It comes as no surprise that international tenor Ian Bostridge plays a significant part in EMI and Virgin Classics‘ contribution to Britten 100. In this exclusive audio podcast talks to Edward Seckerson about the man, the music, the insecurities, the contradictions, the isolation that came with being a pacifist in time of war and a homosexual in a time of illegality. Bostridge talks from first hand of Britten’s extraordinary gifts as a word-setter – a composer of songs and operas that define his special gifts and, of course, his inspirational union with Peter Pears, his muse, his, partner, his rock. Bostridge talks about how the pears legacy has impacted on generations of tenors in this repertoire and how those operas and the characters he wrote specifically for Pears were essentially about aspects of himself. EMI and Virgin Classics are putting together a collection of new releases to celebrate Britten 100 and three brand new recordings feature Bostridge himself. He talks about them here: an album of Britten Songs with Antonio Pappano including “Winter Words” and the “Michelangelo Sonnets”; a new War Requiem from Pappano’s Santa Cecilia forces in Rome; and a live Rape of Lucretia  from the Aldeburgh Festival 2011 conducted by Oliver Knussen.