London, 4 November 2009

Victor Hochhauser cbe (b. 1923), an impresario closely associated with Russian music and musicians, was a friend of Britten. For amplification and biographical details, see BBLL 5, pp. 276–7 and 380.

How did Britten and Shostakovich meet in September 1960?

We brought the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra to this country for the 1960 Edinburgh Festival. This concert was repeated in the Royal Festival Hall. Shostakovich was present and I was asked by Rozhdestvensky to invite Britten to the concert, but was told by his assistant that he was too busy composing. However, the following day his assistant called to say that if Shostakovich was in London, Britten wanted to meet him. I therefore arranged for Britten to sit in the ceremonial box with Shostakovich. I was there too, together with the Soviet Ambassador, and introduced them; and afterwards Britten met Rozhdestvensky and Rostropovich downstairs. After some discussion about the performance, Rostropovich said that he would like to come to the Aldeburgh Festival and asked me to make arrangements.

What was Britten's reaction to Rostropovich's performance of Shostakovich's First Cello Concerto?

I could see that Ben was genuinely impressed, but it was a different style of music, which he called ‘dramatic music’. I think he admired something different from his own music. Britten's music is not on the same wavelength as Shostakovich's, who was a great dramatic and tragic composer and this did not entirely appeal to him. He admired some, but not all of the symphonies, and their orchestration, but not as much as he loved Schubert. Very little Shostakovich was performed at the Aldeburgh Festival during his lifetime. However, in time Britten came to appreciate Shostakovich's tragic music which was not quite his world. The vast panorama of suffering in the some of the symphonies came to impress him.

How would you explain Britten's attitude towards Russia?

Ben was a positive influence in opening up relations with Russia. He very much wanted his works to be performed in the Soviet Union. Our Embassy was also very keen for Peter Grimes to be staged in Moscow.