Fabulous Friday: *Les Illuminations*

This is one of my favorite pieces of music - - Benjamin Britten's Les Illuminations, settings of poems by Arthur Rimbaud. It's an early piece, opus 18 written when Britten was only 27. The vocal writing it first class and the string writing is out of this world.

This performance is both sung and conducted by Barbara Hannigan. It's very interesting watching her transition from one activity to the other and also fun seeing how little the orchestra needs her conducting. Sometimes she just gets them started and they chug along on their own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QexU2At_lLQ