Overview

Benjamin Britten was a most reluctant public speaker. Yet his contributions were without doubt a major factor in the transformation during his lifetime of the structure of the art-music industry. This text, by bringing together all his published articles, unpublished speeches, drafts and transcriptions of numerous radio interviews, explores the paradox of a reluctant yet influential cultural commentator, artist and humanist. Whether talking about his own music, about the role of the artist in society, about music criticism or wading into a debate on soviet ideology at the height of the Cold War, Britten always gave a performance that reinforced the notion of a private man who nonetheless saw the importance of public disclosure.

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9780198167143

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... indispensable collection of writings and transcripts. Ian Bostridge, Times Literary Supplement This is a book that needed to be published and Britten fans will be delighted that it has been done so well. Alexander Waugh, Literary Review

Author Information

Paul Kildea was born in Australia and studied at Melbourne and Oxford Universities, being awarded a doctorate from the latter in 1996. He has recently been appointed Director of the Britten-Pears Orchestra. In 1999 he was appointed by the Britten Estate to the position of Head of Music, Aldeburgh Productions.

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