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Last Tuesday, Year 5 set off to visit The Red House, former home of the composer Benjamin Britten. Having been greeted by a harpist in Britten’s library, the children had a tour of his house and then explored the archive with the esteemed Britten archivist Christopher Hilton.
After lunch on the old tennis court, the group were introduced to Britten’s opera Noye’s Fludde, and asked to create their own musical setting to accompany the ‘Building of the Ark’ scene. This included writing the text in Britten’s composition studio, making masks and improvising with DIY style percussion, culminating in a final performance in Britten’s library.
To round off the day, we visited Maggi Hambling’s sculpture on Aldeburgh beach to celebrate the life and work of Britten. It proved to be a fascinating day and one which I’m sure they will remember for many years.