Benjamin Britten's encounter with Bergen-Belsen was a defining moment that left an indelible mark on his life and legacy. A previously hidden letter has revealed just how profoundly this 1945 concert, where he took to the stage alongside violinist Yehudi Menuhin, altered the course of his remarkable career.
Just three months after the liberation of the notorious concentration camp, Britten and Menuhin's stirring performance lit a spark in Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, a 19-year-old cellist who had bravely survived Auschwitz as a child. Her eyewitness account of the concert is all the more poignant given the harrowing circumstances that surrounded it.
Lasker-Wallfisch wrote to her cousin about Menuhin's elegant attire and Britten's understated yet masterful playing, describing him as 'completely unobtrusive' yet 'playing to perfection'. The letter, shared with Britten decades later, is thought to have had a profound impact on the composer. According to his sister Yaltah Menuhin, Britten was never the same after this life-changing experience, and it's said to have coloured everything he went on to create.
The revelation casts new light on Britten's work, including the opera 'The Rape of Lucretia', which is now seen as a testament to his emotional depth and sensitivity. This incredible discovery will leave fans and music lovers alike eager to explore Britten's life and art in a whole new way.