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Peter Pears 100th

Posted at 12:00 AM on June 22, 2010 by John Birge
Filed under: Musician stories, The blog

The great English tenor Peter Pears was born 100 years ago today.
His was a unique voice of great intimacy and subtlety, and his life was inextricably tied to his partner, composer Benjamin Britten.

Pears met Britten in 1936. They frequently gave recitals together, often featuring Britten's gorgeous arrangements of English folk song:

Britten went on to compose many of his major works with Peter Pears in mind, including the title role in the opera Peter Grimes. But if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then one can imagine no greater tribute than this one, paid by Dudley Moore. Genius!


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