Britten’s Serenade: Dowland, Britten and MacMillan

Sat, 08 Nov, 2025 at 07:30 pm UTC+00:00

Brighton Dome | Brighton

Brighton Philharmonic
Publisher/HostBrighton Philharmonic
Britten\u2019s Serenade: Dowland, Britten and MacMillan
Advertisement
Legendary tenor Mark Padmore joins Brighton Philharmonic Strings for a dazzling programme: haunting English poetry, jazzy John Dowland and a wild Scottish ceilidh.
Arguably Britten’s greatest work for his life-long companion and muse, Peter Pears, his Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings premiered at London’s Wigmore Hall in 1943. Britten had a superb knowledge and deep love of English poetry, and his settings of Tennyson, Blake, Keats and medieval lyric remain unsurpassed in their drama, insight and intensity. Pears’ tenor part is taken here by the phenomenal Mark Padmore, while the virtuosic horn part, composed for the masterful Dennis Brain, is performed by BPO’s young principal horn Alexei Watkins.
Wrapped around this masterpiece are Britten’s exhilarating Young Apollo, Joanna MacGregor’s dreamy, jazzy arrangements of Dowland, and Britten’s favourite composer, Purcell. To finish, James MacMillan’s concerto for piano and strings: part love letter to Scottish folk music and part satire on political hypocrisy, it ends with the wildest imaginable ceilidh, replete with drumming, stamping and hooting.
‘Mark Padmore can sing with penetrating intensity, and he’s a riveting actor. This is eloquent singing driven by astute and sensitive attention to the texts.’ – The New York Times
Advertisement

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Brighton Dome, Church Street,Brighton, United Kingdom

Tickets
Icon
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Ask AI if this event suits you:

More Events in Brighton

Metallica Reloaded + One Last Day
Sat, 08 Nov at 07:00 pm Metallica Reloaded + One Last Day

Concorde 2

The Sassy Cabaret Club Presents\u2026 A Strange & Unusual Soir\u00e9e
Sat, 08 Nov at 07:00 pm The Sassy Cabaret Club Presents… A Strange & Unusual Soirée

Komedia Brighton

Soul Casserole
Sat, 08 Nov at 07:00 pm Soul Casserole

BN2 8SP Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom

Seaside Melodies
Sat, 08 Nov at 07:00 pm Seaside Melodies

Fortune Of War

Mohammad Syfkhan
Sat, 08 Nov at 07:00 pm Mohammad Syfkhan

The Rose Hill

United States of Grace \/ Heavy Benders \/ Klevt
Sat, 08 Nov at 07:00 pm United States of Grace / Heavy Benders / Klevt

Brighton Electric Studios

Kotu Kids Dance Party - Chapter 12
Sat, 08 Nov at 08:00 pm Kotu Kids Dance Party - Chapter 12

Brighton Electric

Do the Thing: Choose Your Own Musical
Sat, 08 Nov at 08:00 pm Do the Thing: Choose Your Own Musical

The Actors

Erasure- A Celebration
Sat, 08 Nov at 08:30 pm Erasure- A Celebration

Ironworks Studios

Ye Ye Fever
Sat, 08 Nov at 10:00 pm Ye Ye Fever

A L P H A B E T Brighton

Rum&Coke - 08\/11\/25
Sat, 08 Nov at 10:00 pm Rum&Coke - 08/11/25

Horizon Nightclub

Rum and Coke 08\/11\/25
Sat, 08 Nov at 10:30 pm Rum and Coke 08/11/25

Horizon Nightclub

Brighton is Happening!

Never miss your favorite happenings again!

Explore Brighton Events