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Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (English Edward Benjamin Britten; November 22, 1913, Lowestoft, Suffolk - December 4, 1976, Aldborough) - British composer, conductor and pianist.
Britten was born in Suffolk. He received his initial musical education there. Later he went to study at the Royal College of Music. He was taught by such musicians as J. Arleynd, A. Benjamin. Britten's first work was the Simple Symphony. It combined the youth of the composer and his professional talent. Britten played the piano very well. At the same time, she reminded everyone that he was a composer. Britten never set himself grandiose goals and objectives. Above all, he trusted intuition, fantasy and heart.
Britten hated the avant-garde. In the thirties he wrote music for theater, film and radio. Britten admitted that he worked quickly, always and under any circumstances. He has composed about twenty-three film scores. They were very fond of the audience, and were also well received by critics. It also made itself felt that Britten was formed as a creator in England. That is, in the national environment. He wrote the song-symphony cycle "Our Ancestors - Hunters". Britten wrote it in 1936. The composition is still considered a sharp historical satire on the English nobility.
Fame around the world brought Benjamin "Variations on a theme by Frank Bridge." The composition was written in 1937. It was dedicated to Britten's first teacher. He also wrote several Variations: "Adagio", "Romance", "March", "Viennese Waltz", "Finale with Fugue", "Funeral March", "Italian Party" and others. In addition to his passion for instrumental music, Britten was well acquainted with other genres. He has repeatedly performed at contemporary music festivals in Italy, Switzerland and Spain. He was appreciated in these countries, as well as in others.
Britten moved to America for three years. He wrote Michelangelo's Seven Sonnets there for piano and voice. It was not without difficulty that Britten found the performers for this work. That man was Peter Pierce. The meeting of the composer and singer gave rise to a creative collaboration that was long and fruitful. Thanks to Pierce, Britten developed an interest in vocal music. Britten began to work with the genre - opera. The first piece was called "Peter Grimes". It was written based on the poem "The Town". Benjamin was returning from America to England and was so carried away by this poem that upon arrival he began to seriously work on the work.
He completed the opera in 1945. It was she who brought fame to the composer and revealed his talent as a playwright. After the premiere, the opera was staged in all famous theaters. She even ended up in the USSR. Another opera, The Desecration of Lucretia, was written in 1946. The ancient story was the basis of this creation. Britten's third opera was Albert Herring. This opera was radically different from the previous two. The opera was somewhat similar to Italian and comic operas. Britten has always been fond of folklore. He arranged English folk songs. Once Britten showed himself as a writer. He published the book The Wonderful World of Music. She popularized operatic music and was aimed at young readers.
One of Britten's most significant works was the War Requiem. It was performed for the first time in England in 1962. The success was so resounding that the requiem was sold in a couple of months with a circulation of 200,000 records. It was performed in almost all countries of the world. Colleagues from the USSR dedicated their Fourteenth Symphony to Britten. The English composer died in 1976.
English composer, pianist, conductor, musical public figure, was born November 22, 1913 in Lowestoft (Suffolk County). He began composing at the age of 4, studied piano at the age of seven, and viola at the age of ten. By the age of 14, he had more than a hundred opuses in his portfolio. Britenn's teachers include F. Bridge, J. Ireland and A. Benjamin; with the last two, he studied at the London Royal ... Read all
English composer, pianist, conductor, musical public figure, was born November 22, 1913 in Lowestoft (Suffolk County). He began composing at the age of 4, studied piano at the age of seven, and viola at the age of ten. By the age of 14, he had more than a hundred opuses in his portfolio. Britenn's teachers include F. Bridge, J. Ireland and A. Benjamin; with the latter two he studied at the Royal College of Music in London (1930-1933).
The nature of Britten's talent determined the predominance of vocal genres in his work. A number of the best pages of his music are written for voice and orchestra, for example, Illuminations (Les Illuminations, 1939); Serenade (Serenada, 1943); Nocturne, Nocturne, 1958) and for voice and piano Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo (Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo, 1940); Spiritual Sonnets of John Donne (The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, 1945); Winter Words by T. Hardy (Winter Words, 1953); Six fragments from Hölderlin (Six Hlderlin Fragments, 1958). Among the numerous works of the genre, cantatas stand out - A child was born to us (A boy was born, 1933), Hymn to St. Cecilia (Hymn to St. Cecilia, 1942), Wreath of carols (The ceremony of carols, 1942), St. Nicholas (Saint Nicolas, 1948), Cantata of mercy (Cantata misericordium, 1963). In the widely known monumental War Requiem, where the verses of the English poet W. Owen, who died in the First World War, are interspersed with the texts of the Catholic funeral mass, the music reveals the theme of the senselessness of all wars.
Britten's operas demonstrate the subtle penetration of their author into the human psyche. Peter Grimes (Peter Grimes) based on the poem by J. Crabb Mestechko (The Borough) was written by order of the Sergei Koussevitzky Foundation and immediately after the premiere, held in London in 1945, brought the composer a resounding success. Britten's other two great operas, Billy Budd (1951) based on the short story by Melville and Gloriana (Gloriana, 1953), which was written specifically for the coronation of Elizabeth II, did not acquire such wide popularity. But Britten's chamber operas, created for the English Opera Group (English Opera Group) led by him, testify to the exceptional skill of their author: these are The Rape of Lucretia (The Rape of Lucretia, 1946), Albert Herring (Albert Herring, 1947), Let's create an opera! (Let us Make an Opera, 1949) and The Turn of the Screw (1954). We can also mention Noah's Ark (Noye's Fludde, 1958) - a children's mystery opera based on the text of the Chester medieval miracle and the three-act ballet The Prince of Pagodas (The Prince of Pagodas, 1957). In 1960, a very successful opera A Midsummer Night's Dream appeared (score for a medium-sized orchestra). Three parable operas are intended for church performance: The Curlew River (1964), The Burning Fiery Furnace (1966) and The Prodigal Son (1968). In 1973, the premiere of Britten's last opera, Death in Venice by T. Mann, took place.
Britten's orchestral compositions include the Simple Symphony (1934) for string orchestra, the Requiem Symphony (Sinfonia da Requiem, 1940), the Spring Symphony (1949) for soloists, choir and large orchestra, the Symphony for cello and orchestra ( 1964). Britten had an excellent command of the form of variations: two remarkable works were written in this genre - Variations on a theme by Frank Bridge for string orchestra (1937) and The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (1946), The guide consists of variations and a fugue on Purcell theme. Ballets were staged to the music of the mentioned variation cycles. Britten's legacy includes concertos for piano (1938) and violin (1939) with orchestra; among chamber-instrumental genres - two string quartets (1941 and 1945). Britten was made a Companion of Honor (1953) and a peer (1976). Britten died in Aldborough on December 4, 1976.
Biography of Britten
Britten, Benjamin (1913-1976), England
Benjamin Britten's father was a professional musician and his mother was a singer. The boy was endowed with great musical talent and wrote his first composition at the age of 4, and by the age of 12 he had already created several large works. In 1926 he became a pupil of Frank Bridge, who was a versatile and accomplished musician.
In 1930 Britten entered the Royal College of Music to study piano and composition. His early work "Phantasy Quartet" for oboe and string trio was performed in Florence at the International Society for Contemporary Music (I.S.C.M.) in 1934, and introduced Britten's name to the international musical world. At the Salzburg Festival in 1937 his "Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge" was also well received. By then, Britten had become acquainted with Peter Pearce (they were lifelong friends) whose unusual tenor was often a fine addition to Britten's work. In 1942, the musicians returned to England from the USA, where they gave solo concerts. Britten continued to compose, examples of his contemporary work are scores for the film "Ministry of Information".
Britten wrote two magnificent works: "Les illuminations" with lyrics by the French poet Artout Rimbaud, and "Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings", which was based on six English poems. The appearance of the first operas Benjamin Britten in the post-war period at Sadler's Wells Theater marked a new era for the English operas.
In 1947, Benjamin Britten, designer John Piper, and librettist Eric Crozier organized the English Opera Group with the aim of reducing the number of musicians to perform English operas. Thus, in order to fulfill operas Britten now only needed 12 musicians. This group lasted until 1961, producing five operas written by Britten.
In 1947, Britten and Pierce bought a house in Aldeburgh and moved there to live and work. There they organized the Aldeburgh Festival for new English music. Many famous composers came to this place in order to work in a calm, cozy atmosphere.
In 1967, a specially equipped concert The Maltings Hall, which replaced Jubilee Hall, is an event that has become a dream come true for Britten. In 1969, the hall burned down, but thanks to international support, it was restored for the 1970 festival.
Benjamin Britten enjoyed creating works for children. "Let's Make an Opera" allows the young audience to sing along before it starts on its own opera. "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" consists of a set variations on the themes of Pourcelle and shows the versatility of the composer's talent. In some operas Benjamin Britten features children's choirs and the voices of boy soloists, for example in "Peter Grimes" and in "Turn of the Screw".
Benjamin Britten considered himself an outcast of society, so most of the heroes of his writings are represented by just such people. According to contemporaries, it was quite difficult to work with him, but he undoubtedly left many strong, highly artistic works.
WORKS:
Johnson over Jordan, 1939
On the Frontier, 1938
The Eagle has Two Heads, 1946
This Way to the Tomb, 1945
A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28, 1942
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 64, 1960
Albert Herring, Op. 39, 1947
Billy Budd Op. 50, 1951
Burning Fiery Furnace, Op. 77, 1966
Cello Sonata, Op. 65, 1961
Cello Suite, Op. 80, 1967
Cello Suite, Op. 87, 1972
Cello Suite No. 1, Op. 72, 1964
Curlew River, Op. 71, 1964
Death in Venice, Op. 88, 1973
Dido and Aeneas, 1951
Gloriana, Op. 53, 1953
Hymn to St. Cecilia, Op. 27, 1942
Lacrymae, Op. 48a, 1977
Les Illuminations, Op. 18, 1940
Matinees musicales, Op. 24, 1941
Nocturne, Op. 60, 1958
Noye's Fludde, Op. 59, 1958
Owen Wingrave, Op. 85, 1971, 1973
Paul Bunyan, Op. 17, 1941/1976
Peter Grimes, Op. 33, 1945
Piano Concerto in D, Op. 13, 1938-46
Prince of the Pagodas, Op. 57, 1957
Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, Op. 31, 1943
Seven Songs of Michelangelo, Op. 22, 1940
Simple Symphony, Op. 4, 1934
Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20, 1941
Sinfonietta for chamber orchestra, Op. 1, 1933
Soirees musicales, Op. 9, 1936
Songs and Proverbs of William Blake, Op. 74, 1965
Spring Symphony, Op. 44, 1949
String Quartet No. 1 in D, Op. 25, 1941
String Quartet No. 2 in C, Op. 36, 1945
String Quartet No. 3, Op. 94, 1975
String Quartet in D, 1931
Symphony for cello and orchestra, Op. 68, 1954
The Beggar's Opera, 1948
The Fairy Queen, 1967
The Little Sweep, Op. 45, 1949
The Prodigal Son, Op. 81, 1968
The Rape of Lucretia, Op. 37, 1946
Three Diversions for string quartet, 1936
Turn of the Screw, Op. 54, 1954
Variation on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10, 1937
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 15, 1940/58
War Requiem, Op. 66, 1962
Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34, 1946
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
English composer, pianist, conductor, musical public figure, was born November 22, 1913 in Lowestoft (Suffolk County). He began composing at the age of 4, studied piano at the age of seven, viola at the age of ten. By the age of 14, he had more than a hundred opuses in his portfolio. From 1927 he took private music lessons from Frank Bridge, then in 1929-1933 he studied at the Royal College of Music with John Ireland (composition) and Arthur Benjamin (piano); plans to study in Vienna under Alban Berg were abandoned under pressure from family and college teachers.
Already the early works of Britten - "Hymn to the Virgin" (1930), choral variations "The Baby is Born" (1934) - attracted some attention from the musical community. In 1935-1942, Britten collaborated extensively with the poet Wystan Hugh Auden: the fruit of this collaboration was a number of vocal cycles based on Auden's poems, including Our Fathers Who Hunted in the Hills, whose musical radicalism is comparable to the political sharpness of the texts, and Britten's first opera on libretto by Auden "Paul Bunyan" (1941), created after both moved to the United States. In 1936, Britten began collaborating with singer Peter Pierce, who also became the composer's life partner.
In the 1930s, Britten wrote a lot of music for theater and cinema. Along with this, special attention is paid to chamber vocal genres, where the style of future operas gradually matures. Themes, coloring, choice of texts are exceptionally diverse. Britten's operas demonstrate the subtle penetration of their author into the human psyche. Each work is endowed with individual features that are reflected in the originality of the idea, its dissimilarity with previous works, in the originality of the “stage form” of the performance, and in the features of the stylistic origins of music. Britten seriously studies folk music, processes English, Scottish, French songs. In 1939, at the beginning of the war, Britten left for the United States, where he entered the circle of progressive creative intelligentsia. As a response to the tragic events that unfolded on the European continent, the cantata Ballad of Heroes (1939) arose, dedicated to the fighters against fascism in Spain. Poems by Auden and Swingler sounded in a courageous melody, as if from ringing bronze, singing the songs of the soldiers of the International Brigade who died in the battles for Republican Spain. In 1940, his tragic "Funeral Symphony" appears, written after the death of his parents.
After the return of Britten and Pierce from the USA in 1942, the composer devoted himself most of all to opera: Peter Grimes (1945, after George Crabb) and The Turn of the Screw (1954, based on the short story of the same name by Henry James) laid the foundation for the new English opera and, in general, were received with enthusiasm by the public, however, the resistance of part of the British musical establishment to Britten's innovations prompted the composer to create his own English Opera Group (1947), which staged mainly works by English composers and toured with them around the world, including in the Soviet Union. Union (1964). In 1948 Britten also founded the Aldborough Music Festival.
In 1957, Asian music, which he met during a joint eastern tour with Pierce (Britten acted as an accompanist), had a noticeable influence on Britten's work. This influence was especially evident in the ballet The Prince of Pagodas (1957).
In the 1960s Britten again turned to church music, creating, in particular, a trilogy of musical and dramatic compositions on the verge of opera and oratorio under the general title "Parables for Church Performance"; the third of them, The Prodigal Son (1968), is dedicated to Dmitri Shostakovich, who in turn dedicated the Fourteenth Symphony to Britten. Particular success fell on the share of the War Requiem (1962), written by Britten for the ceremony of consecration of the cathedral in the city of Coventry completely destroyed by German bombardments.
In the 1970s Britten received unconditional worldwide recognition. In 1974 he became the first winner of the Ernst Siemens World Music Prize. In 1976, a few months before his death, he received the title of Baron Britten of Aldborough.
Throughout the years, the multi-genre nature of the composer's work has been preserved. Britten is widely known not only as a composer, but also as a musician and educator. Like Prokofiev and Orff, he creates a lot of music for children and youth. In his musical play Let's Make an Opera (1948), the audience is directly involved in the performance process. Britten often performed as a pianist and conductor, touring in different countries. He repeatedly visited the USSR (1963, 1964, 1971). The result of one of his trips to Russia was a cycle of songs to the words of A. Pushkin (1965) and the Third Cello Suite (1971), which uses Russian folk melodies. Neither in the early years, nor at the later stages of his creative evolution, did Britten set himself the task of discovering new techniques of composition or theoretical substantiations of his individual style. With the revival of English opera, Britten became one of the greatest innovators of the genre in the twentieth century.
Choir compositions:
Cantatas: Ballad of Heroes (1939) A child is born to us (1933), Hymn to St. Cecilia (1942), Wreath of Carols (1942), St. Nicholas (1948), Cantata of Mercy
operas: "Paul Bunyan" (1941) "Peter Grimes" (1945), "The Desecration of Lucretia" (1946), "Albert Herring" (1947), "Gloriana" (1953), "The Turn of the Screw" (1954), "Dream in Midsummer Night (1960), adaptation of the ballad comic The Beggar's Opera by J. Gay and Johann Christoph Pepusch (1948), for children, Noah's Ark (1958), for children, Billy Budd (1951) chamber opera The River Carluo" (1964), the trilogy "Parables for Church Performance", the 3rd of it - the opera "The Prodigal Son" (1968), dedicated to Shostakovich, "Death in Venice" (1973)
Short Mass in D major, "Hymn to the Virgin" (1930), Choral Variations "A Baby is Born" (1934), "The Golden Vanity" (1966), vaudeville for boys' choir and piano on the text of an old English ballad, op. 78; a vocal cycle based on Auden's poems "Our Fathers Who Hunted in the Hills", a musical performance "Let's put on an opera" (1949), a song cycle based on words by A. Pushkin (1965).
oratorio "War Requiem" (1962)
Musical-theoretical analysis
Chorus Agnus Dei - number 4 from the Short Mass in D major, written in the Latin text of the Mass of the Catholic Rite. Dedication: `For George Malcolm and the boys of Westminster Cathedral Choir` festive Christmas services) from Liber usualis.
Mass(ital. messa, from lat. missa listen)) is the main liturgical service in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church.
There are 5 numbers in the classical mass:
1 Kyrie ("Lord, have mercy")
2 Gloria ("Glory")
3 Credo ("I believe")
4 Sanctus ("Holy")
5 Agnus Dei ("Lamb of God")
There are 4 numbers in Britten's Mass: 1 Kyrie 2 Gloria 3 Sanctus-Benedictus 4 Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis, dona nobis pacem - "Lamb of God, you who have taken the sin of the world upon yourself, have mercy on us, grant us peace."
Agnus Dei, or the Lamb of God, is one of the symbolic names of Jesus. Christ, like a lamb, gave himself to the slaughter. The image goes back to the rite, widespread in pastoral cultures, to sacrifice the first lamb born in the flock to the gods. The lamb is a symbol of meekness, non-resistance, innocence and humility.
It is this image that is embedded in this choir - meek, humble, innocent.
The form is strophic. These are 3 stanzas, where the 3rd is expanded due to imitative development.
The tonal plan is not stable, which is typical for the music of the 20th century. The main key is D minor. There are many random signs. Appearing in the melody, they lead to a new key. Each musical phrase in the choir is a deviation.
g minor 
e-moll 
cis minor 
mm
a-moll 
fis-moll 
But there are also passing chromatisms:
The austerity of the accompaniment adds monotony. This move d-f-a-c-es sounds throughout the entire chorus.
Warehouse writing-gamophone-harmonic with elements of imitation polyphony, found in the 3rd stanza.
In the 1st and 2nd stanzas, the chorus sounds mostly in unison, diverging into independent parts only in the last phrase "Miserere nobis"
This, together with the sound of high children's voices of boys, creates the necessary image - light, innocent, transparent.
In the 3rd stanza, the phrase "Give us peace" at first sounds like a timid request on pp,
and then through the imitation development method, dynamic development, texture expansion, dynamic enhancement to ff, powerful sound, it becomes more like a requirement, 
which still comes down to the transparent sound of the t64.
The climax in the chorus lies precisely in this 3rd stanza. 
Vocal-choral analysis
The type of choir is children's.
Range of choral parts:
I: c 1.o. – f 2.o.
II: from 1.o. – f 2.o.
III: a m.o. – f 2.o.
General range of the choir: a m.o. – f 2.o.
The composer uses in this choir only high boyish voices - trebles. Obviously, to create the necessary image of a lamb - humble, meek, innocent.
Phrase-by-phrase breathing should be used here, since each phrase is separated from the next by a pause.
But at the same time, do not lose the unity of the stanza "Agnus dei, quitolis peccata, peccata mundi, miserere nobis".
It is worth paying close attention to the change of strokes: legato and staccato.
It is also important to clearly pronounce the Latin text.
In general, the performance should be strict, collected, corresponding to the character, text and genre.
Moscow State University of Culture and Arts
Chorus abstract« Agnus dei»
From the "Short Mass"in D»
Music: B. Britten
Performed by a student 345
Gavrilina Svetlana
Teacher: Belyaeva T.P.
The work of B. Britten marked the revival of opera in England, a new (after three centuries of silence) entry of English music onto the world stage. Based on the national tradition and having mastered the widest range of modern expressive means, Britten created many works in all genres.
Britten began composing at the age of eight. At the age of 12 he wrote The Simple Symphony for string orchestra (2nd ed. - 1934). In 1929, Britten entered the Royal College of Music (Conservatory), where his leaders were J. Ireland (composition) and A. Benjamin (piano). In 1933, the nineteen-year-old composer's Sinfonietta was performed, which attracted the attention of the public. It was followed by a number of chamber works that were included in the programs of international music festivals and laid the foundation for the European fame of their author. These first compositions of Britten were characterized by chamber sound, clarity and conciseness of form, which brought the English composer closer to representatives of the neoclassical direction (I. Stravinsky, P. Hindemith). In the 30s. Britten writes a lot of music for theater and cinema. Along with this, special attention is paid to chamber vocal genres, where the style of future operas gradually matures. The themes, colors, and choice of texts are exceptionally varied: “Our Ancestors Are Hunters” (1936) is a satire ridiculing the nobility; cycle "Illumination" on the verses of A. Rimbaud (1939) and "Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo" (1940). Britten seriously studies folk music, processes English, Scottish, French songs.
In 1939, at the beginning of the war, Britten left for the United States, where he entered the circle of progressive creative intelligentsia. As a response to the tragic events that unfolded on the European continent, the cantata Ballad of Heroes (1939) arose, dedicated to the fighters against fascism in Spain. In the late 30s - early 40s. instrumental music predominates in Britten's work: at this time, piano and violin concertos, Symphony Requiem, "Canadian Carnival" for orchestra, "Scottish Ballad" for two pianos and orchestra, 2 quartets, etc. are created. Like I. Stravinsky, Britten freely uses the legacy of the past: this is how the suites from the music of G. Rossini ("Musical Evenings" and "Musical Mornings") arise.
In 1942, the composer returned to his homeland and settled in the seaside town of Aldborough, on the southeast coast of England. While still in America, he received an order for the opera Peter Grimes, which he completed in 1945. The production of Britten's first opera was of particular importance: it marked the revival of the national musical theater, which had not given masterpieces of the classical level since the time of Purcell. The tragic story of the fisherman Peter Grimes, pursued by fate (the plot of J. Crabbe), inspired the composer to create a musical drama with a modern, sharply expressive sound. The wide range of traditions followed by Britten makes the music of his opera diverse and capacious in terms of style. Creating images of hopeless loneliness, despair, the composer relies on the style of G. Mahler, A. Berg, D. Shostakovich. Mastery of dramatic contrasts, realistic introduction of genre mass scenes makes one recall G. Verdi. The refined pictorialism, the colorfulness of the orchestra in seascapes goes back to the impressionism of C. Debussy. However, all this is united by the original author's intonation, a sense of the specific color of the British Isles.
Peter Grimes was followed by chamber operas: The Desecration of Lucretia (1946), the satire Albert Herring (1947) on the plot of G. Maupassant. Opera continues to attract Britten to the end of his days. In the 50-60s. appear Billy Budd (1951), Gloriana (1953), The Turn of the Screw (1954), Noah's Ark (1958), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960, based on a comedy by W. Shakespeare), chamber opera The Carlew River (1964), the opera The Prodigal Son (1968), dedicated to Shostakovich, and Death in Venice (1970, after T. Mann).
Britten is widely known as an enlightening musician. Like S. Prokofiev and K. Orff, he creates a lot of music for children and youth. In his musical play Let's Make an Opera (1948), the audience is directly involved in the performance process. "Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell" is written as "a guide to the orchestra for young people", introducing listeners to the timbres of various instruments. To the work of Purcell, as well as to ancient English music in general, Britten turned repeatedly. He edited his opera "Dido and Aeneas" and other works, as well as a new version of "The Beggar's Opera" by J. Gay and J. Pepusch.
One of the main themes of Britten's work - a protest against violence, war, the affirmation of the value of a fragile and unprotected human world - received its highest expression in "War Requiem" (1961), where, along with the traditional text of the Catholic service, W. Auden's anti-war poems are used.
In addition to composing, Britten acted as a pianist and conductor, touring in different countries. He repeatedly visited the USSR (1963, 1964, 1971). The result of one of his trips to Russia was a cycle of songs to the words of A. Pushkin (1965) and the Third Cello Suite (1971), which uses Russian folk melodies. With the revival of English opera, Britten became one of the greatest innovators of the genre in the 20th century. “My cherished dream is to create an opera form that would be equivalent to Chekhov's dramas... I consider chamber opera more flexible for expressing innermost feelings. It provides an opportunity to focus on human psychology. But this is precisely what has become the central theme of modern advanced art.”
