Benjamin Britten

With "Chorale After An Old French Carol," Benjamin Britten presents a deeply moving and evocative setting of a traditional 17th-century French carol, also widely known by the tune names "Romancero" or...

Words are taken from the Gradual of the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul.

Britten's The World of the Spirit was written for BBC Radio in 1938, his second collaboration with R. Ellis Roberts. The wide-ranging texts from religious books, poetry, and newspaper articles about t...

This work was originally written in 1964 for two 12 year old twin brothers whom Britten met whilst working in Budapest. Each twin played the piano, and one the flute and the other the violin. A second...

Discover the enchanting synergy of lyrical vocal artistry and shimmering harp timbres: With "Eight Folk Song Arrangements (1976)", Faber Music presents an exquisite collection of masterful settings fo...

This previously unpublished trio was written in late 1929, after Britten composed the Rhapsody For String Quartet (March 1929). The new publication will be edited by David Matthews , who spent 3 years...

Stimmenset für Oboe, Violine, Viola und Violoncello

Immerse yourself in the sonorous world of a true masterpiece of the harp repertoire: The 'Suite for Harp op. 83' is an outstanding solo highlight that showcases the rich tonal nuances and technical br...

Written as a ballet for small orchestra. This work lasts c. 25 minutes and was first performed on 25/1/2004 at the Royal College of Music, London by the Royal College of Music Sinfonietta, conducted b...

Burlesque (from 'Sonatina Romantica'), composed by Benjamin Britten and arranged by Paul Harris and Emma Johnson for clarinet with piano accompaniment.

A Simple and effective setting of a poem by Thomas Hardy, mostly in unison with some elementary two-part singing. Ideal for a school choir.

A committed pacifist born into a renowned military family is met with a torrent of disapproval over his beliefs yet desperate to keep the love of his would-be bride, Owen is determined to prove his in...

Drafted (as a piano duet) in March 1941 for, but not used at, the first production of Paul Bunyan; it was not re-instated in the revival, for which a new short introduction was composed. The work was...

Variations on a Christmas Carol (God rest ye merry, gentlemen) for orchestra. Composed for the BBC programme with the same title which wasbroadcast on Christmas Day 1947. The programme consisted of li...

Britten began composing his Quatre chansons francaises in June 1928 and had finished the full score by August of that year, before his 15th birthday. The songs reflect the impact of his lessons with F...

The story of the American folk hero follows the development of the American continent from virgin forest to civilization. It does so in a deliberately eclectic style. Spoken dialogue is interspersed w...

In this second Parable for church performance, Britten sustains the influence of the Noh tradition in Curlew River, while taking inspiration from the Biblical story Ananias, Azarias and Misael. It tel...

Of all the parables in the New Testament none has had quite such a universal and ever-renewed appeal as that of the Prodigal Son. With its unforgettable climax of reward and rejoicing being lavished n...

Commissioned by the BBC for broadcast at the opening concert of the Third Programme, the work was described in the Radio Times as Festival Overture . The work lasts 8 minutes.

In this second Parable for church performance, Britten sustains the influence of the Noh tradition in Curlew River, while taking inspiration from the Biblical story Ananias, Azarias and Misael. It tel...

Written during Britten’s years in the USA (1939-1942) this atmospheric processional languished unperformed in a New York library until its discovery in 1976, the year of the composer’s dea...

Immerse yourself in the haunting, atmospheric world of Benjamin Britten’s masterpiece with the "Suite from Death in Venice, Op. 88 a". Masterfully compiled and arranged by Steuart Bedford, this orches...

. . .has an extraordinary bleakness, like cold stone in winter sunlight. The instruments, mainly strings and percussion, are systematically drained of color, yet the final moments offer some of the mo...

Britten's last completed work, written for young people's chorus and orchestra, is in five short sections: March, Roundel and Canon for orchestra and choir, and Jig and Modulation for orchestra alone....