23.1.2012 - Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) [REPEAT]

[french frank]

1/5. Donald Macleod presents music from early in Britten's career.
2/5. Part of Britten's cantata St Nicholas, plus two of his operas.
3/5. Britten's Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac.
4/5. The final song from Britten's cycle The Poet's Echo.
5/5. Britten's late works, including his final opera, Death in Venice.

(First broadcast November 2010)

[Boilk]

And on Friday evening (27 Jan) on BBC Four

Britten's Children

[Norfolk Born]

I hope somebody's preparing, or at least thinking about, a NEW Britten CotW for the centenary.

[DracoM]

Or are they just starting at the beginning of the alphabet again with repeats?

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

[VodkaDilc]

And on Friday evening (27 Jan) on BBC Four

Britten's Children

Interesting programme - and book! Tony Scotland's book on the Berkeleys ("Lennox and Freda") covers some of the same ground - though rather more frankly!!!

[amateur51]

Interesting programme - and book! Tony Scotland's book on the Berkeleys ("Lennox and Freda") covers some of the same ground - though rather more frankly!!!

Other than that, is Tony Scotland's book a good read, Vodka?

I've just re-found (such is the state of my book collection ) my copy of Michael Wilcox's rather good book on Britten's operas - more a jumping off point for further study but recommended nonetheless.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Outlines-Benjamin-Britten-Michael-Wilcox/dp/1899791604/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327239632&sr=1-1

[VodkaDilc]

Tony Scotland's book is fascinating. As I read somewhere in a review, it's a frank examination of the gay world of the early to mid 20th century - with some surprising inter-relationships which I had never heard about before. The way in which LB went from being central to this world to a happy marriage with Freda is also explained plausibly. Tony Scotland was close to the Berkeleys for many years, so I think this must be an authorised account. It includes a major section describing how Britten fitted into the circle. Once again, Britten does not come well out of it! Loving his music as much as I do, I have to admit that he did not treat people well!

[amateur51]

Tony Scotland's book is fascinating. As I read somewhere in a review, it's a frank examination of the gay world of the early to mid 20th century - with some surprising inter-relationships which I had never heard about before. The way in which LB went from being central to this world to a happy marriage with Freda is also explained plausibly. Tony Scotland was close to the Berkeleys for many years, so I think this must be an authorised account. It includes a major section describing how Britten fitted into the circle. Once again, Britten does not come well out of it! Loving his music as much as I do, I have to admit that he did not treat people well!

Many thanks for this frank appraisal, Vodka

It's gone on the list

[Mary Chambers]

Once again, Britten does not come well out of it! Loving his music as much as I do, I have to admit that he did not treat people well!

He treated some people well. The Tony Scotland book, which I agree is fascinating from both a social and a musical point of view, covers a very unsettled period of Britten's life.

I think the John Bridcut film and book are fairly well-balanced accounts, but I do hope in Britten's centenary year we can get away from the obsessive curiosity about his private life. We know all about it now, and surely no-one finds it shocking any more. I'm hoping Paul Kildea's new biography will get things into proportion. It's about time.

[VodkaDilc]

I have not heard about the Paul Kildea biography. Is it due soon? Are we talking about a major 'landmark' book?
I agree that the music is the important angle. Let's hope that some of the neglected works get a revival too: the Church Parables and Prince of the Pagodas for example.

[Mary Chambers]

I read that the Paul Kildea biography will be published 'in time for the centenary', but haven't been able to find out how 'major' it is. I'm hoping for something that will largely replace the Carpenter one, but have no idea whether that will happen.

[french frank]

And on Friday evening (27 Jan) on BBC Four

Britten's Children

Looks like joined up thinking at the BBC, but having shown the Bridcut film again, I wonder what they're planning for next year.

(And, yes, they could have waited a year to repeat the CotW too ...)

[VodkaDilc]

I read that the Paul Kildea biography will be published 'in time for the centenary', but haven't been able to find out how 'major' it is. I'm hoping for something that will largely replace the Carpenter one, but have no idea whether that will happen.

I found this:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/conduct-becoming/story-e6frg8n6-1225879836404

Two significant bits of information included:

The 2013 Britten anniversary deadline is immovable. So far he has written half the substantial biography, aimed at a general readership.

Good news that it's definitely for next year, but does "aimed at a general readership" sound ominous perhaps?

As for Britten's interest in children, Kildea plans to spare the composer the kind of exhaustive posthumous scrutiny to which Carpenter subjected him in his book.
"Britten was inordinately fond of his own childhood. But as an adult he was incredibly driven and all he did was work. The company of children allowed him to step outside that. It gave him great pleasure. And when he started working with children, that gave him the best of both worlds."

Good news for Mary C?

[Mary Chambers]

Good news that it's definitely for next year, but does "aimed at a general readership" sound ominous perhaps?

Yes, I thought that! Perhaps it just means that it won't have a lot of technical terms and musical analysis. It does sound quite promising for the most part, and there are quite a few minor Britten biographies already, so I'm hoping for something substantial.