Benjamin Britten,
1948 Photo: GETTY
IMAGES
The Telegraph 19 Jan 2013
Hailed as one of the greatest composer’s of the 20th century, Britten died at
the age of 63. Until now, it has always been believed that complications from
heart surgery were the cause.
But a new book about the composer will disclose how Britten died without
knowing he was suffering from syphilis, an illness that could have been cured
had he been diagnosed earlier in his life.
The claim is made in a new biography by Paul Kildea, a
conductor and Britten expert, which will be published next month to mark
Britten’s centenary.
Britten wrote what are widely considered some of his most accomplished works
during the final years of his life, including the 1973 opera Death in
Venice, Phaedra, a cantata composed in 1975 and String Quartet No.
3, written in 1976, the year he died.
Mr Kildea said: “These works - music of such incredible colour and energy -
were signs that despite his physical decline, his imagination was as fit as
ever.
"Without surgery, would he have gone on composing for years with the skill,
vision and youthfulness exhibited in these late works? He probably could have
gone on writing for another 10 years but he died not knowing that.”
In 1972, Britten was diagnosed with “aortic incompetence”, a condition where blood leaks through the aortic valve, weakening the heart.
He underwent surgery for the condition in 1973 under Donald Ross, a leading heart surgeon of the day. During the operation, however, Mr Ross discovered that he was infected with tertiary syphilis, which was by then too advanced to treat.
Britten had no suspicion of the illness. Because of the taboo surrounding the disease, neither he nor those closest to him, including the tenor Peter Pears, his long-term partner, were informed. But Mr Ross later confided in Hywel Davies, a cardiologist, about Britten’s condition.
Following the operation, Britten’s health never fully recovered. He died on December 4, 1976, at the Red House, his home in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, which today is home to his archive and the Britten-Pears Foundation.
Britten’s centenary will be marked throughout the year with a series of films, books, musical releases and performances of his best-known works around the world.
* Benjamin Britten: A life in the twentieth century by Paul Kildea, is published by Allen Lane on February 7
READ AN EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT OF PAUL KILDEA'S BIOGRAPHY HERE
In 1972, Britten was diagnosed with “aortic incompetence”, a condition where blood leaks through the aortic valve, weakening the heart.
He underwent surgery for the condition in 1973 under Donald Ross, a leading heart surgeon of the day. During the operation, however, Mr Ross discovered that he was infected with tertiary syphilis, which was by then too advanced to treat.
Britten had no suspicion of the illness. Because of the taboo surrounding the disease, neither he nor those closest to him, including the tenor Peter Pears, his long-term partner, were informed. But Mr Ross later confided in Hywel Davies, a cardiologist, about Britten’s condition.
Following the operation, Britten’s health never fully recovered. He died on December 4, 1976, at the Red House, his home in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, which today is home to his archive and the Britten-Pears Foundation.
Britten’s centenary will be marked throughout the year with a series of films, books, musical releases and performances of his best-known works around the world.
* Benjamin Britten: A life in the twentieth century by Paul Kildea, is published by Allen Lane on February 7
READ AN EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT OF PAUL KILDEA'S BIOGRAPHY HERE
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