tag: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 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."sfmikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17819723581695521723noreply@blogger.com