Phaedra - Benjamin Britten

Vocal score of Phaedra, which was written as a vehicle for the remarkable talents of Dame Janet Baker. Modelled on the Italian Baroque cantatas of Handel, the series of arias for voices and strings, and recitatives for voice with continuo result in a extraordinarily taut and economical work, both intense and emotionally charged. Containing enough drama to sustain a full-length opera, Phaedra is a microcosm of that form, a remarkable 16-minute scena, and Britten's last masterpiece for his favoured medium, the voice.