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(Benjamin Britten)
This two-person opera was written in 1952 as part of Benjamin
Britten’s The Five Canticles & 3 Purcell Realisations. The piece, written for alto, tenor
and piano, was taken from the Chester Miracle Plays and uses an adaptation
of the original medieval text.
It is a musical portrayal of “The Binding of Isaac” that appears in
Genesis 22 and depicts Abraham taking his son Isaac to Mount Moriah to sacrifice
and the last minute intervention by God. The two singers perform in unison to represent the voice
of God. The premiere recording
was performed by the English tenors John Elwes in the role of Isaac and Peter
Pearson as Abraham. It has
since appeared on recordings such as Benjamin Britten: The Rarities.
Sources:
- http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/abraham/britten.shtml
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binding_of_Isaac#The_binding_of_Isaac_in_music
- http://www.boysoloist.com/artist.asp?VID=339
- http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-198422420.html
- http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2001/Aug01/BrittenRarities.htm
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