Ballets By Benjamin Britten

Ballets By Benjamin Britten

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British classical music, and wrote music in many genres. His best-known works include the opera Peter Grimes and the orchestral showpiece The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.

Born in Suffolk, the son of a dentist, Britten showed talent from an early age. He first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to international fame. Over the next nine years, he wrote six more operas, establishing himself as one of the leading 20th-century composers in the genre.

Britten's works range from orchestral to choral, solo vocal (much of it written for his life partner, 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 a renowned pianist and conductor.

Together with Pears and the librettist and producer Eric Crozier, Britten founded the annual Aldeburgh Festival, and was responsible for the creation of Snape Maltings concert hall. In his last year, he was the first composer to be given a life peerage.