Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.