Britten's Children

Brittens Children confronts the edgy subject of the composers obsessional yet strangely innocent relationships with adolescent boys. One of the hallmarks of Benjamin Brittens music is his use of boys voices, and John Bridcut uses this to create a fresh prism through which to view the composers life. Interweaving discussion of the music he wrote for and about children with interviews with the boys whom Britten befriended, Bridcut explores the influence of these unique friendships - notably with the late David Hemmings - and how they helped Britten maintain links with his own happy childhood.

In a remarkable part of the book Bridcut tells for the first time the full story of Brittens love affair in the 1930s with the 18-year-old German Wulff Scherchen, son of the conductor Hermann Scherchen. As Paul Hoggart of The Times commented, this type of love belonged to an emotional landscape that has vanished for ever, and we are the poorer for it. Since making the film, the author has extended his research to include friendships Britten had with children which have not previously been documented.

The documentary Brittens Children won the Royal Philharmonic Societys 2005 Award for Creative Communication: this serious and beautiful film explored one aspect of a composers life in great depth. Avoiding the temptation of sensationalism, Brittens Children was imaginatively researched and both touching and revelatory.