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It is thirteen years since volumes 1 and 2 of Letters from a Life were published, but it has been worth the wait. Volume 3, covering the extraordinarily fertile years of Britten's thirties, emerges as a work of true and accurate scholarship that is still highly readable. We follow the progress of Lucretia, Young Person's Guide, Albert Herring, Spring Symphony, Let's Make an Opera, Billy Budd and more. It is a joy to have these letters, and to have the detailed commentary on them - the illuminating notes are as important as the letters, and must be read with them. Above all, it is a delight to have an account that has no hint of prejudice in any direction, gossip or imbalance. Serious Britten admirers must read this to counterbalance Carpenter's skewed biography. In the course of this volume we see Britten become a completely established composer, whose relentlessly high standards often cause him to be ruthless, and frequently trouble his mind and health, but who also maintains a freshness, humour and on occasions a sharp wit. The pattern of his life is set - the sheer hard slog that must accompany genius if we are to see its fruits, a hectic schedule, and a home life of stability with Peter Pears as his deeply loved and loving companion. Of course, Pears was often away singing, and I was a little surprised that there are only two letters from him in the main text, but these are Britten's letters after all. There are more from Pears tucked away in footnotes, and plenty from Britten to him, and they all show the relationship to be flourishing and profound. How grateful music lovers should be for that, and how ashamed we should be that society condemned it at the time. All in all, a wonderful, essential book.
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