{"id":25892,"date":"2023-04-10T17:00:52","date_gmt":"2023-04-10T15:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=6730"},"modified":"2023-04-10T19:35:45","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T17:35:45","slug":"five-essential-works-by-benjamin-britten","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/five-essential-works-by-benjamin-britten\/","title":{"rendered":"Five essential works by Benjamin Britten"},"content":{"rendered":"

We choose the greatest pieces by the great British composer, Benjamin Britten <\/p>

By Freya Parr\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 10 April 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The output of English composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) is fascinatingly varied, spanning everything from large-scale operas via a famous War Requiem<\/strong><\/a> and orchestral showpieces like A Young Person\u2019s Guide to the Orchestra<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, to some of the most adventurous and exciting chamber music of the twentieth century.<\/p>\n

But where to start with this captivating and eclectic composer? Here, we recommend five key Britten works to get you started, and a best recording for each one.<\/p>\n

Benjamin Britten: best works<\/h2>\nA Ceremony of Carols<\/h3>\n
Composed in 1942 while Britten<\/strong><\/a> was crossing the Atlantic from America, its unusual scoring of treble voices and harp present a range of serene, exhilarating and ecstatic settings of medieval carols.<\/p>\n
Recommended recording:<\/strong>\nChoir of King\u2019s College, Cambridge\/David Willcocks\nClassics for Pleasure 968 9492<\/p>\n\n<iframe title=\""Britten\" a=\"\" ceremony=\"\" of=\"\" carols=\"\" choir=\"\" kings=\"\" college=\"\" cambridge=\"\" sir=\"\" david=\"\" willcocks=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gSFnfeoaqjw?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<ul><li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/top-20-britten-recordings"\"><strong>Top 20 Britten recordings<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/five-best-modern-christmas-carols"\"><strong>Five of the best modern Christmas carols<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings<\/h3>\n<p>This was <a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/topic\/benjamin-britten"\"><strong>Britten<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s first major work on returning to England. The calm pastoral of its opening song revealed a new vein in his music.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><br\/><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/peter-pears\/"\">Peter Pears<\/a> (tenor), Barry Tuckwell (horn); English Chamber Orchestra\/Benjamin Britten<br\/>\nDecca 436 3952<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" britten:=\"\" serenade=\"\" for=\"\" tenor=\"\" horn=\"\" and=\"\" strings=\"\" les=\"\" illuminations=\"\" nocturne=\"\" style=\""border-radius:\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""352"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" loading=\""lazy"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/7qG4EgLw8lovfWWbPPMyZJ?utm_source=oembed&amp%3Bgo=1&amp%3Bplay=1&amp%3Bnd=1&amp%3Bnd=1"\"\/>\n<iframe title=\""Britten\" serenade=\"\" for=\"\" tenor=\"\" horn=\"\" and=\"\" strings=\"\" pears=\"\" brain=\"\" bbc=\"\" so=\"\" hollingsworth=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PQ0ITqRBaE0?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<ul><li><a class=\""standard-card-new__article-title"\" href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/benjamin-britten-and-peter-pears\/"\">B<strong>enjamin Britten and Peter Pears<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-best-20th-century-british-choral-works"\"><strong>Six of the best 20th-century British choral works<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/five-essential-works-schubert"\"><strong>Five essential works by Schubert<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Peter Grimes<\/h3>\n<p>The premi\u00e8re secured <a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/topic\/benjamin-britten"\"><strong>Britten<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s international fame and the opera testifies to Britten\u2019s masterful sense of drama.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><br\/>\nPeter Pears; Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra\/Benjamin Britten<br\/>\nDecca 467 6822<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" britten:=\"\" peter=\"\" grimes=\"\" style=\""border-radius:\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""352"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" loading=\""lazy"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/6qo8SZdI88VBw98MvxXJ4X?utm_source=oembed&amp%3Bgo=1&amp%3Bplay=1&amp%3Bnd=1&amp%3Bnd=1"\"\/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-great-contemporary-operas"\"><strong>Six great contemporary operas<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/best-recordings-beethovens-pastoral-symphony"\"><strong>The best recordings of Beethoven\u2019s Pastoral Symphony<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>War Requiem<\/h3>\n<p>Written for the reconsecration of Coventry Cathedral, <a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/topic\/benjamin-britten"\"><strong>Britten<\/strong><\/a> juxtaposed the Requiem Mass with poems by Wilfred Owen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><br\/>\nPeter Pears, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Bach Choir; LSO\/Benjamin Britten<br\/>\nDecca 475 7511<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" britten:=\"\" war=\"\" requiem=\"\" style=\""border-radius:\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""352"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" loading=\""lazy"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/1O6r5AtedLGTCUeyRYCN7T?utm_source=oembed&amp%3Bgo=1&amp%3Bplay=1&amp%3Bnd=1&amp%3Bnd=1"\"\/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-of-the-best-great-works-with-chorales"\"><strong>Six of the best great works with chorales in them<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/five-essential-works-bartok"\"><strong>Five essential works by Bart\u00f3k<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Suite on English Folk Tunes<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/topic\/benjamin-britten"\"><strong>Britten<\/strong><\/a> admired <a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/topic\/percy-grainger"\"><strong>Grainger<\/strong><\/a> more than <a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/topic\/ralph-vaughan-williams"\"><strong>Vaughan Williams<\/strong><\/a>, and this is evident in his by turns quirky and brooding suite.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Benjamin\" britten=\"\" :=\"\" suite=\"\" on=\"\" english=\"\" folk=\"\" tunes=\"\" for=\"\" orchestra=\"\" time=\"\" there=\"\" was=\"\" op.=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VXI_H2Ra19c?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p><strong>Recommended recording:<\/strong><br\/>\nBournemouth SO\/Richard Hickox<br\/>\nChandos CHAN 9221<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spotify\" embed:=\"\" britten:=\"\" young=\"\" person=\"\" guide=\"\" to=\"\" the=\"\" orchestra=\"\" peter=\"\" grimes:=\"\" sea-interludes=\"\" style=\""border-radius:\" width=\""100%"\" height=\""352"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\""autoplay;\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" fullscreen=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" loading=\""lazy"\" src=\""https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/7rUuORnOw9PsknfLYE2PVG?utm_source=oembed&amp%3Bgo=1&amp%3Bplay=1&amp%3Bnd=1&amp%3Bnd=1"\"\/> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> We choose the greatest pieces by the great British composer, Benjamin Britten <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":25893,"template":"","categories":[1,17],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/five-essential-works-by-benjamin-britten.jpg",625,350,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/five-essential-works-by-benjamin-britten-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/five-essential-works-by-benjamin-britten-300x168.jpg",300,168,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/five-essential-works-by-benjamin-britten.jpg",625,350,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/five-essential-works-by-benjamin-britten.jpg",625,350,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/five-essential-works-by-benjamin-britten.jpg",625,350,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/04\/five-essential-works-by-benjamin-britten.jpg",625,350,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"We choose the greatest pieces by the great British composer, Benjamin Britten","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/25892"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}