Les Illuminations, op. 18

Op. 18 Composed 1939 Vocal

Les Illuminations (The Illuminations), Op. 18, is a song cycle by Benjamin Britten, first performed in 1940. It is composed for soprano or tenor soloist and string orchestra, and sets verse and prose poems written in 1872–1873 by Arthur Rimbaud, part of his collection Les Illuminations.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Movements

Fanfare
Villes
IIIa. Phrase
IIIb. Antique
Royauté
Marine
Interlude
Being Beauteous
Parade
Départ

Recommended recordings

Peter Pears · English Chamber Orchestra · Benjamin Britten YouTube Spotify (subscription)
Ian Bostridge · Berliner Philharmoniker · Simon Rattle YouTube Spotify (subscription)

Most recent recordings

Britten: Les Illuminations, Op. 18: III b. Antique — Benjamin Britten, Cyrille Dubois, David Reiland, Orchestre national de Metz Grand Est (2026) Spotify
Britten: Les Illuminations, Op. 18: IX. Départ — Benjamin Britten, Julie Roset, Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, Lawrence Foster (2026) Spotify
Britten: Les Illuminations. Serenade. Nocturne — Benjamin Britten, Daniel Harding, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Staples (2022) Spotify

New releases via Spotify — surfaced automatically, not editorial picks.

Elsewhere

← All of the composer’s works