Benjamin Britten: Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo, op. 22
The song cycle was written in 1940, to be perfromed by the composer playing the piano part and Peter Pears singing. They were together from 1939 until Britten’s death, and their relationship was almost like an ideal marriage, although it had to be kept a secret, since homosexuality wasn’t decriminalised until 1967. Britten met Pears in the 1930’s, while being his accompanist. Many vocal parts, for example, the title role from the opera Peter Grimes were written especially for the vocal qualities of Pears. The sonnets’ Italian language served the purpose to express his feelings more freely. Michelangelo, who was not only a painter, but a Renaissance polyhistor, wrote these sonnets for his lover. Unfortunately Michelangelo lived in an age when being gay was not accepted by society, and maybe this is one of the reasony why his poetry is not well known.
This song cycle represents Britten’s musical syle which cannot be described by simple lables (although his musical language is sometimes almost neoclassical). The songs’ titles are the following in English:
I. Just as pen and ink
II. To what purpose do I express my intense desire
III. I see through your lovely eyes a sweet light
IV. You know that I know, my lord, that you know
V. Give back to my eyes, o fountains and rivers
VI. If there is a chastise love, a heavenly pity
VII. Noble spirit, in whom is reflected
I chose Britten and Pears’ performance for this song cycle.
Noémi Baki-Szmaler, guest editor - @une-barque-sur-l-ocean
