I don't know why I'm bothering with #TheCompleteBritten - the brilliant Flanders & Swann cover it all in under 5 minutes!
Not to mention:
"Guide to Britten" by Flanders & Swann
in which one of their lines is:
The doggy doggy few
www.youtube.com/watch?v=otDQ...
"Guide to Britten" by Flanders & Swann
in which one of their lines is:
The doggy doggy few
www.youtube.com/watch?v=otDQ...
Flanders and Swann - Guide to Britten
YouTube video by jonjamg
www.youtube.com
July 9, 2026 at 5:51 AM
I don't know why I'm bothering with #TheCompleteBritten - the brilliant Flanders & Swann cover it all in under 5 minutes!
A busy week for me means a break from #TheCompleteBritten and not many posts on here. Take care.
March 9, 2026 at 6:40 AM
A busy week for me means a break from #TheCompleteBritten and not many posts on here. Take care.
#TheCompleteBritten #183
Festival Te Deum, Op. 32 for treble solo, chorus & organ (1944)
Composed for the centenary of Anglo-Catholic St. Mark’s Church in Swindon. Wonderfully serene outer sections frame an ecstatic central climax in which the organ gets a damn good thrashing.
Festival Te Deum, Op. 32 for treble solo, chorus & organ (1944)
Composed for the centenary of Anglo-Catholic St. Mark’s Church in Swindon. Wonderfully serene outer sections frame an ecstatic central climax in which the organ gets a damn good thrashing.
Festival Te Deum, Op. 32
YouTube video by The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge - Topic
youtu.be
September 26, 2026 at 6:15 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #183
Festival Te Deum, Op. 32 for treble solo, chorus & organ (1944)
Composed for the centenary of Anglo-Catholic St. Mark’s Church in Swindon. Wonderfully serene outer sections frame an ecstatic central climax in which the organ gets a damn good thrashing.
Festival Te Deum, Op. 32 for treble solo, chorus & organ (1944)
Composed for the centenary of Anglo-Catholic St. Mark’s Church in Swindon. Wonderfully serene outer sections frame an ecstatic central climax in which the organ gets a damn good thrashing.
#TheCompleteBritten #180
Pious Celinda, Z. 410 - Purcell realization for high or medium voice & piano (1944)
As Michael Tippett observed, Handel's popularity had largely obscured Henry Purcell (1659-1695), but musicians were rediscovering him in the years before the 250th anniversary of his death.
Pious Celinda, Z. 410 - Purcell realization for high or medium voice & piano (1944)
As Michael Tippett observed, Handel's popularity had largely obscured Henry Purcell (1659-1695), but musicians were rediscovering him in the years before the 250th anniversary of his death.
Pious Celinda, Z. 410
YouTube video by Matthew Rose - Topic
youtu.be
September 23, 2026 at 7:23 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #180
Pious Celinda, Z. 410 - Purcell realization for high or medium voice & piano (1944)
As Michael Tippett observed, Handel's popularity had largely obscured Henry Purcell (1659-1695), but musicians were rediscovering him in the years before the 250th anniversary of his death.
Pious Celinda, Z. 410 - Purcell realization for high or medium voice & piano (1944)
As Michael Tippett observed, Handel's popularity had largely obscured Henry Purcell (1659-1695), but musicians were rediscovering him in the years before the 250th anniversary of his death.
And this is what I'll be thinking for the rest of #TheCompleteBritten
Look, I know I’m supposed to be at least a Slightly Serious Musician, and some of his music is staggeringly good, but every time I conduct anything by Britten my cheap mind goes to this
September 15, 2026 at 4:06 PM
And this is what I'll be thinking for the rest of #TheCompleteBritten
Friend of, and occasional collaborator with, Benjamin Britten #TheCompleteBritten
Poems: www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/louis-...
✒️ #LouisMacNeice, Irish poet, playwright, and BBC producer, was #BOTD 12 September 1907. #Poetry #Theatre
✒️ #LouisMacNeice, Irish poet, playwright, and BBC producer, was #BOTD 12 September 1907. #Poetry #Theatre
September 12, 2026 at 7:31 AM
Friend of, and occasional collaborator with, Benjamin Britten #TheCompleteBritten
January 11, 2026 at 6:02 PM
#TheCompleteBritten #184
A Shepherd’s Carol, for chorus (1944)
One of two pieces setting sections of W. H. Auden's long poem "For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio". This carol has more than a hint of the spirituals that Britten encountered during his time in America.
A Shepherd’s Carol, for chorus (1944)
One of two pieces setting sections of W. H. Auden's long poem "For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio". This carol has more than a hint of the spirituals that Britten encountered during his time in America.
Britten: A Shepherd's Carol - Terry Edwards, London Sinfonietta Chorus
YouTube video by CLASSIC&OPERA
youtu.be
September 27, 2026 at 6:51 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #184
A Shepherd’s Carol, for chorus (1944)
One of two pieces setting sections of W. H. Auden's long poem "For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio". This carol has more than a hint of the spirituals that Britten encountered during his time in America.
A Shepherd’s Carol, for chorus (1944)
One of two pieces setting sections of W. H. Auden's long poem "For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio". This carol has more than a hint of the spirituals that Britten encountered during his time in America.
#TheCompleteBritten #105
Schubert: Gretchens Bitte, D564 (completed Britten 1938)
#TheCompleteBritten meets #A-Schubert-A-Day! Franz abandoned Gretchen after setting only five of Goethe's eight verses. Britten set the final three for a BBC programme on Schubert's songs of 1817 & 1818.
Schubert: Gretchens Bitte, D564 (completed Britten 1938)
#TheCompleteBritten meets #A-Schubert-A-Day! Franz abandoned Gretchen after setting only five of Goethe's eight verses. Britten set the final three for a BBC programme on Schubert's songs of 1817 & 1818.
Schubert: Gretchens Bitte "Gretchen im Zwinger", D. 564 (Compl. Britten)
YouTube video by Marie McLaughlin - Topic
youtu.be
June 3, 2026 at 6:23 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #105
Schubert: Gretchens Bitte, D564 (completed Britten 1938)
#TheCompleteBritten meets #A-Schubert-A-Day! Franz abandoned Gretchen after setting only five of Goethe's eight verses. Britten set the final three for a BBC programme on Schubert's songs of 1817 & 1818.
Schubert: Gretchens Bitte, D564 (completed Britten 1938)
#TheCompleteBritten meets #A-Schubert-A-Day! Franz abandoned Gretchen after setting only five of Goethe's eight verses. Britten set the final three for a BBC programme on Schubert's songs of 1817 & 1818.
#TheCompleteBritten #78
Our Hunting Fathers, Op. 8 (1936) - symphonic cycle for high voice and orchestra
Prologue (W.H. Auden)
1 Rats away! (anon)
2 Messalina (anon)
3 Dance of death (Thomas Ravenscroft)
Epilogue and funeral march (W.H. Auden)
Britten's "real Op. 1" had a difficult birth. 🧵 /1
Our Hunting Fathers, Op. 8 (1936) - symphonic cycle for high voice and orchestra
Prologue (W.H. Auden)
1 Rats away! (anon)
2 Messalina (anon)
3 Dance of death (Thomas Ravenscroft)
Epilogue and funeral march (W.H. Auden)
Britten's "real Op. 1" had a difficult birth. 🧵 /1
Benjamin Britten - Our Hunting Fathers, Op. 8
YouTube video by Classical Music
youtu.be
April 20, 2026 at 6:57 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #78
Our Hunting Fathers, Op. 8 (1936) - symphonic cycle for high voice and orchestra
Prologue (W.H. Auden)
1 Rats away! (anon)
2 Messalina (anon)
3 Dance of death (Thomas Ravenscroft)
Epilogue and funeral march (W.H. Auden)
Britten's "real Op. 1" had a difficult birth. 🧵 /1
Our Hunting Fathers, Op. 8 (1936) - symphonic cycle for high voice and orchestra
Prologue (W.H. Auden)
1 Rats away! (anon)
2 Messalina (anon)
3 Dance of death (Thomas Ravenscroft)
Epilogue and funeral march (W.H. Auden)
Britten's "real Op. 1" had a difficult birth. 🧵 /1
July 30, 2026 at 3:40 PM
It may be Saturday for you, but it's still Friday afternoon for me.
#NowListening #TheCompleteBritten
#NowListening #TheCompleteBritten
March 14, 2026 at 9:11 AM
It may be Saturday for you, but it's still Friday afternoon for me.
#NowListening #TheCompleteBritten
#NowListening #TheCompleteBritten
Now That's What I Call An Endorsement!
#TheCompleteBritten says Thank you so much, David 🙏
#TheCompleteBritten says Thank you so much, David 🙏
This ongoing voyage of discovery is a treat of a celebration of the unique voice of Benjamin Britten. Famous for a handful of masterpieces - Billy Budd, the 3rd String Quartet, Frank Bridge Variations and above all Peter Grimes - there’s SO much more all beautifully shown here.
Music lovers: dip in!
Music lovers: dip in!
Follow my journey with my Youtube and Qobuz playlists of #TheCompleteBritten.
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Qobuz: open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
May 20, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Now That's What I Call An Endorsement!
#TheCompleteBritten says Thank you so much, David 🙏
#TheCompleteBritten says Thank you so much, David 🙏
#TheCompleteBritten #55
A Boy was Born, Op. 3 (1933)
Britten's first masterpiece marked the changing of England's musical guard. Premiered on the day Elgar died, his 19-year-old successor married compositional virtuosity to vivid word painting and emotion that goes straight to the heart ❤️
A Boy was Born, Op. 3 (1933)
Britten's first masterpiece marked the changing of England's musical guard. Premiered on the day Elgar died, his 19-year-old successor married compositional virtuosity to vivid word painting and emotion that goes straight to the heart ❤️
Britten- A Boy Was Born op. 3
YouTube video by Tristan MA (TristanMA)
youtu.be
March 21, 2026 at 7:53 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #55
A Boy was Born, Op. 3 (1933)
Britten's first masterpiece marked the changing of England's musical guard. Premiered on the day Elgar died, his 19-year-old successor married compositional virtuosity to vivid word painting and emotion that goes straight to the heart ❤️
A Boy was Born, Op. 3 (1933)
Britten's first masterpiece marked the changing of England's musical guard. Premiered on the day Elgar died, his 19-year-old successor married compositional virtuosity to vivid word painting and emotion that goes straight to the heart ❤️
#TheCompleteBritten #170
Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, Op. 31 (1943)
In 1988, I was still (just) a callow teenager and mediocre amateur horn player when I heard this for the first time, and its astonishing marriage of words and music blew my mind. Almost 40 years later, it still does.
Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, Op. 31 (1943)
In 1988, I was still (just) a callow teenager and mediocre amateur horn player when I heard this for the first time, and its astonishing marriage of words and music blew my mind. Almost 40 years later, it still does.
EAMONN MULHALL Britten ~ Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings Op 31
YouTube video by Helmut Fischer
youtu.be
August 31, 2026 at 7:06 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #170
Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, Op. 31 (1943)
In 1988, I was still (just) a callow teenager and mediocre amateur horn player when I heard this for the first time, and its astonishing marriage of words and music blew my mind. Almost 40 years later, it still does.
Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, Op. 31 (1943)
In 1988, I was still (just) a callow teenager and mediocre amateur horn player when I heard this for the first time, and its astonishing marriage of words and music blew my mind. Almost 40 years later, it still does.
#TheCompleteBritten #178
The Rescue of Penelope - Incidental music for narrator, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone & orchestra (1943)
Britten & Edward Sackville-West took almost as long over the Odyssey as Christopher Nolan, but this suite rattles through the story in half an hour or so.
The Rescue of Penelope - Incidental music for narrator, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone & orchestra (1943)
Britten & Edward Sackville-West took almost as long over the Odyssey as Christopher Nolan, but this suite rattles through the story in half an hour or so.
Britten Rescue of Penlope
YouTube video by jolivetmania
youtu.be
September 20, 2026 at 6:25 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #178
The Rescue of Penelope - Incidental music for narrator, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone & orchestra (1943)
Britten & Edward Sackville-West took almost as long over the Odyssey as Christopher Nolan, but this suite rattles through the story in half an hour or so.
The Rescue of Penelope - Incidental music for narrator, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone & orchestra (1943)
Britten & Edward Sackville-West took almost as long over the Odyssey as Christopher Nolan, but this suite rattles through the story in half an hour or so.
#TheCompleteBritten #179
The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard, for male voices & piano (1943)
"I am quickly scribbling a short choral work for a prison camp in Germany where some friends of mine are". Somehow commissioned by British POWs, and smuggled into their camp on microfilm.
The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard, for male voices & piano (1943)
"I am quickly scribbling a short choral work for a prison camp in Germany where some friends of mine are". Somehow commissioned by British POWs, and smuggled into their camp on microfilm.
WGBH Music: Cornell Glee Club performs Britten's "Ballad of Little Musgrave"
YouTube video by GBH Music
youtu.be
September 21, 2026 at 5:41 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #179
The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard, for male voices & piano (1943)
"I am quickly scribbling a short choral work for a prison camp in Germany where some friends of mine are". Somehow commissioned by British POWs, and smuggled into their camp on microfilm.
The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard, for male voices & piano (1943)
"I am quickly scribbling a short choral work for a prison camp in Germany where some friends of mine are". Somehow commissioned by British POWs, and smuggled into their camp on microfilm.
#TheCompleteBritten #113
Violin Concerto, Op. 15 (1939, rev. 1950/54/65)
"Without question my best piece" - Benjamin Britten
I ❤️❤️❤️ this! One of my top Britten works and a serious contender for my #1 🎻 concerto. Love the concertos by Beethoven, Brahms & Bruch? Get this Britten in your life! ❤️❤️❤️
Violin Concerto, Op. 15 (1939, rev. 1950/54/65)
"Without question my best piece" - Benjamin Britten
I ❤️❤️❤️ this! One of my top Britten works and a serious contender for my #1 🎻 concerto. Love the concertos by Beethoven, Brahms & Bruch? Get this Britten in your life! ❤️❤️❤️
Janine Jansen - Britten - Violin Concerto, Op 15
YouTube video by Classical Vault 1
youtu.be
June 13, 2026 at 6:27 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #113
Violin Concerto, Op. 15 (1939, rev. 1950/54/65)
"Without question my best piece" - Benjamin Britten
I ❤️❤️❤️ this! One of my top Britten works and a serious contender for my #1 🎻 concerto. Love the concertos by Beethoven, Brahms & Bruch? Get this Britten in your life! ❤️❤️❤️
Violin Concerto, Op. 15 (1939, rev. 1950/54/65)
"Without question my best piece" - Benjamin Britten
I ❤️❤️❤️ this! One of my top Britten works and a serious contender for my #1 🎻 concerto. Love the concertos by Beethoven, Brahms & Bruch? Get this Britten in your life! ❤️❤️❤️
2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Benjamin Britten (1913-1976). Peter Grimes, the Serenade and War Requiem are among my all time favourite works. This year I'm going to try to listen to every Britten piece, in the order he wrote them. Why not join me? #TheCompleteBritten
January 3, 2026 at 8:44 AM
2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Benjamin Britten (1913-1976). Peter Grimes, the Serenade and War Requiem are among my all time favourite works. This year I'm going to try to listen to every Britten piece, in the order he wrote them. Why not join me? #TheCompleteBritten
#TheCompleteBritten #119
Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20 (1940)
Today's instalment is dedicated to my car. After many years of dedicated service, it's finally succumbed to the inevitable rigours of time, and goes to the salvage yard today. Goodbye, old friend #RIP 🚗🪦
Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20 (1940)
Today's instalment is dedicated to my car. After many years of dedicated service, it's finally succumbed to the inevitable rigours of time, and goes to the salvage yard today. Goodbye, old friend #RIP 🚗🪦
Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20 - Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra & Lorenzo Viotti - Live HD
YouTube video by AVROTROS Klassiek
youtu.be
June 22, 2026 at 5:54 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #119
Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20 (1940)
Today's instalment is dedicated to my car. After many years of dedicated service, it's finally succumbed to the inevitable rigours of time, and goes to the salvage yard today. Goodbye, old friend #RIP 🚗🪦
Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20 (1940)
Today's instalment is dedicated to my car. After many years of dedicated service, it's finally succumbed to the inevitable rigours of time, and goes to the salvage yard today. Goodbye, old friend #RIP 🚗🪦
Gosh! I've made myself a Youtube channel, and #TheCompleteBritten now has a Youtube playlist.
The Complete Britten - YouTube
To mark 50 years since Benjamin Britten's death in 1976, I'm listening to all Britten's music throughout 2026 in the order he composed it. I'm adding every p...
www.youtube.com
January 7, 2026 at 7:15 AM
Gosh! I've made myself a Youtube channel, and #TheCompleteBritten now has a Youtube playlist.
Discover all the Britten I've listened to on my #TheCompleteBritten playlists on Qobuz ...
I'll post on here as I go, with Youtube and/or Qobuz links. I'll be creating a Qobuz playlist with my favourite recording of each work. It's empty at the moment, but I plan to start my listening tomorrow, so Beware! it'll soon fill up.
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
open.qobuz.com/playlist/515...
March 25, 2026 at 6:42 AM
Discover all the Britten I've listened to on my #TheCompleteBritten playlists on Qobuz ...
#TheCompleteBritten #72
Night Mail (1936) – Film score for speaker, flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, percussion, harp, violin, viola, cello & double bass
Auden's words & Britten's music mix to mesmerizing effect in the marvellous final sequence (from 19:55) of the GPO Film Unit's most famous film.
Night Mail (1936) – Film score for speaker, flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, percussion, harp, violin, viola, cello & double bass
Auden's words & Britten's music mix to mesmerizing effect in the marvellous final sequence (from 19:55) of the GPO Film Unit's most famous film.
Night Mail (1936) UNABRIDGED FULL DOCUMENTARY
YouTube video by Decopunk 1927
youtu.be
April 12, 2026 at 8:33 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #72
Night Mail (1936) – Film score for speaker, flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, percussion, harp, violin, viola, cello & double bass
Auden's words & Britten's music mix to mesmerizing effect in the marvellous final sequence (from 19:55) of the GPO Film Unit's most famous film.
Night Mail (1936) – Film score for speaker, flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, percussion, harp, violin, viola, cello & double bass
Auden's words & Britten's music mix to mesmerizing effect in the marvellous final sequence (from 19:55) of the GPO Film Unit's most famous film.
#TheCompleteBritten #51
Sinfonietta, Op. 1 for chamber ensemble (1932)
Dashed off in under three weeks, Britten's Op. 1 is a dazzling display of compositional virtuosity that melds his modern and modernist influences into a tightly-wraught mini-masterpiece. This is a cracking performance.
Sinfonietta, Op. 1 for chamber ensemble (1932)
Dashed off in under three weeks, Britten's Op. 1 is a dazzling display of compositional virtuosity that melds his modern and modernist influences into a tightly-wraught mini-masterpiece. This is a cracking performance.
Teodor Currentzis & Mahler Chamber Orchestra: Benjamin Britten - Sinfonietta, Op. 1 | Concert (2/3)
YouTube video by EuroArtsChannel
youtu.be
March 1, 2026 at 1:44 PM
#TheCompleteBritten #51
Sinfonietta, Op. 1 for chamber ensemble (1932)
Dashed off in under three weeks, Britten's Op. 1 is a dazzling display of compositional virtuosity that melds his modern and modernist influences into a tightly-wraught mini-masterpiece. This is a cracking performance.
Sinfonietta, Op. 1 for chamber ensemble (1932)
Dashed off in under three weeks, Britten's Op. 1 is a dazzling display of compositional virtuosity that melds his modern and modernist influences into a tightly-wraught mini-masterpiece. This is a cracking performance.
#TheCompleteBritten #56
Simple Symphony, Op. 4 for string orchestra or string quartet (1934)
1. Boisterous Bourrée
2. Playful Pizzicato
3. Sentimental Sarabande
4. Frolicsome Finale
Britten's first published piece that's playable by amateurs. If you're this good 🔽 you don't even need a conductor!
Simple Symphony, Op. 4 for string orchestra or string quartet (1934)
1. Boisterous Bourrée
2. Playful Pizzicato
3. Sentimental Sarabande
4. Frolicsome Finale
Britten's first published piece that's playable by amateurs. If you're this good 🔽 you don't even need a conductor!
B. Britten Simply Symphony, Op.4 | Wald Ensemble 발트앙상블
YouTube video by Wald Ensemble 발트앙상블
youtu.be
March 24, 2026 at 7:19 AM
#TheCompleteBritten #56
Simple Symphony, Op. 4 for string orchestra or string quartet (1934)
1. Boisterous Bourrée
2. Playful Pizzicato
3. Sentimental Sarabande
4. Frolicsome Finale
Britten's first published piece that's playable by amateurs. If you're this good 🔽 you don't even need a conductor!
Simple Symphony, Op. 4 for string orchestra or string quartet (1934)
1. Boisterous Bourrée
2. Playful Pizzicato
3. Sentimental Sarabande
4. Frolicsome Finale
Britten's first published piece that's playable by amateurs. If you're this good 🔽 you don't even need a conductor!