Young Apollo, Op. 16 is blazing, exuberant music of the 25 year old Benjamin Britten.
Composed in the summer of 1939 in response to a commission from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, it is a striking fanfare for piano, string quartet, and string orchestra. The three disparate musical forces frolic in the bright sunshine of unending A major. The title refers to a line in John Keats’ unfinished poem, Hyperion.
In his program note, Britten wrote,
Apollo, called to be the new god of beauty by Mnemosyne, goddess of memory, foresees his destiny; and in one final convulsion throws off his mortal form. He stands before us – the new, dazzling Sun-god, quivering with radiant vitality.
Britten appeared as solo pianist at the premiere in Toronto on August 27, 1939, conducted by Alexander Chuhaldin. Following a subsequent New York performance, the work was withdrawn and not played again during the composer’s lifetime.
Recordings
- Britten: Young Apollo, Op. 16, Steven Osborne, Ilan Volkov, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Amazon
Featured Image: “”Apollo Belvedere” at the Vatican Museum,” photograph by Andreas Solaro