Bridge & Britten: Works for Viola

Both Benjamin Britten and his teacher Frank Bridge at one point owned the Giussani viola played by Hélène Clément on this album, which features pieces the two composers wrote for the instrument. The most substantial work here, Britten’s Lachrymae, is a series of pensive variations on a theme by John Dowland and is performed evocatively by Clément. In the Elegy, also by Britten, the Giussani viola’s special eloquence is evident in its deep tonal resonance and vivid responsiveness to Clément’s pizzicatos. Mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly’s stirring performance of Bridge’s Three Songs is another highlight, as is the vein of aching sadness Clément finds in another of Bridge’s works, There Is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook.