Benjamin Britten in Context (Composers in Context)

Benjamin Britten, pianist, conductor, educator, composer of a wide range of music from large-scale operas and choral works to string quartets and songs, is acknowledged as a pivotal figure in mid-twentieth-century Britain.

This volume explores the contexts for his multi-faceted career and his engagement with his contemporaries in music, art, literature, and film, British musical institutions, royal and governmental entities, and the church, as well as his ground-breaking projects, philosophical and ideological tenets.

The book is thematically structured in five parts:

• Britten's relationships with Peter Pears, his close friends, mentors, and colleagues;
• musical life in Britain;
• his interactions with previous and contemporary generations of composers;
• his professional work with choreographers, librettists, stage designers, and directors;
• his socio-cultural, religious, and political environment.

The chapters shed light on the many opportunities and challenges of post-war British musical life that shaped Britten's creative output.