Britten and Nico Muhly

Wigmore Hall’s Britten commemoration turns to three works that encompass his profound understanding of the singing voice and phenomenal ability to draw out the maximum colour and expression from the poetic texts he chose to set. Britten conducted the world première of his Serenade for tenor, horn and strings at Wigmore Hall in 1943, while Les Illuminations received its first complete performance here three years earlier. O/Modernt’s programme also includes Phaedra, Britten’s final vocal work, and the UK première of Nico Muhly’s meditation on the music of John Sheppard and William Byrd.