Peter Pears sings "Sechs Hölderlin-Fragmente" - LIVE - 1960

Here is tenor Peter Pears performing Britten's "Six Hölderlin Fragments" with the composer at the piano. From a recital in Hannnover from 1960. These songs have been thought by many to be among Britten's finest. They center on themes that Britten reflected on greatly: youth and innocence; the power of beauty to inspire love; and the inevitability of old-age and death. I. Menschenbeifall II. Die Heimat III. Sokrates und Alcibiades IV. Die Jugend V. Hälfte des Lebens VI. Die Linien des Lebens Here is a link to another performance from Buenos Aires: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfsYO6BV12U And a link to my Peter Pears playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL56BC9315D6954644 (among the images included in this clip are a very young Peter Pears, and a 1949 photo with Pears, E.M. Forster, Robin ''Nipper'' Long, Britten, and an Aldeburgh fisherman Billy Burrell.)