Britten: Holy Sonnets of John Donne- "Batter my heart"

Britten: Holy Sonnets of John Donne -
No.II " Batter my heart"
Paul Austin Kelly, tenor
Michael Recchiuti, piano




more @ www.michaelrecchiuti.com




Batter my heart, three-person'd God ; for you
As yet but knock ; breathe, shine, and seek to mend ;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but O, to no end.
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy ;
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Britten
• Donne
• art
• song
• sonnet
• tenor
• poem

[SapiensVeritatis]

I have nothing against the performers of this, who were excellent. The music itself, however, doesn't really seem to capture the theme and the mood of the poem. The piano, while quite virtuosic, is really just playing a bunch of fast notes that do not work as accompaniment. The voice part doesn't capture the pathos of the octave, in which the speaker begs God to remake him anew, and the ethos of the sestet in which he compares a spiritual rebirth to being ravished.

[NunzioTornar]

Good observations. I think Britten often sacrifices clarity of dramatic declamation by the vocal registers he employs. Very few of these sonnet settings make an emotional shift between octave and sestet - they are more through-composed.

[AndrewRudin]

Yes, yes, yes. I'm searching for "Since she whom I loved", the most beautiful of all the songs in this cycle, iMO. As for Britten's setting of "Batter my heart", it sure beats the hell out of what John Adams did with it in Doctor Atomic. I don't think he had a clue what this poem is about.

[EIDOSeidos]

I wish some public-spirited person would upload #6 from the cycle, 'Since she whom I loved' (#17 of the Holy Sonnets); it gets my vote as the finest of the set.

[Marg002]

Don't agree with the complaints about how Britten sets this. Want to REALLY hear it set in a completely misunderstood way.... by someone who hasn't a clue what the text is about, or any regard for its structure as a sonnet? Listen to John Adams' version. Really clueless.

[stevevandien]

My finest voice teacher was a tenor who sang these Donne/Britten songs very powerfully. In rehearsal, however, he was perfectly willing to reduce the tension by being outrageous. I once heard him sing: "Batter my FISH, three pieces of COD!" But as I say, he limited such liberties to rehearsals. And he left me weeping after his first public performance of these great songs:) --

[fagottist]

i think adams' version is the best

[SapiensVeritatis]

That's true. Perhaps because I am more familiar with the Baroque than 20th century music such as this I felt as such. Of course, the brilliant and timeless words of the poet shine through regardless.

[stevevandien]

The "Holy Sonnets of John Donne" are among Britten's highest achievements, certainly one of the 20th century's finest song cycles. Kelly and Recchiuti do "Batter my heart" full justice. Perhaps I'm biased, because my primary voice teacher, a tenor, performs these marvelous songs magnificently:) --

[lolirocker]

Oh wow! This is pretty awesome to hear musically. Thanks for posting it! Too bad so few people really know his works :(