Customer Reviews

Benjamin Britten (20th Century Composers)

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Michael Oliver's "Benjamin Britten" is both informative and insightful. As one in a series of 20th Century Composers, I found this edition most interesting. I have read six other editions from the series, and Michael Oliver's is the best written thus far.

There are several well written biographies of Britten on the market. All that I have read thus far spend entirely too much time discussing the personal life of the composer, rather than focusing on his ground- breaking operas, or orchestral works. Oliver chooses to focus more on the music that is Britten, rather than getting wrapped up in his personal life. True, elements of Britten's childhood and adult struggles with the morality of the day may have caused him to compose the haunting tunes and melodies, but they are not the basis for understanding his music.

Oliver highlights the reason Britten is one of the 20th century's greatest composers- pure genious.

The best general biography of Britten I have read. Its great strength is the clear, concise, thoughtful and revealing discussion of Britten's works in the context of his life: with his formidable work ethic, Britten's work was his life. The book describes his politics, sexuality, and career relationships frankly and fairly, while deliberately avoiding speculation about questions that are undocumented or of doubtful provenance. The author promotes no theories, but notes the 'reflection' in Britten's music of his sensitive nature, tragic sense of life (including pity for children and lost innocence --especially in war), and both the joys (as in his life partnership with the great tenor Peter Pears) and the tensions that affected him as a closeted homosexual in the time of dangerous illegality in Britain. This book gives fair play to the music: a valuable study for any listener.