The composer

Reaching his fiftieth birthday in 1963, Britten already appeared something of a ‘grand old man’ of British music with his operas Peter Grimes and Turn of the Screw being performed to great acclaim around the world, while his War Requiem, premiered the previous year at Coventry Cathedral, appeared a crowning success. Yet composers more 'advanced' than himself, such as Peter Maxwell Davies, were now receiving attention, and Britten became aware of needing to revitalise his style. Meeting Rostropovich was a welcome catalyst for his next creative stage.