(and a Passacaglia) for concert use. The plot, concerning harsh human conflict, matters here only inasmuch as its grim undercurrents imbue the Interludes with a pervasive aura of hackle-raising menace. Often obscured by more obvious attractions, this stems partly from keenly-etched orchestration, but owes far more to the sombre shadows cast by looming, heaving thematic contours. See complete notes by Paul Serotsky
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh, OM CH (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. Showing prodigious talent from an early age – he composed his Quatre Chansons françaises for soprano and orchestra at the age of fourteen – he first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945 he leapt to international fame, and for the next fifteen years he devoted much of his compositional attention to writing operas, several of which now appear regularly on international stages. Britten's interests as a composer were wide-ranging; he produced important music in such varied genres as orchestral, choral, solo vocal (much of it written for the tenor Peter Pears), chamber and instrumental, as well as film music. He also took a great interest in writing music for children and amateur performers, and was considered a fine pianist and conductor.
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