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Few composers have cast such a long shadow over a nation's musical consciousness as Benjamin Britten. Born in 1913 in the seaside town of Lowestoft in Suffolk, Britten was the first of his generation to attain international recognition; while at home his music breathed new life into the cultural fabric of post-war Britain. An accomplished pianist and conductor, he re-established "English" opera with the overwhelming success of "Peter Grimes", first heard in 1945. Together with his partner in life and music, the tenor Peter Pears, he founded the Aldeburgh Festival in 1948. The level of recognition Britten achieved is all the more remarkable because in 1948 he was still only 35!

Across the week Donald Macleod explores these formative years. It's a rich seam of music to mine, with works including Les Illuminations, the Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra and Sinfonia da Requiem. The week concludes with excerpts from Peter Pears's acclaimed recording of Peter Grimes and the triumphal conclusion of Britten's Spring Symphony, premiered in 1949 by Pears and the contralto Kathleen Ferrier.

In part two, Donald Macleod charts Britten's first steps as a professional composer, keen to make a name for himself after graduating from the Royal College of Music.

Night Mail (end sequence, excerpt)
Simon Russell Beale, narrator
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Martyn Brabbins, conductor

Our Hunting Fathers, Op 8 (Epilogue and Funeral March)
Ian Bostridge, tenor
Britten Sinfonia
Daniel Harding, conductor

Les Illuminations
Karina Gauvin, soprano
Les Violons du Roy
Jean-Marie Zeitouni, conductor

Piano Concerto in D major, Op 13 (first movement)
Steven Osborne, piano
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ilan Volkov, conductor

Tell Me the Truth about Love
Della Jones, mezzo-soprano
Steuart Bedford, piano.