‘Belgian National Orchestra, González-Monjas & Bostridge’

In 1942, Benjamin Britten wrote a new work for the virtuoso Dennis Brain: the Serenade for tenor, horn and string orchestra. A prologue and epilogue for solo horn surround six songs performed at the premiere by Britten's partner Peter Pears. Based on texts by six English poets, including William Blake and John Keats, the theme of these songs is the night. 

When the British composer Edward Elgar returned home one evening, he sat behind the piano to improvise. His wife noticed a tune she liked and Edward Elgar decided to develop it. What started out as a joke turned into a monumental composition that is now one of the most widely performed pieces of music of the 19th century: the Enigma Variations.