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George Benjamin

Sir George Benjamin is still relatively little known outside the classical world. Imagine... sets that straight.

He has been crowned with every laurel in contemporary classical music, composed operas which play on the world's most illustrious stages and been knighted for his services to music. Yet Sir George Benjamin is still relatively little known outside the classical world. Imagine... sets that straight. Intimate and humorous, this film tracks the creation of the British composer's latest opera Lessons in Love and Violence, which premiered at the Royal Opera House in London. The film follows his journey from composing songs aged three and being transfixed by Fantasia and 2001: Space Odyssey to his golden days as the youngest ever pupil of the legendary composer Olivier Messiaen in Paris. Early experiments with computers, a passion for folk instruments and virtuosity on the piano combined to produce the startling, moving music heard today.

50 minutes

Last on

Sun 5 May 2019 21:10GMT

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Alan Yentob
Participant George Benjamin
Executive Producer Tanya Hudson
Series Editor Alan Yentob
Producer Jill Nicholls
Director Jill Nicholls

Broadcasts