Twenty Minutes - Celebrating St Nicolas

Louise Fryer retraces the genesis of Britten's St Nicolas, talking to some of those who took part in the premiere at Lancing College in 1948, as well as more recent performers, to find out how it came to be written and how it stands up today. The cantata is one of Britten's most creative and inventive scores, bringing together amateur and professional forces, parts for the audience to sing, as well as giving a highly theatrical treatment of its subject matter, creating a model that Britten drew upon in many later works.