Britten's Canticles

with James Way, Lotte Betts-Dean and Ross Ramgobin

Wed 16 Apr 2025, 19:30 ,Milton Court Concert Hall

Three outstanding young singers unite in a programme of love, loss, and remembrance, where Schubert and Errollyn Wallen are entwined in Britten’s five haunting canticles.

There’s no mistaking the seductive sensuality mingled with flirtation and rapture that underpins the first of Britten’s five self-contained miniatures, written for his partner and muse Peter Pears. From the dark, horn-drenched setting of Edith Sitwell to the lambent opening of Abraham and Isaac and a glittering meditation on the death of Saint Nicholas, together they inhabit a richly diverse, exquisitely delineated emotional universe.

As well as being in demand for the music of the baroque repertoire James Way is regularly praised for his interpretations of 20th century music and that of Stravinsky and Britten in particular. ‘With a natural command of the stage, James Way was a consistent scene stealer’ (The New York Times).

James Way will be joined by multi-faceted mezzo Lotte Betts-Dean; and British baritone Ross Ramgobin.