Benjamin Britten

 

Benjamin Britten
1913-1976

Britten is widely considered the greatest British composer of the 20th Century.

What about Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Holst, or Walton? Britten handily struck away from the influences of Hubert Parry, Charles Villiers Stanford, and the English Pastoral School soundworld in order to mine his own brand of music making.

The composer wrote as strongly for instruments and ensembles as he did for voice and choirs. He composed for gigantic forces, sometimes geared towards amateurs, just as well as he did intimate musical scopes for professionals. Britten's music could sound dissonant, acerbic and complex, as well as full of melodies and simplicity, or a baffling mixture of the two, with no lack of quirks.

Much like Leonard Bernstein across the Atlantic, recordings of Britten's music start with the composer leading his own music, as he was a fine conductor and pianist, and not just of his own music and time. In his solo vocal music, Peter Pears is the place to start, for Britten had his voice in mind whilst composing.

Yet, Britten's music is now universal enough to be able to move beyond his own recordings, and out of the United Kingdom. Some of his music has a political undertone which is just as timely and effective today as it was in his own day.

As a diehard Romantic listener, Britten can be dissatisfying or off-putting to my ears, where I am more likely to reach for Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Holst, Delius, or Moeran. But still, I recognize Benjamin Britten as a genius composer, and so I will always give his music another try.

If you have not found it, there is a wonderful blog called Good Morning Britten, where the contributor comments on virtually every work the composer wrote. Even though it was last updated in the mid-2010s, the site remains a wonderful resource for background information on Britten's music and the associated recordings.

 

 

 

Recordings and reviews currently on hand
(Click orange links to visit a musing):

Recordings

1988: Paul Bunyan
1989: Saint Nicolas Cantata
1990: The Burning Fiery Furnace
1990: A Company of Heaven
1990: The Prodigal Son
1991: Rattle Conducts Britten
1992: Bridge Variations & Musicales
1993: Hymn to Saint Cecilia
1993: Serenade, Illuminations, Nocturne
1995: Ballad of Little Musgrave
1995: Christ's Nativity & A Boy Was Born
1996: Canticles
1996: World of the Spirit
1997: Ceremony of Carols
1997: Spring Symphony (Gardiner)
1997: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
1998: Curlew River
1998: War Requiem
1999: Rejoice in the Lamb
2000: Cello Suites 1 - 3
2001: Holiday Diary
2001: Rarities
2002: Hymn to Saint Cecilia
2004: Symphony for Cello
2005: Piano Concerto
2006: Song Cycles
2007: Film Music
2010: String Quartet in D Major 
2011: Phaedra
2012: Violin Concerto & Double Concerto
2013: Choral Music (Christophers)
    •  Volume 1
    •  Volume 2
    •  Volume 3
2013: Cantata Misericordium
2013: Choral Music (Spicer)
    •  Volume 1
    •  Volume 2
    •  Volume 3
2013: Spring Symphony (Hickox)
2013: String Quartets (Takács)
2014: Britten to America
2014: String Quartet in F & Simple Symphony
2018: War Requiem
2019: Ceremony of Carols
2019: Choral Music (Malcolm)
2022: Our Hunting Fathers
2024: Prince of the Pagodas


Recording Round-up
•  Film & Choral Music Recording Roundup
•  Vocal Music Recording Roundup
•  Chamber & Orchestral Roundup

Operas
I will probably not get to Britten's operas for a while, so in the meantime, here are some of Britten's stage music recordings on YouTube.

1966: Billy Budd
1969: Peter Grimes
1984: Gloriana
1989: Albert Herring
1989: Little Sweep
1990: Midsummer Night's Dream
1990: Rape of Lucretia
1990: Turn of the Screw
1993: Noye's Fludde
2008: Owen Wingrave