Benjamin Britten (1913–1976) was born in Lowestoft, a town on the North Sea coast of Sussex, and went on to become one of the central figures of 20th century British classical music. He achieved international fame in 1945 with the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes and for the next fifteen years he concentrated on writing operas. Britten's talents as a composer were wide-ranging and he wrote important music in such varied genres as orchestral, choral, solo vocal (much of it written for his life partner, the tenor Peter Pears), chamber and instrumental. He also took a great interest in producing music for children and amateur performers, and was an outstanding pianist and conductor. This album is a representative selection of Britten’s most popular and successful compositions including the beautiful choral work A Ceremony of Carols, the moving War Requiem, the lively Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and the evocative Four Sea Interludes from Britten’s powerful opera Peter Grimes.

Artists

Heather Harper (soprano), Neil Mackie/Barry Tuckwell/Steuart Bedford/John Tunnell, Neil Mackie (tenor), Ida Haendel (violin), Robert Tear (tenor), Osian Ellis (harp), Felicity Palmer (mezzo-soprano), Roy Carter, John Lenehan (piano), Moray Welsh (cello), Ian Bostridge (tenor), Julius Drake (piano), Timothy Brown (horn), David Daniels (countertenor), Christopher Maltman (baritone), Northern Sinfonia, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Choir of King's College Cambridge, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Endymion Ensemble, English Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Trinity Boys' Choir, City of London Sinfonia, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, Sir Neville Marriner, Iona Brown, Steuart Bedford, Paavo Berglund, Sir David Willcocks, Libor Pešek, John Whitfield, Jeffrey Tate, André Previn, Richard Hickox, Sir Simon Rattle