 |
Benjamin Britten, b. Nov. 22, 1913, d. Dec.
4, 1976, was a highly acclaimed English composer. His operas--especially
the first, Peter Grimes (1945)--helped revitalize English
opera, languishing since the time of Henry Purcell. Britten
studied with the composer Frank BRIDGE and later attended
the Royal College of Music. His early works comprise incidental
music to documentary films, radio dramas, and expressionist
plays by W. H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood. Recognition
came early in Britten's career with a performance in 1934
of the Fantasy Quartet for Oboe and Strings, the choral piece
A Boy Was Born (1933), and Variations on a Theme of Frank
Bridge (1937). Three years (1939-42) of intense creativity
in the United States produced a setting of Arthur Rimbaud's
Les Illuminations, the Violin Concerto, and the Seven Sonnets
of Michelangelo, the last written for his friend Peter PEARS,
the tenor, for whom Britten composed many of his operas and
songs. Britten worked in a traditional style and was not given
to avant-garde experimentation. He possessed a remarkable
ability to compose for voice and text, and his work is characterized
by extremely personal instrumentation and melodies. Peter
Grimes, based on George Crabbe's The Borough, is particularly
impressive for its turbulent chorus scenes and atmospheric
sea interludes. The conflict between a simple man and a corrupt
society is one frequently addressed by Britten. His nonoperatic
works include The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (1946),
suites for solo cello composed for the Russian cellist Mstislav
Rostropovich, and the Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings
(1943). The War Requiem (1961), written for the consecration
of the new Coventry Cathedral, is based on poems by Wilfred
Owen. The operas include the early, unpublished Paul Bunyan
(text by Auden), The Rape of Lucretia (1946), the comic opera
Albert Herring (1947), Let's Make an Opera (1949, written
for children), Billy Budd (1951), Gloriana (1953, composed
for Elizabeth II's coronation), The Turn of the Screw (1954),
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960), and Death in Venice (1973,
based on the Thomas Mann novella). His music dramas for use
in churches include Curlew River (1964) and The Burning Fiery
Furnace (1966). In addition to his frequent activities as
a conductor and accompanist, Britten was also instrumental
in founding (1947) the annual Aldeburgh Festival (Suffolk)
and the English Opera Group. He was made a life peer in 1976.
 |
 |
|
- 
