''Young Apollo'', Op. 16, is a music composition for piano, string quartet and string orchestra composed in 1939 by

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

. Following a performance of Britten's ''

Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge ''Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge'', Opus number, Op. 10, is a work for string orchestra by Benjamin Britten. It was written in 1937 at the request of Boyd Neel, who conducted his orchestra at the premiere of the work at that year's Salzbu ...

'' on the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

's ''Melodic Strings'' program on 18 June 1939 (which Britten attended), Harry Adaskin commissioned Britten for a work. It is the earliest known autonomous musical work to have been commissioned by the CBC. The work premiered on 27 August 1939 on an episode of

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

's ''Melodic Strings'', along with other new compositions by Carl Busch (an arrangement of ''

My Old Kentucky Home "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!", typically shortened to "My Old Kentucky Home", is a sentimental ballad and regional anthem of Kentucky. It was written by Stephen Foster, probably composed in 1852. It was published in January 1853 by Firt ...

'') and Frederick Bye (''Puppets Suite in Four Parts)''. Britten was soloist and Alexander Chuhaldin conducted. Britten dedicated the work to Chuhaldin. The composer withdrew the work following a second performance on 20 December in New York, without explanation. It was not performed again until 1979 when it was revived at that year's

Aldeburgh Festival The Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the town of Aldeburgh, Suffolk and is centred on Snape Maltings Concert Hall. History of the Aldeburgh Festi ...

, with

Steuart Bedford Steuart John Rudolf Bedford (31 July 1939 – 15 February 2021) was an English orchestral and opera conductor and pianist. He was the brother of composer David Bedford and of singer Peter Lehmann Bedford and a grandson of Liza Lehmann and H ...

conducting the

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. With a limited performance size, the orchestra spe ...

and Michael Roll as soloist. It carries as an epigraph the final lines of " Hyperion", an incomplete poem by

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tub ...

but the work was inspired by Wulff Scherchen, a young, German blond who was Britten's first love interest. ''Young Apollo'' was first commercially recorded in 1982, with Peter Donohoe as soloist, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British conductor with German citizenship. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rat ...

References

Chamber music by Benjamin Britten Concertante works by Benjamin Britten 1939 compositions Compositions for string orchestra Compositions for piano and orchestra {{Composition-stub