Britten: Our Hunting Fathers, Quatre chansons françaises, Folksongs & Sinfonietta

To celebrate the 50th birthday of English conductor Daniel Harding. Although he became one of the leading figures of the Virgin Classics label (whose catalogue is now owned by Warner) in the late 1990s, his first notable recording was made for EMI Classics. Not yet 22 years old, he had the daunting task of accompanying the great tenor Ian Bostridge in a highly original Britten program devoted to relatively early vocal works, including harmonizations of English and French folk songs, and his first (instrumental) opus, the Sinfonietta. Accompanied by the aptly named Britten Sinfonia, he acquits himself perfectly and this album, now available for the first time in its entirety in digital format, is an important milestone in the discography of this little-known aspect of the composer's work.