Benjamin Britten resisted much of the progressivism and what he considered to be frivolous intellectualization of music that occurred in the 20th century. His music instead employs a harmonic language accessible to those outside the conservatory culture. This is the Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, Op. 31, a haunting work created during WWII, around the time when Britten was in the midst of Peter Grimes. It is highly representative of Britten, mixing delicate harmonies with soaring melodies and a relevancy untainted by its backward-looking sound.
