| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 13-May-2013 St Andrew's Hall | Britten and Bridge with the Philharmonia in Norwich |
The fourteen-year-old Benjamin Britten was already a prolific young composer, albeit without any formal training, when he heard Frank Bridge’s The Sea at the 1927 Norfolk and Norwich Triennial Festival. Hearing this performance and also meeting Bridge (who later became his composition teacher) were seminal events in the youngster’s life. In a letter written in 1963, Britten described himself as being “knocked sideways” by the effect of Bridge’s expressive tone-poem and was thrilled when Bridge agreed to look through his juvenile scribblings.
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| 3-Apr-2013 Wigmore Hall | Britten, Bridge and a co-commission: Britten Sinfonia at Wigmore Hall |
The centenary of Britten’s birth has seen a surge in performances of his music both in the concert hall and on the stages of many a noted opera house. Sensationalised biographies, radio and television programmes, and a number of Britten-centred festivals have helped to pique further interest in a composer whose music tends to attract a love-hate relationship with its listeners. Unsurprisingly, Britten Sinfonia is in the midst of a busy year of imaginative concerts and hotly anticipated collaborations.
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| 8-Feb-2013 Gresham's School: Auden Theatre | Little-known Britten juvenilia brought to the fore at Gresham's School |
The centenary of Benjamin Britten continues to gather pace as we move through February and it was a warm welcome given to the Aronowitz Ensemble for an all-English programme of chamber music on Friday evening. Gresham’s Auden Theatre is at the heart of many of the schools’ activities to celebrate their most famous old-boy and the Aronowitz Ensemble made the most of the occasion by programming works not only by Britten, but by his teacher Frank Bridge also.
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| 17-Jan-2013 Birmingham Symphony Hall | Springtime and the sea with Edward Gardner and the CBSO |
The sea has been the inspiration for many concert works; Debussy’s La mer springs to mind immediately as perhaps the most popular, but in England during the first half of the 20th century nautical themes sustained an important presence. Amongst Delius’ Sea Drift, Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony and Britten’s Four Sea Interludes sits Frank Bridge’s short and splendid suite The Sea.
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