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Anybody else find Britten "difficult"?

formbypc said:
Life's too short to be trying to get into stuff that you feel you have to listen to because it's "highly regarded" or whatever....
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Absolutely; just listen to stuff you like. Having said that, it took me ages to get into jazz, but I love it now.
 
I also don't like most of his music - I agree he can't write a tune. However I do like the Sea Interludes.

I am perfectly fine with other 20th century music e.g. RVW, Sibelius, Ives, Adams, Copeland.

I agree with formbypc and wylton: life is too short to listen to music you don't enjoy.
 
The piece of Britten’s that I got into after the obvious Young Person’s Guide and Sea Interludes was the Serenade for Tenor Horn and Strings. Originally on a CfP LP.

Just listened to Hymn To St. Cecilia and Simple Symphony. I can’t agree with those that say he couldn’t write tunes.
 
No tunes as memorable as the countless gems from Eric Coates though! Dame Ethyl Smythe called Coates the man who writes tunes! And for sure he did, but he was much more significant than being just a tune-smith! If forced to choose between Coates or Britten then there would be no contest for me!
 
Much of the great music of the 20th Century doesn't contain a "tune". Try whistling your way through "The Rite of Spring" ;-)
 
monstrous lie said:
I think my worry is that I might be missing out on something which, if only the penny were to drop, I could get a lot of enjoyment from.
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Enjoy the grass on your own side of the fence, rather than worrying about whether or not the grass on the other side is greener.
 
gustavm said:
Much of the great music of the 20th Century doesn't contain a "tune". Try whistling your way through "The Rite of Spring" ;-)
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Certainly. And I recognise that tunes are not a pre-requisite for greatness. Nice to hear one, though!

Lots of interesting perspectives on Britten in this thread. George J, you are being especially cryptic. You make it sound as though there is lots of coded nastiness in his scores, and I am intrigued. Care to spill the beans?
ML
 
Listen to the percussion section solos from the YPGO and tell me that after the whip-cracks the sliding violins is not the sound of painful masochism session for an example? It was not my imagined response, but once it was pointed out to me the whole passage becomes un-listenable after that!

Mind you Britten certainly divided opinion among professional musicians at the time, and in those days their opinions were often formed without the modern tendency to political correctness. So some of what my old bass-plying friend told me - well I would never put them down on paper or onto a public internet forum!

ATB from George
 
Another thumbs up for the violin concerto - I find it incredibly beautiful. There is a very good interpretation on YouTube from the proms played by Janine Jansen.
 
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The Frank Bridge variations is a fantastic piece. On the other hand I think the Cello Symphony is one of the most dismally depressing works I've ever heard.
 
monstrous lie said:
I find myself asking "did this man never hear a tune?" Where is it going wrong, do you think? Are my expectations the wrong ones? Am I choosing the wrong "beginners' pieces"? Or is he just plain difficult?
ML
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It all could be quite simple.

Consider that when it comes to native-born composers, we have something of a complex and as a consequence tend to over-compensate by exaggerating the limited abilities of some beyond their natural worth. Britten is a typical case, so perhaps you are looking for something that just isn't there.
 
Richard C. said:
It all could be quite simple.

Consider that when it comes to native-born composers, we have something of a complex and as a consequence tend to over-compensate by exaggerating the limited abilities of some beyond their natural worth. Britten is a typical case, so perhaps you are looking for something that just isn't there.
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Yep. I think it's a fairly typical 'Emperor's New Clothes' scenario.
 
Richard C. said:
It all could be quite simple.

Consider that when it comes to native-born composers, we have something of a complex and as a consequence tend to over-compensate by exaggerating the limited abilities of some beyond their natural worth. Britten is a typical case, so perhaps you are looking for something that just isn't there.
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You mean you don't like him much. Not sure that qualifies you to make (pompous) generalisations about his worth as a composer.
 
gustavm said:
You mean you don't like him much. Not sure that qualifies you to make (pompous) generalisations about his worth as a composer.
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Whereas, presumably, your personal preference entitles you to be abusive, simply because you happen to disagree?
 
Umm. Well, I think personal preferences are important, but only for each individual. If you want to argue the case that Britten's music is over-rated, just stating that it is won't really cut it. After all, some people don't like Shakespeare's plays, which is fine*, but they'd need to develop their case against his plays further than writing 'Shakespeare: boooring' if they wish to be taken seriously.


* it isn't really, but let's pretend it is.
 
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