John Mark Ainsley . Roger Vignoles

The British Tenor John Mark Ainsley is the champion of English song. His interpretations of Britten's songs make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck; his portrayal of 'Winter Words' is simply breathtaking. Britten's intriguing 'Winter Words' song cycle, set to Thomas Hardy's beautiful poems, could be considered as the British counterpart to Schubert's 'Winterreise'. Both cycles begin with the evocation of a bleak and stark landscape, using D minor and ending in D major with the same modulation. The closing song from 'Winter Words' is just as forceful and enigmatic as 'Der Leiermann'. Britten, who was a gifted song accompanist, was a great admirer of Schubert. Together with his soulmate, the tenor Peter Pears, they formed the basis of the revival of Schubert song in England. Schubert helped Britten to develop his own song idiom. This typically Schubertian coexistence of musical simplicity and refined lyricism can also be found in Britten's works.