout (Side B (stamped)): ZAL-5928-8W
• Matrix / Runout (Side C (stamped)): ZAL-5929-8W
• Matrix / Runout (Side D (stamped)): ZAL-5930-6W This listing is for a super rare, out of print 2-LP boxed title - an OPENED and in near mint minus condition LP PRESSED and ISSUED by DECCA Records of a highly collectible title from their catalog - a superb title featuring -

Benjamin Britten

LP Title and Music on this rare LP -

Benjamin Britten - War Requiem

War Requiem Opus 66
A1. I Requiem Aeternam
A2. II Dies Irae (Part One)
B1. II Dies Irae (Conclusion)
B2. III Offertorium
C1. IV Sanctus
C2. V Agnus Dei
D. VI Libera Me
Performers / Credits on this disc include -
• Baritone Vocals – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
• Choir – Highgate School Choir
• Chorus – London Symphony Orchestra Chorus, The Bach Choir
• Chorus Master – David Willcocks
• Chorus Master [Director Of Music Highgate School Choir] – Edward Chapman
• Composed By – Benjamin Britten
• Conductor – Benjamin Britten
• Engineer [Recording] – Kenneth Wilkinson
• Ensemble – Melos Ensemble
• Liner Notes [Commentary] – John Culshaw
• Liner Notes [Preface] – William Plomer
• Mastered By – D (36) (tracks: A1 to A2), E (24) (tracks: B1 to D)
• Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
• Organ – Simon Preston
• Photography By – Ilse Buhs, Lotte Meitner-Graf
• Producer [Recording] – John Culshaw
• Soprano Vocals – Galina Vishnevskaya
• Technician [Chamber Organ Built By] – Noel Mander
• Tenor Vocals – Peter Pears
• Words By [Poems] – Wilfred Owen
• Other (Record 1 Catalog# on label): SET 252
• Other (Record 2 Catalog# on label): SET 253
• Matrix / Runout (Side A (stamped)): ZAL-5927-5W
• Matrix / Runout (Side B (stamped)): ZAL-5928-8W
• Matrix / Runout (Side C (stamped)): ZAL-5929-8W
• Matrix / Runout (Side D (stamped)): ZAL-5930-6W
• Recorded At – Kingsway Hall
• Printed By – MacNeill Press Ltd.
Recording First Published 1963 
Recorded on 3-5, 7, 8 & 10 January 1963 
Includes a 16-page 12" booklet with liner notes and sung texts 
Mono version released with catalog # MET 252-3              
Words from 'Missa pro Defunctis' sung in Latin. 
In loving memory of 
- Roger Burney (Sub-Lieutenant, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve) 
- Piers Dunkerley (Captain, Royal Marines) 
- David Gill (Ordinary Seaman, Royal Navy) 
- Michael Halliday (Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve Lieutenant) 
The portrait of Wildred Owens from the collection of Mr. Harold Owen. 
The poems reproduced in the text of the requiem by kind permission of the publishers, Chatto & Windus Limited and Mr. Harold Owen.

CONDITION Details: The LP box is in near mint minus condition. The box is tight and clean, with NO splits or crushed corners. The corners are solid. The colors on the box are sharp with NO discoloration on the front or back. The corners and seams show a bit of shelf wear due to the age (see pictures with this listing for more detail as they are of the actual item). 
The LPs are in near mint minus condition! There are no serious marks on the vinyl. There may be some very light spider marks on the LPs which are caused by sliding the LP in and out of the inner sleeve. Most of the time, these types of marks are not audible, but it really depends on the sensitivity of your audio gear. This is not a new audiophile LP....some extraneous sound is inevitable and should be expected for a vintage LP. A record from the 1960s is rarely perfect. The LP retains much of the original gloss and sheen! There are NO serious spindle marks on the record labels either. That said, acquiring a vintage LP like this is for the performance and rarity of the LP, not necessarily just for the sound quality.
A Short Note About LP GRADING - Mint {M} = Only used for sealed items. Near Mint {NM} = Virtually flawless in every way. Near Mint Minus {NM-} = Item has some minor imperfections, some audible. Excellent {EXC} = Item obviously played and enjoyed with some noise. Very Good Plus {VG+} = Many more imperfections which are noticeable and obtrusive.

For best results, always thoroughly clean your LPs before playing them.

LPs can be audiophile quality pressings (any collector of fine MFSL, half speeds, direct to discs, Japanese/UK pressings etc., can attest to the difference a quality pressing can make to an audio system).

Don't let this rarity slip by!!!