tag: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" 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.Henry Hollandnoreply@blogger.com