George Benjamin

It was my great fortune to spend time with Luciano on a number of occasions, and in various setting – in London, Florence, Milan and Jerusalem. He seemed to me a man of enormous cultural depth, sympathy and openness but, above all, I recall his exceptional warmth and generous humanity. And then, of course, he was a creator of extraordinary brilliance and flair.

Sadly I have no letters from him. But, as a 25 year-old fan, I attended his 60th birthday celebration at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London in 1985. After the concert someone introduced me to him, for the first time, and I requested an autograph on my programme book – and received a little more than I was expecting.

George Benjamin

[Programma a stampa con dedica manoscritta di L. Berio; archivio privato di G. Benjamin, per gentile concessione].