The fourth volume of this acclaimed edition of Britten's letters covers the composition of three key works and the world trip that was to radically inform the composer's style thereafter. One of the most illuminating biographical projects in recent years. PETER ACKROYD The fourth volume of the annotated selected letters of Benjamin Britten covers the years 1952-57, during which he wrote three major worksfor the stage - the Coronation opera Gloriana, the chamber opera The Turn of the Screw, and the full-length ballet The Prince of the Pagodas - as well as important vocal works such as Canticles II and III andthe Hardy song-cycle Winter Words. Correspondents include librettists William Plomer (Gloriana) and Myfanwy Piper (The Turn of the Screw), and friends and collaborators such as Edith Sitwell, E. M. Forster, Basil Coleman, Imogen Holst, Francis Poulenc, Lennox Berkeley, the Earl of Harewood and Britten's partner and principal interpreter, Peter Pears. The volume charts Britten's growing stature as a major figure of the Europeanmusical establishment as composer, conductor and pianist, and his continuing involvement with the Aldeburgh Festival, the English Opera Group, and Covent Garden. Central to the period is the world trip undertaken by Britten and Pears and the first-hand encounter with the music and cultures of Bali and Japan that were radically to inform Britten's compositional techniques from Pagodas onwards. The comprehensive and scholarly annotations vividly evoke a key period in twentieth-century musical and cultural history, and offer a wide range of detailed information fascinating for both the Britten specialist and the general reader. Published in association with The Britten-Pears Foundation.
Reviews
Letters from a Life is more than just an edition of letters; it is a vast Britten compendium. [...] there can be no question that it is vastly more successful as biography than the straight [...] works on Britten have been. * YALE REVIEW *
[V]olume 4 is to be welcomed as a fine addition to the series. It does much to rehabilitate interest in Gloriana and the ballet The Prince of the Pagodas and continues to restore a more balanced view of Britten's character and interests. * TWENTIETH-CENTURY MUSIC *
Britten is presented as a deeply human figure, one capable of great generosity, warmth, and gentle diplomacy [...], but also of raging anger [...] and occasional pettiness [...]. Britten's own writing is compelling, the editors' attention to detail is extraordinary, and one is left eagerly anticipating the next installments in the series. * NABMSA Newsletter *
A treasure trove of information. * AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE *
This magnificent edition of Benjamin Britten's letters reaches its fourth volume... the annotation continues to be quite superb - meticulous, imaginative, and illuminating...Innumerable moments and items of incidental interest are thrown up in the course of its 600 pages. * SPECTATOR *
A superb achievement. [Editor's Choice] * CLASSICAL MUSIC *
Full of fascinating material, much of it to be found in the copious notes to the letters written by the editors. -- Ian Bostridge * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *
The splendid and extensive editorial annotations...are such a significant feature of these volumes...the reading experience is consistently both enthralling and entertaining. * BRITISH MUSIC SOCIETY NEWS *



Book Information
ISBN 9781843833826
Author Philip Reed
Format Hardback
Page Count 676
Imprint The Boydell Press
Publisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Weight(grams) 1g