Britten: The Rape of Lucretia, Op. 37

A short two-act work with a small cast and a mere thirteen-member ensemble, The Rape of Lucretia was the first ever chamber opera, a genre to which Britten and many others would return. Despite its modest size, the opera packs a powerful emotional punch in dealing with its dark subject matter. This 1993 recording, reissued as a part of the Richard Hickox Legacy Series, finds the renowned Britten conductor leading the City of London Sinfonia, the ensemble he founded in 1971.