With the arrival of Benjamin Britten on the international music scene, many felt that English music gained its greatest genius since Purcell. A composer of wide-ranging talents, Britten found in the human voice an especial source of inspiration, an affinity that resulted in a remarkable body of work, ranging from operas like Peter Grimes (1944-1945) and Death in Venice (1973) to song cycles like the Serenade for tenor, horn, and strings (1943) to Read more the massive choral work War Requiem (1961). He also produced much music for orchestra and chamber ensembles, including symphonies, concerti, and chamber and solo works. Britten's father was a prosperous oral surgeon in the town of Lowestoft, Suffolk; his mother was a leader in the local choral society. When Benjamin's musical aptitude became evident, the family engaged composer Frank Bridge to supervise his musical education. Bridge's tutelage was one of the formative and lasting influences on Britten's compositional development; Britten eventually paid tribute to his teacher in his Op. 10, the Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge (1937). Britten's formal training also included studies at the Royal College of Music (1930-1933).

Upon graduation from the RCM, Britten obtained a position scoring documentaries (on prosaic themes like "Sorting Office") for the Royal Post Office film unit. Working on a tight budget, he learned how to extract the maximum variety of color and musical effectiveness from the smallest combinations of instruments, producing dozens of such scores from 1935 to 1938. He rapidly emerged as the most promising British composer of his generation and entered into collaborative relationships that exerted a profound influence upon his creative life. Among the most important of his professional associates were literary figures like W.H. Auden, and later, E.M. Forster. None, however, played as central a role in Britten's life as the tenor Peter Pears, who was Britten's closest intimate, both personally and professionally, from the late '30s to the composer's death. Pears' voice inspired a number of Britten's vocal cycles and opera roles, and the two often joined forces in song recitals and, from 1948, in the organization and administration of the Aldeburgh Festival.

A steadfast pacifist, Britten left England in 1939 as war loomed over Europe. He spent four years in the United States and Canada, his compositional pace barely slackening, as evidenced by the production of works like the Sinfonia da Requiem (1940), the song cycle Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo (1940), and his first effort for the stage, Paul Bunyan (1940-1941). Eventually, the poetry of George Crabbe drew Britten back to England. With a Koussevitzky Commission backing him, the composer wrote the enormously successful opera Peter Grimes (1944-45), which marked the greatest turning point in his career. His fame secure, Britten over the next several decades wrote a dozen more operas, several of which -- Albert Herring (1947), Billy Budd (1951), The Turn of the Screw (1954), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960), Death in Venice (1973) -- became instant and permanent fixtures of the repertoire. He also continued to produce much vocal, orchestral, and chamber music, including Songs and Proverbs of William Blake (1965), the three Cello Suites (1961-1964) and the Cello Symphony (1963), written for Mstislav Rostropovich, and the Third String Quartet (1975).

Britten suffered a stroke during heart surgery in 1971, which resulted in something of a slowdown in his creative activities. Nonetheless, he continued to compose until his death in 1976, by which time he was recognized as one of the principal musical figures of the twentieth century. Read less

Featured Benjamin Britten CDs & DVDs:

Britten: The Rape of Lucretia / Hussain, Rice, Clayton, London Philharmonic

Release Date: 08/26/2016 Label: Opus Arte
Catalog: 1219 Number of Discs: 1

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Britten: Peter Grimes / Pears, Watson, Britten

Release Date: 01/26/2010 Label: Musical Concepts
Catalog: 2008 Number of Discs: 2

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Britten: Death In Venice / Gardner, Graham-hall, Shore, Mead, Zaldivar [blu-ray]

Release Date: 03/25/2014 Label: Opus Arte
Catalog: 7141 Number of Discs: 1

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Britten: Gloriana / Walker, Rolfe Johnson, Elder

Release Date: 09/25/2015 Label: Arthaus Musik
Catalog: 109151 Number of Discs: 1

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Britten: Albert Herring / Manhattan School Of Music Opera

Release Date: 04/29/1997 Label: Vox Classics
Catalog: 7900 Number of Discs: 2

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Composition Type: Choral

Work: War Requiem, Op. 66

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Britten: War Requiem / Kegel, Dresden Philharmonic

Label: Brilliant Classics Catalog: 95354 Release Date: 05/27/2016 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten, Krzysztof Penderecki, Alban Berg
Performer: Theo Adam, Anthony Roden, Kari Lovaas, Hansjurgen Scholze ...
Conductor: Herbert Kegel
Orchestra/Ensemble: Leipzig Radio Chorus, Dresden Boys' Choir, Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra ...

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The Decca Sound [Repackaged Edition]

Label: Decca Catalog: 002434502 Release Date: 01/29/2016 Number of Discs: 50
Composer: Manuel de Falla, Claude Debussy, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Enrique Granados ...
Performer: Teresa Berganza, Alfredo Campoli, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Cecilia Bartoli ...
Conductor: Ernest Ansermet, Ataulfo Argenta, Anatole Fistoulari, Vladimir Ashkenazy ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: Suisse Romande Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra ...

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The CBSO Years / Rattle

Label: Warner Classics Catalog: 552758 Release Date: 10/09/2015 Number of Discs: 52
Composer: Leos Janácek, Benjamin Britten, Kurt Weill, Ralph Vaughan Williams ...
Performer: Felicity Palmer, Ameral Gunson, John Mitchinson, Malcolm King ...
Conductor: Simon Rattle
Orchestra/Ensemble: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, Christ Church Cathedral Choir Men and Boys ...

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Seiji Ozawa - The Philips Years: Original Jacket Collection [50-CD Set]

Label: Decca Catalog: 002185602 Release Date: 11/18/2014 Number of Discs: 50
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Béla Bartók, Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz ...
Performer: Mariko Kobayashi, Everett Firth, Hiroshi Arimori, Sawako Yasue ...
Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
Orchestra/Ensemble: Boston Symphony Orchestra, Saito Kinen Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers ...
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Britten: War Requiem / Netrebko, Bostridge, Hampson, Pappano

Label: Warner Classics Catalog: 15448 Release Date: 11/19/2013 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Anna Netrebko, Ian Bostridge, Thomas Hampson
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Orchestra/Ensemble: Santa Cecilia Academy Rome Chorus, Santa Cecilia Academy Rome Orchestra
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Britten: War Requiem / Magee, Padmore, Gerhaher, Jansons

Label: Br Klassik Catalog: 900120 Release Date: 10/29/2013 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Mark Padmore, Emily Magee, Max Hanft, Christian Gerhaher
Conductor: Mariss Jansons

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Britten: War Requiem / Gritton, Ainsley, Mccreesh

Label: Signum U.k. Catalog: 340 Release Date: 09/24/2013 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Christopher Maltman, Susan Gritton, John Mark Ainsley
Conductor: Paul McCreesh
Orchestra/Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort, Gabrieli Players
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Britten: War Requiem / Britten, Vishnevskaya, Pears [2-CDs & Blu-ray Audio]

Label: Decca Catalog: 001895702 Release Date: 09/17/2013 Number of Discs: 3
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Galina Vishnevskaya, Peter Pears, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Simon Preston
Conductor: Benjamin Britten
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, Highgate School Chorus ...
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Britten: War Requiem / Ancerl, Czech Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonic Choir

Label: Supraphon Catalog: 4135 Release Date: 07/30/2013 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Nadezda Kniplova, Gerald English, John Cameron, Milada Subrtova ...
Conductor: Karel Ancerl
Orchestra/Ensemble: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic Choir

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Britten: Choral Works & Operas for Children

Label: Warner Classics Catalog: 151562 Release Date: 06/04/2013 Number of Discs: 7
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Thomas Allen, Robert Tear, Elisabeth Söderström, Mark Blatchly ...
Conductor: Simon Rattle, André Previn, Sir David Willcocks, Sir Philip Ledger ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Christ Church Cathedral Choir Men and Boys, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus ...
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Helmuth Rilling - Personal Selection

Label: Hänssler Classic Catalog: 98008 Release Date: 04/30/2013 Number of Discs: 10
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, César Franck, Benjamin Britten, Franz Joseph Haydn ...
Performer: Juliane Banse, Ingeborg Danz, James Taylor, Andreas Schmidt ...
Conductor: Helmuth Rilling
Orchestra/Ensemble: Stuttgart Bach Collegium, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart, Aurelius Boys Choir of Calw ...

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Britten: War Requiem / Masur, New York Philharmonic

Label: Apex Catalog: 2564659416 Release Date: 10/30/2012 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Carol Vaness, Jerry Hadley, Thomas Hampson
Conductor: Kurt Masur
Orchestra/Ensemble: American Boychoir, Westminster Symphonic Choir, New York Philharmonic
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Britten: War Requiem / Nelsons, City Of Birmingham Symphony

Label: Arthaus Musik Catalog: 101659 Release Date: 10/30/2012 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Erin Wall, Mark Padmore, Hanno Müller-Brachmann
Conductor: Andris Nelsons
Orchestra/Ensemble: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
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Britten: War Requiem / Nelsons, City Of Birmingham Symphony [blu-ray]

Label: Arthaus Musik Catalog: 108070 Release Date: 10/30/2012 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Erin Wall, Mark Padmore, Hanno Müller-Brachmann
Conductor: Andris Nelsons
Orchestra/Ensemble: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
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Britten: War Requiem / Noseda, Bostridge, Keenlyside, Cvilak

Label: Lso Live Catalog: 719 Release Date: 05/08/2012 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Simon Keenlyside, Ian Bostridge, Sabina Cvilak
Conductor: Gianandrea Noseda
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra, Eltham College Choir
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Britten: War Requiem / Gardiner, Orgonasova, Rolfe Johnson, Skovhus

Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 437801 Release Date: 03/10/2011 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Jürgen Lamke, Bo Skovhus, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Luba Orgonasova
Conductor: John Eliot Gardiner
Orchestra/Ensemble: Tölz Boys Choir, North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, North German Radio Chorus Hamburg ...
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Britten: Les Illuminations; War Requiem; Berg: Sieben Fruhe Lieder

Label: Cascavelle Catalog: 3125 Release Date: 07/13/2010 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten, Alban Berg
Performer: Suzanne Danco, Thomas Hemsley, Peter Pears, Heather Harper ...
Conductor: Ernest Ansermet
Orchestra/Ensemble: Suisse Romande Orchestra, Suisse Romande Radio Chorus, Pro Arte Chorus
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Simon Rattle Edition - Benjamin Britten

Label: Warner Classics Catalog: 42743 Release Date: 03/24/2009 Number of Discs: 5
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Robert Tear, Peter Donohoe, Willard White, Alison Hargan ...
Conductor: Simon Rattle
Orchestra/Ensemble: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Christ Church Cathedral Choir Men and Boys ...

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Benjamin Britten - The Collector's Edition

Label: Warner Classics Catalog: 17526 Release Date: 11/24/2008 Number of Discs: 37
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Andrew Mead, Jill Gomez, Norman Bailey, Penelope Walker ...
Conductor: Reginald Goodall, Richard Hickox, Daniel Harding, Bernard Haitink ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: Trinity Boys Choir, City of London Sinfonia, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus ...

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20.

Bach, Handel, Haydn, Britten: Arias From Cantatas & Oratorios / Schreier

Label: Berlin Classics Catalog: 1328 Release Date: 07/08/2008 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: George Frideric Handel, Franz Joseph Haydn, Benjamin Britten, Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer: Peter Schreier

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Britten: War Requiem / Rilling, Dasch, Taylor, Gerhaher, Et Al

Label: Hänssler Classic Catalog: 98507 Release Date: 06/10/2008 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Annette Dasch, James Taylor, Christian Gerhaher
Conductor: Helmuth Rilling
Orchestra/Ensemble: Stuttgart Festival Ensemble, Aurelius Boys Choir of Calw
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Britten: War Requiem / Curtin, Di Virgilio, Krause, Leinsdorf

Label: Video Artists International Catalog: 4429 Release Date: 08/28/2007 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Nicholas Di Virgilio, Phyllis Curtin, Tom Krause
Conductor: Erich Leinsdorf
Orchestra/Ensemble: Boston Symphony Orchestra, Pro Musica Chorus, Columbus Boychoir

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23.

Britten: War Requiem / Masur, Lpo, Et Al

Label: Lpo Catalog: 10 Release Date: 07/25/2006 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Anthony Dean Griffey, Gerald Finley, Christine Brewer
Conductor: Neville Creed, Kurt Masur, Simon Toyne
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tiffin School Boys Chorus

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24.

Britten: War Requiem / Britten, London Symphony

Label: Decca Catalog: 000638902 Release Date: 05/16/2006 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Peter Pears, Simon Preston, Galina Vishnevskaya, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Conductor: Benjamin Britten
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra, Highgate School Chorus ...

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Britten: War Requiem; Berg: Violin Concerto; Penderecki

Label: Berlin Classics Catalog: 1012 Release Date: 10/01/2005 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Alban Berg, Krzysztof Penderecki, Benjamin Britten
Performer: Manfred Scherzer, Anthony Roden, Theo Adam, Hansjürgen Scholze ...
Conductor: Herbert Kegel
Orchestra/Ensemble: Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, Leipzig Radio Orchestra, Leipzig Radio Chorus ...

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