Britten Sinfonia
The Britten Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra that, in its own words, "is inspired by the ethos of Benjamin Britten through world-class performances, illuminating and distinctive programmes where old meets new, and a deep commitment to bringing outstanding music to both the world's finest concert halls and the local community." The orchestra was heard on several albums in 2021, including recordings of Grayston Ives' Requiem and the rare Donizetti opera Il Paria.
The Britten Sinfonia was founded in 1992 and is based in Cambridge, England. Among the founders was the choral conductor Nicholas Cleobury. The Sinfonia operates without a principal conductor, with David Butcher serving as chief executive and artistic director from its founding until 2020. He was succeeded that year by Meurig Bowen. The Sinfonia, made up of freelance musicians working on a project-by-project basis, performs about 70 concerts a year, generally moving from place to place and taking up short residences in cities where it works with local musicians and performing arts presenters. The ensemble's project collaborators have included composers (Thomas Adès, Roderick Williams, James MacMillan), performers (Ian Bostridge, Iestyn Davies, Polyphony), conductors (Masaaki Suzuki), and jazz and popular musicians (Brad Mehldau, Rufus Wainwright).
An Associate Ensemble at the Barbican in London, the Britten Sinfonia has also held residencies in Norwich, Cambridge (where it is an Ensemble-in-Residence at the University), and elsewhere. The group has a chamber music series at London's Wigmore Hall and has appeared at the prestigious Aldeburgh Festival and BBC Proms. The Britten Sinfonia has toured North and South America, continental Europe, and Asia, including a tour of China in May 2016, with performances in Shanghai, Beijing, and Wuhan. The Britten Sinfonia, a nonprofit organization and registered charity, encompasses a Creative Learning Department, which offers a Britten Sinfonia Academy for young musicians to train and perform with members of the orchestra, as well as a Britten Sinfonia Academy Composer Hub to mentor young composers. In 2013, the orchestra launched the OPUS composition competition, inviting submissions from unpublished composers of any age. This competition was divided into two in 2021: Opus 1 and Magnum Opus. That year, the Britten Sinfonia was heard on an Opera Rara recording of Donizetti's Il Paria, under Sir Mark Elder, as well as the Signum Classics recordings Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 7-9; Gerald Barry: The Eternal Recurrence, conducted by Thomas Adès, and Grayston Ives: Requiem, with the Jesus College Choir, Cambridge, under conductor Richard Pinel.
© James Manheim & Keith Finke /TiVo
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Orchestral Anthems: Elgar | Finzi | Dyson | Howells
Choir of Merton College, Oxford, Benjamin Nicholas, Britten Sinfonia
Classical - Released by Delphian Records on 23 Jun 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rutter: Orchestral Carols
Daniel Hyde, Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Britten Sinfonia
Classical - Released by Kings College Cambridge on 24 Nov 2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mercadante: Il proscritto
Opera - Released by Opera Rara on 14 Apr 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Delius: Hassan - complete incidental music
Zeb Soanes, Britten Sinfonia Voices, Britten Sinfonia, Jamie Phillips
Theatre Music - Released by Chandos on 19 Apr 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Casta Diva - Operatic arias transcribed for trumpet
Matilda Lloyd, Britten Sinfonia, Rumon Gamba
Opera - Released by Chandos on 28 Apr 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Grayston Ives: Requiem
Choir of Jesus College Cambridge, Britten Sinfonia
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 16 Jul 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Complete Symphonies & Barry: Selected Works
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 21 Oct 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
James MacMillan : Stabat Mater
Britten Sinfonia, The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Sacred Vocal Music - Released by Coro on 3 Mar 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Messiah
Polyphony, Britten Sinfonia, Stephen Layton
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Nov 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lauridsen: O magnum mysterium, Lux aeterna, Ubi caritas & Other Choral Works
Polyphony, Britten Sinfonia, Stephen Layton
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Mar 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
John Rutter: Visions
Daniel Hyde, Hannah Perowne, Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Britten Sinfonia
Classical - Released by King’s College, Cambridge on 22 Mar 2024
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hartmann: Concerto funebre; Violin Sonatas & Suites
Alina Ibragimova, Britten Sinfonia
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 27 Aug 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vaughan Williams: Beyond My Dream – Music for Greek Plays
Heather Lowe, Joyful Company of Singers, Britten Sinfonia, Alan Tongue
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Albion on 12 Jan 2018
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Traveller • Earth and Sky
Ex Cathedra, Britten Sinfonia, Jeffrey Skidmore
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 7 Jul 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 7, 8 & 9 – Barry: The Eternal Recurrence
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 9 Apr 2021
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Blessed city, heavenly Salem (Version for Choir and Orchestra)
Choir of Merton College Oxford, Britten Sinfonia, Benjamin Nicholas
Classical - Released by Delphian Records on 5 May 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
English Fantasia: Vaughan Williams, Delius & Elgar
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 16 Jul 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
James MacMillan: Symphony No. 5 "Le grand Inconnu" & The Sun Danced
The Sixteen, Britten Sinfonia, Harry Christophers
Classical - Released by CORO on 3 Apr 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonies 1, 2 & 3 - Barry: Beethoven & Piano Concerto
Classical - Released by Signum Records on 17 Apr 2020
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Donizetti: Il Paria
Albina Shagimuratova, René Barbera, Misha Kiria, Marko Mimica, Mark Elder, Britten Sinfonia
Opera - Released by Opera Rara on 15 Jan 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo