Britten - An Extraordinary Life by Christopher Mark, ABRSM, 152 pages, Biography of composer Benjamin Britten, part of Extraordinary Life series

A selection of biographies written by experts and specialists for each composer. Each book providing an insight into the extraordinary lives of these great composers.

Can the claims for Britten as the greatest English composer since Purcell be justified?

Was the composer of gloomily tragic operas himself depressed and obsessive?

What effect did Britten's sexuality have on his career?

In this accessible history, Christopher Mark traces the impact of Britten's physical and cultural environment, his shifting musical and personal relationships, and his emerging sense of sexual identity on his musical output. What is revealed is not only a life conditioned by a compulsion to compose, but one which seems increasingly to reflect Britten's aesthetic imperatives.

The Extraordinary Life series includes biographies for Bach, Elgar, Mozart, Purcell and Britten. Each book has been researched and written by leading specialists, providing revealing accounts of the lives of these extraordinary composers. The collection dispels myths, provides a social setting for their respective work, and produces a human and believable portrait of each composer. Anyone interested in these great composers will find these fascinating and readable histories.