Letters from a Life: Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Vol. 2: 1939-1945 [Paperback]

Benjamin Britten (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 1998

This long-awaited third volume of composer Benjamin Britten's remarkable letters covers the years 1946-51. Fresh from the astonishing success of his great first opera, "Peter Grimes, "Britten was vital to the post-war rebuilding of the arts in Great Britain with his visionary work as a composer, conductor, and performer. With his partner, the celebrated tenor Peter Pears, he founded the Aldeburgh Festival, which eventually grew into the international festival that it is today, and the English Opera Group. He also toured widely in Europe and the United States as a pianist and conductor. During this time he wrote many of his best-known works, including the operas "Billy Budd, Albert Herring, "and "The Rape of Lucretia. "
Britten's correspondents include literary figures such as Christopher Isherwood, Edith Sitwell, E. M. Forster (the librettist for "Billy Budd"), and Edward Sackville-West, as well as musical colleagues from around the world including Ernest Ansermet, Francis Poulenc, Aaron Copland, and Igor Stravinsky.
This volume of selected letters represents one of the richest and most innovative periods of the composer's creative life. His daily concerns and the unique era in which he lived are vividly evoked by the comprehensive and scholarly annotations, which offer a wide range of detailed and fascinating information. Donald Mitchell contributes a superb introduction.

Product Details

• Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: Faber Music (June 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571194001
• ISBN-13: 978-0571194001
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,803,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Biography in Letters and Notes, October 26, 2010

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This review is from: Letters from a Life: Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Vol. 2: 1939-1945 (Paperback)

This is volume II of the biography Britten asked Mitchell to write, asking him to "Tell the truth about me and Peter." So it is the story of a gay marriage before being gay was even legal, let alone honoured in any way. In this volume, Britten advances his career in America, receiving commissions from (among others) the one-handed pianist Wittgenstein and the Japanese Imperial Government (on the eve of WW II!)Pears begins to study seriously, as he will continue to do into his fifties, to keep building his voice to meet the demands of Britten's compositions. They face the complications of their status as conscientious objectors and vacillate about returning to England. Early in this American journey, Britten and Pears fell in love and made a committment that lasted until Britten's death. The exchange of letters between them is so intimate the reader feels invasive, until reminded that Pears, who has been ill-served by certain biographers, wanted them published so the true nature of their loving relationship would be made known. At length, inspired by an article by E.M. Forster, they returned home where Britten wrote Peter Grimes and so began to revitalise English opera. This volume includes the founding of the English Opera Group and the Aldeburgh Festival. It is dedicated to Elizabeth Mayer, their patron in America, who gave them a home and family and invaluable support in this doubt-filled time.