tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post114942006435622412..comments2024-03-26T15:57:13.443+00:00Comments on On An Overgrown Path: Benjamin Brittten's relationship with childrenUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-1149636441216447352006-06-07T00:27:00.000+01:002006-06-07T00:27:00.000+01:00I have quite some sympathy with Anonymous' comment...I have quite some sympathy with Anonymous' comment <I>'why do we need a book telling us all about this, however well written and compasionate?</I><BR/><BR/>Before publishing this piece I was concerned that it may be seen as 'tabloid journalism'. But two factors influenced my decision to go ahead. First the book <I>Britten's Children</I> is published by Faber who have close connections to the Britten Estate. Secondly both the book and the TV programme on which it is based are featured on the <A HREF="http://www.brittenpears.org/?page=news/index.html&id=13" REL="nofollow">Britten-Pears Foundation website.</A><BR/><BR/>An award citation for the TV documentary <I>Britten's Children</I> hailed "this serious and beautiful film" for "avoiding the temptation of sensationalism", and for being "imaginatively researched and both touching and revelatory".Pliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-1149634499087699492006-06-06T23:54:00.000+01:002006-06-06T23:54:00.000+01:00"I was Spanish-archered immediately [got the 'el b...<I>"I was Spanish-archered immediately [got the 'el bow']</I><BR/><BR/>Hahahaha. What a great expression.<BR/><BR/>I saw <I>Blow-Up</I> for the first time in 20 years recently and was amazed at a) what a great movie it was and b) how gorgeous David Hemmings was.<BR/><BR/>I wonder what Britten was thinking as he wrote the recititative at the beginning of the second act of <I>Death in Venice</I>, the one that starts "So it has come to this.."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-1149633547830730572006-06-06T23:39:00.000+01:002006-06-06T23:39:00.000+01:00Britten is indeed one of the great composers altho...Britten is indeed one of the great composers although given the infrequency of performances of some of his non operatic works..eg the Piano Concerto to choose one masterpiece at random, one wouldn't always think so.<BR/>However the great modern obsession with great artists' private lives doesn't seem to me to help very much in understanding their works.<BR/>Are we really any closer to understanding Graham Greene for example after having his life examined at quite excessive length in 3 volumes of biography?<BR/>Same with BB...does a book telling us about his interest in young males shed much light on his music...you could work out from the operas he wrote that he was a homosexual, why do we need a book telling us all about this, however well written and compasionate?<BR/>Personally I'd rather spend the money on going to a concert or buying a cd of BB's music.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-1149628088303532732006-06-06T22:08:00.000+01:002006-06-06T22:08:00.000+01:00Sfmike, how's this for a real piece of trivia? Dav...Sfmike, how's this for a real piece of trivia? David Hemmings actually went to the same school as me. It was Glyn County Grammar School, Epsom, Surrey. Many of his obituaries (including the Guardian) incorrectly called it Glyn College. <BR/><BR/>Follow this link for the school website - http://www.glyn.surrey.sch.uk/Pliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-1149610581252884032006-06-06T17:16:00.000+01:002006-06-06T17:16:00.000+01:00Pliable - Thank you so much for that link. There w...Pliable - Thank you so much for that link. There was an interesting obituary when Hemmings died by Peter Bart, the editor of the American show business publication, "Variety," who had been a friend of his, lamenting Hemmings' inability to stick with any one thing over the course of his life, even though the man was indisputably brilliant.<BR/><BR/>After being a childhood opera star, and then a movie star, he ended up becoming a television director of hack shows like "Magnum P.I." before taking up movie acting roles again shortly before he died. What an interesting movie or long TV series that would be.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again.Civic Centerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12362422142667230626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-1149575581520099722006-06-06T07:33:00.000+01:002006-06-06T07:33:00.000+01:00Sfmike - follow this link to a very relevant artic...Sfmike - follow <A HREF="http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/theatre/features/article625032.ece" REL="nofollow">this link</A> to a very relevant article about David Hemmings and Britten in yesterday's <I>Independent</I>.Pliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-1149572557433935802006-06-06T06:42:00.000+01:002006-06-06T06:42:00.000+01:00Probably because of his own sexual abuse as a chil...Probably because of his own sexual abuse as a child/adolescent, Britten got stuck in time and place when it came to love, and it was all about being 10-13 years old. The British seem to specialize in this behavior as exhibited by another famous artist, Lewis Carroll, who fits into the same pedophile category.<BR/><BR/>Both artists, however, were completely transcendent. Neither was a real sexual predator. They both fell in love with a succession of brilliant child/adolescent alter egos.<BR/><BR/>Carroll left the "Alice in Wonderland" books to the ages. Britten left an incomparably more powerful legacy, which is the music he has written for children, from "Noye's Fludde" to the Fairies in "Midsummer Night's Dream," to the biggest child supernumerary part in opera after "Madama Butterfly" (think P.G.), to the children's choruses in "The War Requiem."<BR/><BR/>And let me say it right here on your very British blog site. Britten really was the reincarnation of Mozart in all kinds of ways, and it hasn't been quite acknowledged yet in the world, partly because of the pedophile queasiness (just like some people have queasiness over Mozart's scatalogical trashiness). <BR/><BR/>The biography I really want to read is about David Hemmings, the original Miles in "The Turn of the Screw," and later the star of "Blow Up." Britten had a real-life "Death in Venice" moment over young David during the premiere of "Screw," according to that stupid Humphrey Carpenter biography of Britten.<BR/><BR/>The same bad bio does have two great quotes from Hemmings:<BR/><BR/>"He was incredibly warm to me, yes. Was he infatuated with me? Yes, he was. He was a gentleman; there was no sort of overt sexuality about it whatsoever. It was a very kind and very loving and very gentle relationship. Did he kiss me? Yes, he did. But that was more my need as a young boy alone in his house than it was any threat. I slept in his bed, when I was frightened, and I still felt no sexual threat whatsoever. And I think it would have embarrassed him a damn sight more than it would have embarrassed me at the time.<BR/><BR/>And later Hemmings says:<BR/><BR/>"Was I aware of his homsexuality? Yes, I was. Was I aware that he had a proclivity for young boys? Yes. I was. Did I find that threatening? No, because I learnt an awful lot through it. Did I feel that he was desparately fond of me? I suppose I did, but I must say I thought far more in a sort of fatherly fashion; and I had a a very bad father-son relationship...There is no man in my entire life that has been more influential on my attitudes than Ben."Civic Centerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12362422142667230626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-1149554013321324732006-06-06T01:33:00.000+01:002006-06-06T01:33:00.000+01:00It's always interesting to find out the "real" lif...It's always interesting to find out the "real" life of a favorite composer or performer, not the public image.<BR/><BR/>I initially listened to Britten's music (I knew most of his operas before I even listened to the non-operatic material) because he was always listed in the roll call of gay artists. It was pretty clear early on to me that he was, shall we say, fond of those that weren't of age yet. Uh oh! Benjie liked 'em young! Well, like Wagner and his vile anti-Semitism, it's a case of "I still love <I>Grimes, Billy Budd, Turn of the Screw, A Midsummer Nights Dream</I> and especially <I>Death in Venice</I> despite the fact that Britten seems like a bit of a creep in his personal life".<BR/><BR/>I'm planning a trip to Europe next year and the new ENO <I>Death in Venice</I> with Ian Bostridge is on the itnerary. If I'm ambitious, Frankfurt is also doing a revival of their acclaimed production around the same time frame.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com