Phaedra was the composer's last vocal work, written in 1975 and first performed by Dame Janet Baker at the Aldeburgh Festival on 16 June 1976. Britten assembled the libretto from parts of a translation of Racine's Phèdre by Robert Lowell. Stylistically, it draws from the Baroque cantata tradition.
Date of composition | 1975 (July - 12 August 1975) |
Premiered | 1976, June 16th (Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Aldeburgh Festival) in Aldeburgh, United Kingdom |
Dedicated to | 'For Janet Baker' |
Type | Cantata |
Catalogue | BTC 1167 |
Approx. duration | 15 minutes |
Instruments |
Voice (Mezzo-Soprano)
Orchestra |
Autotranslations beta |
Benjamin Britten: Phaedra, BTC 1167 Benjamin Britten: Phaedra, BTC 1167 Benjamin Britten: Phaedra, BTC 1167 |