Letters from a Life is more than just an edition of letters; it is a vast Britten compendium. [...] there can be no question that it is vastly more successful as biography than the straight [...] works on Britten have been.
YALE REVIEW
A stupendous achievement of scholarship.
AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE
The generously-illustrated, sumptuously annotated ... Read moreedition gives deep insights into Britten's life and milieu, and in this volume we, amongst many others, witness Britten encouraging young and aspiring composers [...] a most inspiring and inspired publication, with plenty new insights into Britten and his world.
BMS NEWS
Editors Philip Reed and Mervyn Cooke have managed to balance the many factors involving selection and annotation [...] with notable success.
MUSICAL TIMES
Impeccably edited, annotated, and presented series.
AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW
Like its predecessor, the fifth volume of the annotated letters of Benjamin Britten, now edited by Philip Reed and Mervyn Cooke, is co-produced by the Boydell Press and the Britten-Pears foundation. [...] Production standards could scarcely be higher [...] Enthusiasts will find it a treasure trove.
INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW
The book is, as with previous volumes in the series, superbly crafted. The attention to detail, such as extensive editorial notes to set context for the letters where needed, explanations of who people are and their role in Britten's life and career, is nothing short of masterly in its scholarship and clarity.
FONTES ARTIS MUSICAE
This hefty penultimate tome in what amounts to an immensely detailed biography manqué covers what many would regard as the apex of Britten's career. ... Donald Mitchell... has now retired... but his principles of painstaking annotation are well sustained by Reed and Cooke.
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
The letters, published by the Boydell Press and meticulously edited by Philip Reed and Mervyn Cooke, are an even more direct and intimate examination [of his achievement].
THE TELEGRAPH
In much of his correspondence, Britten is warm, addressing his friends as 'my dear' or 'dearest' and showing detailed concern for their tribulations. He can be catty but is preternaturally outgoing. Britten was a bigger man and a more important composer than his present reputation suggests.
ECONOMIST
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