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1 QUEER TALK: HOMOSEXUALITY in BRITTEN's BRITAIN 1 February

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1 QUEER TALK: HOMOSEXUALITY in BRITTEN's BRITAIN 1 February QUEER TALK: HOMOSEXUALITY IN BRITTEN’S BRITAIN 1 February to 28 October 2017 Exhibition to mark 50th anniversary of decriminalisation of homosexuality at home shared by Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears A new exhibition will next year profile the life and creative output of Benjamin Britten, one of the twentieth century’s great composers, during the period of social change that led to the 1967 decriminalisation of homosexuality. Queer Talk: Homosexuality In Britten’s Britain will take place at The Red House, the home in Suffolk that the composer shared with the tenor Peter Pears - his muse, collaborator, recital partner and lover for 39 years. The house was one of a number relisted earlier this year by Historic England in recognition of its role in LGBTQ history and is now home to the Britten-Pears Foundation, which welcomes visitors to experience its special sense of place. Throughout most of Britten’s life, homosexuality was illegal and socially stigmatised. Queer Talk will focus on two extraordinary works that Britten created against a backdrop of widespread debate on homosexuality: the 1951 all-male opera Billy Budd (1951), and the extended solo vocal work Canticle I ‘My beloved is mine and I am his’ (1947) an open declaration of Britten’s love for Pears and a work they performed together. The exhibition will explore the social climate of the 1950s, as well as drawing comparisons between the experience of Britten and Pears with other high-profile figures who found their personal lives at odds with the law of the time. Letters by Alan Turing, manuscripts and edits of EM Forster’s homoerotic novel Maurice and photographs of Noël Coward and his long- term companion Graham Payn will be displayed. Exhibition curator Lucy Walker said: “Unlike other men in their situation, Britten and Pears didn’t face arrest (although there were rumours that Britten was interviewed by Scotland Yard in 1953) and, to some, their relationship was an ‘open secret’, particularly as Britten composed so much and so openly for his male ‘muse’ and on the subject of male love. But before 1967, having been together nearly 30 years, it would have been impossible for them to admit in public they were a couple, and they remained discreet on that matter even after then.” “The ‘Queer Talk’ exhibition presents the situation facing Britten and Pears in the 1950s and 1960s, and looks at how Britten in particular kept resolutely quiet on the subject of his private life but at the same time produced a number of works that—to modern eyes—seem to be obviously homoerotic in subject matter. Britten and Pears lived through an extraordinary period of change in social attitudes towards homosexuality, and that change continues today; we hope that visitors to the exhibition will find the circumstances 1 surrounding their personal and creative partnership allow a deeper understanding of their incredible legacy.” Homosexual acts between men had been illegal since the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885, with arrests and prosecutions increasing after World War II. By the mid 1950s, more than 1,000 men were in prison in England and Wales. After a number of high-profile prosecutions, the government set up a departmental committee under Sir John Wolfenden to review the law. The publication of his report in 1957 prompted much debate and a wide range of responses, which the exhibition will depict through contemporary local and national newspaper cuttings, local police reports and television programmes. The exhibition will also feature a 7-metre timeline charting Britten’s significant relationships, his ‘queer’ compositions and the progress of LGBT rights from the 1900s to the present day. ‘Queer Talk’ will run from the 1 February to 28 October 2017 alongside a programme of special events and activities across Aldeburgh. They will include study days and recitals at Britten and Pears’ home, The Red House, Aldeburgh, as well as collaborations with LGBT History Month, the international Aldeburgh Music Festival, Aldeburgh Cinema and Poetry in Aldeburgh. To download images for publication please visit http://ow.ly/MbQk306T9Pw For furtHer press information please contact Benjamin Ward on +44 (0) 7837 134 193, [email protected] NOTES TO EDITORS The exhibition will be on display at The Red House, Aldeburgh, the home of the Britten-Pears Foundation. The Red House, Aldeburgh, Golf Lane, Aldeburgh, Suffolk IP15 5PZ [email protected] 01728 451700 Exhibition opening times Wednesday 1 February to Saturday 28 October 2017 The exhibition will also be available to view during special events onsite in November and December Site opening times LOW SEASON The Studio, Library and exhibition rooms will be open from: Wed 1 February – Mon 27 March Tuesday – Friday, 1-4pm HIGH SEASON The Red House and the whole site opens to the public from: Tue 28 March – Sat 28 October Tuesday – Saturday, 1-5pm 2 ALDEBURGH MUSIC FESTIVAL Fri 9 – Sun 25 June The whole site will be open daily from 11am-4pm Admission Site admission: £5 (valid for one year) Under 16s: free Find us From the A12, take the A1094 to Aldeburgh. At the roundabout past the supermarkets, take the first exit then follow the brown signs. Map reference: TM454578 Accessibility The site is wheelchair accessible except for Britten’s Studio and the upstairs rooms of the House (360-degree virtual visits are available). Blue Badge parking is available and our minibus has space for one wheelchair. Exhibition Events There will be a range of study days, lectures, recitals, screenings and outdoor events throughout the year and will include: • Friday 10 February: LGBT History Month Study Day, including speakers from LGBT history month and the Britten-Pears Foundation; and exhibition launch at The Red House • Thursday 30 March/Friday 31 March: Discovery Session and recital of Britten’s music inspired by Pears (tenor Matthew Sandy, pianist Rebecca Taylor) • Sunday 18 June: LGBT Picnic in the grounds of The Red House • Wednesday 22 November: recital of Britten’s and Noël Coward’s music on Britten’s birthday • Plus: discovery session on gender and sexuality in Shakespeare’s plays in our ‘Shakespeare month’ in May; a screening of the campaigning British film Victim at Aldeburgh Cinema as well as several screenings of LGBT films throughout the year; and readings and workshops in collaboration with Poetry in Aldeburgh. Details and how to book for these events will appear on www.brittenpears.org in the new year. Exhibition book, £6.50 We will produce an accompanying guide for the exhibition with contributions from stage director Neil Bartlett, Britten’s biographer Paul Kildea, Britten scholars and a foreword by Sue Sanders, founder of LGBT History Month. 3 Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) Benjamin Britten was one of the twentieth century’s great composers. He is particularly known for his operas, but also for choral works, and the many song cycles he wrote for his muse and partner, the tenor Peter Pears. Born in Lowestoft in 1913, Britten grew up in a house that looked out across the North Sea that would inspire much of his music. It was an extremely musical household, and his mother especially encouraged his early attempts to compose. At 15 he began composition lessons with the composer Frank Bridge, who remained an influential mentor through Britten’s early career. Britten quickly enjoyed success with early published works including such enduring favourites as the Simple Symphony and A Boy Was Born. However, it was the 1945 opera Peter Grimes which made his name, and that of Pears, who sang the title role. Peter Grimes was seen as raising English opera to heights not seen since Henry Purcell 250 years earlier and sealed Britten’s international reputation. Smaller, chamber operas swiftly followed, including The Rape of Lucretia in 1946 and the altogether more light-hearted Albert Herring, produced the following year by the English Opera Group (EOG) that Britten co-founded. While on an EOG tour of European festivals in 1947, Pears suggested that they should start a festival of their own in the Suffolk seaside town where Britten had just bought a house. The first Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts was held a year later. In 1967 the Queen opened Snape Maltings Concert Hall as a larger venue for the growing festival, which continues to flourish to this day under the auspices of Aldeburgh Music. In June 1976 Britten was given a life peerage, the first musician to be honoured in this way. He took the title Lord Britten of Aldeburgh. However, by this time Britten was suffering from a heart condition that an earlier operation had not fully cured. He died at The Red House, in Pears’ arms, in the early hours of 4 December 1976, twelve days after his sixty-third birthday. Britten-Pears Foundation The foundation exists to ensure that the legacy of Britten and Pears continues to be enjoyed worldwide. With a mission to reveal Britten’s genius, the foundation promotes his legacy, developing his vision and inspiring new audiences. The Foundation is based at The Red House, the former home of Britten and Pears, in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. It is a registered charity formed in 1986 when the estates of Britten and Pears were reconstructed following the latter’s death. Its annual income largely derives from the royalties arising from worldwide performances and broadcasts of Britten’s works. 4 .
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