AURORA ORCHESTRA

Slapeloosheid, wie heeft daar zo nu en dan niet last van? Tenor Allan Clayton, dirigent Nicholas Collon en het Aurora Orchestra nemen het als uitgangspunt voor Insomnia, waarop naast Brittens Nocturen ook nummers van R.E.M. (I’ve Been High) en The Beatles’ Blackbird een prominente plaats krijgen. Is daarmee het resultaat vooral slaapverwekkend? Nee, integendeel. Zonder uitzondering zijn de arrangementen inventief en Claytons stem houdt ons beurtelings wakker en zingt ons liefdevol in slaap.



INSOMNIA
AURORA ORCHESTRA / Nicholas COLLON
Allan CLAYTON, tenor


Programma
IVOR GURNEY, ARR. IAIN FARRINGTON - [1] Sleep
FRANÇOIS COUPERIN, ARR. THOMAS ADÈS - [2] Les baricades mistérieuses
BENJAMIN BRITTEN - 3-10 Nocturne Op. 60
JOHN LENNON / PAUL MCCARTNEY, ARR. IAIN FARRINGTON - [11] Blackbird
BRETT DEAN - [12] Pastoral Symphony
GYÖRGY LIGETI - [13] Poème symphonique
PETER LAWRENCE BUCK / MICHAEL MILLS / MICHAEL STIPE, ARR. RICHARD TOGNETTI - [14] I've been high



Insomnia is the second Warner Classics album from the innovative, imaginative Aurora Orchestra and its Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon. In a typically colourful themed programme it explores the night, its thoughts and dreams and the hazy space between waking and sleeping. Britten's Nocturne – with tenor Allan Clayton – and Brett Dean's Pastoral Symphony are juxtaposed with music by Couperin, Ligeti, Gurney, The Beatles and R.E.M.

At the heart of Insomnia are two major works: Benjamin Britten's Nocturne for tenor (here sung by soloist Allan Clayton, described by The Telegraph as a "rising star") and chamber orchestra, which, composed in 1958, sets poetry by Shakespeare, Shelley and Tennyson; and Pastoral Symphony by the contemporary Australian composer Brett Dean, which was premiered in Paris in 2001. Dean has described his piece as being "about glorious birdsong, the threat that it faces, the loss, and the soulless noise that we're left with when the birds are all gone".

In typically enterprising fashion, Aurora has complemented these two central works with music from the 18th century – François Couperin's keyboard piece Les baricades mistérieuses in an arrangement by Thomas Adès – and from the 20th century – Ivor Gurney's song 'Sleep' and György Ligeti's Poème symphonique (written for 100 ticking metronomes!). Joining them are versions of two pop songs: The Beatles' 'Blackbird' and R.E.M.'s 'I've Been High'. A bonus track, available from iTunes, is Samuel Barber's gloriously lyrical song 'Sure on this shining night'.