Sir Peter Pears

Abstract Musing on his own perceptions of Britten’s ‘themes and concerns’, Peter Pears observed that ‘what is an essential part of you must perfume all that you do’. Pears has long been acknowledged as one of the greatest English singers of the twentieth century, and a foremost interpreter of the music of Benjamin Britten. He shared with Britten a remarkable personal and professional partnership which lasted for almost forty years from the creation of the relationship in 1937 until Britten’s death in 1976. Any attempted assessment of the personal and professional motivations in Britten’s life and work must pay due regard to the views of Pears, and the memories of the many years they lived and worked together.