100 years of Britten

"Composing is like driving down a foggy road toward a house. Slowly you see more details of the house - the colour of the slates and bricks, the shape of the windows. The notes are the bricks and the mortar of the house".

The above quote comes from English composer Benjamin Britten. With this quote in mind, Southern Sinfonia is thrilled to be able to say that on Saturday 20^th July, it shall be playing some of the finest bricks and mortar ever built; the works of Britten himself!

Taking place in the enchanting Chichester Cathedral as part of the Southern Cathedrals Festival, Southern Sinfonia will be celebrating the centenary of Benjamin Britten with a number of pieces including ‘St Nicolas’, conducted by Sarah Baldock and David Halls and performed with the combined boy choristers and lay clerks of the Southern Cathedrals Festival.  

This concert joins a number of concerts taking place this year to mark 100 years since Britten’s birth on 22^nd November 1913, but why is Britten so fondly remembered? Potentially because of the sheer volume and range of work he created. With over 100 pieces of work, including operas, songs and a ballet, written for everyone from professionals to school children, Britten showered the classical music landscape with his name and compositions over four decades.

St. Nicolas was originally written for amateur musicians, being performed as part of the centennial celebrations for Lancing College in Sussex, the school once attended by close friend and collaborator, the tenor Peter Pears. The only professional musicians originally required were the tenor soloist, string quartet and percussionists. The text that accompanies the piece was written about the life of Saint Nicolas, Bishop of Myra, Lycia (otherwise known as the original Santa Claus!) by Eric Crozier after extensive research into his legendary life. The text and the music are both incredibly dramatic, painting a bold picture of Saint Nicolas with contrasting instrumentation, textures and vocal style.

This piece will be accompanied with a performance of ‘O be joyful in the Lord' by another renowned English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the fiery 'Organ Concerto' from the French composer Francis Poulenc. Combinations that will no doubt produce a thrilling concert.

After the concert… will we be inspired by his ideas and thoughts? Well, as Britten is also quoted as saying…

“The idea of a composer suddenly having a terrific idea and sitting up all night to write it is nonsense. Night-time is for sleeping.”

For further event and ticket information, please click here.

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