Thanks, Dennis! There's so much to explore in Britten's output, especially for a lover of words like yourself, so I'm glad this essay opened that window for you.
I do wish Auden hadn't soured on his friendship with Britten (he ultimately tired of Ben's uptight nature and lack of confidence in the sexual realm). To think of the work they could have produced after WWII when each was at the height of their powers!
I remember being struck by some of Auden's comments about Britten, quoted in the Davenport-Hines bio. Auden was pretty harsh on him, especially considering this would have been in the 1930s-early1940s!
There's no doubt that Auden's later forays into opera and other musical forms would have benefited from his continued friendship with Britten.
Your piece on Britten and Pears is wonderful for its sensitivity and depth. It provides such a great opportunity to explore Britten’s work and Pears’ voice.
I read it last evening and immediately thought about an incident some forty years back.
I was working in a London Ad Agency. We’d just won the Tolly Cobbold (Suffolk Brewer). Mike Doyle the creative director came up with the idea ‘Suffolk Originals’ to extol their lead brew ‘Tolly Cobbold Original’ Then of course there was a scramble for other Suffolk Originals for the poster campaign.
Doyle wanted to include Britten as a ’Suffolk Original’ now deceased. However Pears had to give permission. Doyle raced out of London, some 100 miles, up to Aldeburgh to see Pears and seek his blessing. The two of them passed a pleasant day together and approval was granted.
In developing the idea Doyle sought out Britten’s music. He bought dozens of cassette tapes. Sometime later he had a clear out of his desk. I nabbed one cassette, a recording of Britten’s Gloriana Symphonic Suite Op. 53. I was not familiar with the work. I played it and was hooked (have been ever since).
Tim — thank you so much for your kind words about this essay, and for sharing your lovely story!
What a wonderful way to be introduced to Britten’s music. Gloriana was actually very much on Britten’s mind while he composed Winter Words. The critics hadn’t been kind to him about Gloriana, plus he was exhausted from having composed the massive thing. So he turned to composing a song cycle — something personal, more economical, something just for he and Pears to create together.
Ahhh, a Benjamin Britten chapter, thank you Michael! I haven’t revisited his works in so long! Such range and depth...I also listened to A Hymn to the Virgin on my tour ‘round the internet tonight. All of it *now* knowing so much more about his true love Peter Pears (that photo!! the letter!! his refusal to be buried in Westminster Abbey to be buried with Pears instead!!) I’m so grateful that they both found such deserved adoration and success amidst those times.
And Corpus Christi Carol, sigh... such a haunting melody, made ever the more gorgeous by Mr. Buckley. Brings me back to my salad days and college melancholia, when everything felt so wide, luscious, and important!
I really enjoyed reading this appreciative piece, Michael.
My perspective on Britten was largely shaped through my reading of W.H. Auden - "Our Hunting Fathers" - and the Davenport-Hines biography of Auden.
But this article opened a new window on Britten's work. Great stuff, Michael!
Thanks, Dennis! There's so much to explore in Britten's output, especially for a lover of words like yourself, so I'm glad this essay opened that window for you.
I do wish Auden hadn't soured on his friendship with Britten (he ultimately tired of Ben's uptight nature and lack of confidence in the sexual realm). To think of the work they could have produced after WWII when each was at the height of their powers!
Yes, Michael, what you say about Auden is true.
I remember being struck by some of Auden's comments about Britten, quoted in the Davenport-Hines bio. Auden was pretty harsh on him, especially considering this would have been in the 1930s-early1940s!
There's no doubt that Auden's later forays into opera and other musical forms would have benefited from his continued friendship with Britten.
Your piece on Britten and Pears is wonderful for its sensitivity and depth. It provides such a great opportunity to explore Britten’s work and Pears’ voice.
I read it last evening and immediately thought about an incident some forty years back.
I was working in a London Ad Agency. We’d just won the Tolly Cobbold (Suffolk Brewer). Mike Doyle the creative director came up with the idea ‘Suffolk Originals’ to extol their lead brew ‘Tolly Cobbold Original’ Then of course there was a scramble for other Suffolk Originals for the poster campaign.
Doyle wanted to include Britten as a ’Suffolk Original’ now deceased. However Pears had to give permission. Doyle raced out of London, some 100 miles, up to Aldeburgh to see Pears and seek his blessing. The two of them passed a pleasant day together and approval was granted.
In developing the idea Doyle sought out Britten’s music. He bought dozens of cassette tapes. Sometime later he had a clear out of his desk. I nabbed one cassette, a recording of Britten’s Gloriana Symphonic Suite Op. 53. I was not familiar with the work. I played it and was hooked (have been ever since).
Link to the work on YouTube. https://youtu.be/tVdqIYAKU_I?si=QsmsIQWtlTnuNb5F
Thank Michael for a great piece of work.
Tim — thank you so much for your kind words about this essay, and for sharing your lovely story!
What a wonderful way to be introduced to Britten’s music. Gloriana was actually very much on Britten’s mind while he composed Winter Words. The critics hadn’t been kind to him about Gloriana, plus he was exhausted from having composed the massive thing. So he turned to composing a song cycle — something personal, more economical, something just for he and Pears to create together.
Ahhh, a Benjamin Britten chapter, thank you Michael! I haven’t revisited his works in so long! Such range and depth...I also listened to A Hymn to the Virgin on my tour ‘round the internet tonight. All of it *now* knowing so much more about his true love Peter Pears (that photo!! the letter!! his refusal to be buried in Westminster Abbey to be buried with Pears instead!!) I’m so grateful that they both found such deserved adoration and success amidst those times.
And Corpus Christi Carol, sigh... such a haunting melody, made ever the more gorgeous by Mr. Buckley. Brings me back to my salad days and college melancholia, when everything felt so wide, luscious, and important!
Absolutely — it’s fascinating to experience the emotional depth of these songs once one knows that love perfumes so many of them.
And few sounds soothe a Gen Xers soul than Jeff, right?! Thanks for reading, Katie!
Ha!! YES! “Hi, I’m a tortured GenXer and wouldn’t have it any other way.”