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ThisdramadocumentaryforcinemaexploresthepacifismthatwassuchapowerfulinfluenceoncomposerBenjaminBritten’slifeandwork.Thestorybeginsin1929atGresham’sSchoolinNorfolk,England.ThebrilliantseventeenyearoldAlexLawther,playingtheschoolboyBenBrittenandagroupoffineyoungprofessionalactorstakeusintoaworldwhichstillresonateswiththehorrorsoftheFirstWorldWar,wherepupilsareencouragedtoaddresssocialandpoliticalissuesandBenjaminBritten’shatredofallthingsmilitaristicisforged.Gresham’sinspirationalheadofhistory,SimonKinderexplainsthatmanyoftheboysin1929becamecommunists,inpartasareactiontothethreatoffascism.WeseetheyoungDonaldMaclean,latertoattainnotorietyasoneoftheCambridgespies,readingaloudfromhisstronglyleftwingshortstory.<br/> BrittenmusthaveknownMaclean,buthisnamedoesn’tappearinhisdiaries,whilstthoseofOliverBerthoud,PeterFloudandDavidLaytondo,frequentlyandwedepictthosefriendshipsthroughoutthefilm.WeseeBen’ssadnessatthedeparturetoOxfordUniversityofOliverBerthoud,whohadplayedchambermusicwithhim,wewitnessthepleasureBentookinthecompanyofthescholarlyPeterFloudandwejoincricketpracticewithBenandDavidLayton,whereBenwatchestheOfficersTrainingCorpsatdrillandproclaimsthathehatesthemarching,theuniformsandallthatitstandsfor.<br/> AsweexplorethemusicthatillustratesBen’sgrowingpacifism,illustratedbyperformancesanduniqueobservationsfromexpertsandfriends,wefrequentlyreturntothesedramaticinterludesatGresham’s,whichcementthenarrative–spokenbylegendaryactorJohnHurt.ItsclearthatBenhasalreadydecidedthathewillbecomeaprofessionalcomposerandthatschoolandMusicCollegeareinawayobstaclestobegotpastinordertoachievethatambition.<br/> AfterleavingtheRoyalCollegeofMusicin1933,Benembarksuponhiscareer,rapidlyattainingsuccess–initiallyworkingwithChristopherIsherwoodandW.H.AudenwritingmusicfortheleftwingGroupTheatre.Hisflirtationwithcommunismisfurtherextendedbywritingthe‘RussianFuneral’,forthecommunistcomposerAlanBush–performedinthefilmbytheGresham’sSchoolbrassgroup.HealsocomposesincidentalmusicandsongsforcommunistplaywrightMontaguSlater–performedforthefirsttimesince1936bytheGresham’sseniorchoirwithsoloistJamesGilchrist.<br/> WiththefirstmovementoftheSinfoniadaRequiemasbackground,wefollowBen’sjourneytoAmericawithhislifepartner,PeterPearsin1939andtheirreturntoEnglandin1942,wherebotharegrantednoncombatantstatusandBenbeginsworkonhisgroundbreakingopera‘PeterGrimes’.WeflashbacktomorescenesofyoungBen,imaginingthefateofthebrightfacedyoungcadetsoftheofficertrainingcorpsandillustratedbyFirstWorldWarcollagesfromartistPatienceFoster.<br/> Thecontemporaryperformancesof‘OhMyBlackeSoule’fromtheHolySonnetsofJohnDonnebytenorJamesGilchristandpianistIainBurnsideandthefirstmovementofthesecondstringquartetbytheBenyounesQuartetillustrateBen’sanguishathavingwitnessedthehorrorsofBelsen,whereheaccompaniedviolinistYehudiMenuhinin1945andwhichprofoundlyinfluencedhisadoptionofa‘pure’pacifism.Theflirtationwithcommunismisfinished,butthequestforpeaceremainswithhimuntiltheendofhislife.<br/> OneofthelastsurvivorsoftheAuschwitzwomen’sorchestra,AnitaLaskerWallfischtellsusaboutbeingamemberoftheaudienceatBelsen,whenBenandMenuhinperformedandonlylongafterrealisingthattheextraordinaryyoungpianistshehadsoadmiredwasBenjaminBritten,whosheworkedforasacellistinhis‘houseband’theEnglishChamberOrchestra.ShealsorecountsahilariousanddrunkenlunchpartytheECOcellosectiongaveforRostropovichandBenandPeterPears’agentformanyyears,SuePhipps,tellsushow‘Slava’ashewasuniversallyknownbroughtanewleaseoflifetothebynowestablishmentcomposerfromtheearlysixties.Butalthoughashesaid;‘onetendstobecomemoreconservativeasonegetsolder’,BenremainscommittedtomembershipofmanypeaceorganisationsincludingthePeacePledgeUnion,CNDandthenowdefunctFellowshipParty.<br/> International‘cellistRaphaelWallfischexplainshowtherelationshipwithSlavacreatedmuchofthefinestofBen’slaterwork,includingtheFirst‘Cellosuite,twomovementsofwhichRaphaelperforms,whilsttracingtheirgenesisbacktothepacifistcomposerFrankBridge–Ben’sfirstandmostinfluentialcompositionteacher.<br/> ThetranscendentmusicoftheendoftheWarRequiemaccompaniestheclimaxofthefilm,commencingwithinteriorandexteriorshotsatOrs,NorthernFranceofLaMaisonForèstiere,theuniquelyatmosphericinstallationcreatedbyconceptualartistSimonPattersonfromtheshellofthehousewherepoetWilfredOwenspenthislastnightbeforebeingkilled–daysbeforetheendoftheFirstWorldWar.NineofOwens’spoemsfeatureinWarRequiemandfromLaMaisonwegotothepoet’sgraveinOrsandthenontothewarcemeteryatTyneCot,nearPasschendale,wherewelingeramongstthetwelvethousandgravesandthirtyfivethousandnamesofthedeadofFlanders.<br/> Asapostscript,JohnHurtspeakstocameraaboutBen’ssupposedcrueltytopeopleinhisorbitandheandSuePhippscometotheconclusionthatforthissupremelygiftedcomposerthemusicalwayshadtocomefirst–musicthatresonatesnowmorethanever.Astestamenttothisaffirmation,theGresham’sSchoolseniorchoirperformthehaunting‘HymntotheVirgin’writtenbyBenin1939duringoneofhismanyspellsintheschoolsanatorium.Astheirfreshyoungvoicessoar,weoncemorerememberBenatschool–anordinaryboywhoseextraordinarygiftsarebeingcelebratedthroughouttheworldinthiscentenaryyearofhisbirth.
