Editing Benjamin Britten (section)

===Chamber and instrumental works===
Britten's close friendship with Rostropovich inspired the [[Cello Sonata (Britten)|Cello Sonata]] (1961) and three suites for solo cello (1964–71).{{Sfn|Matthews|2003|pp=188–189}} String quartets featured throughout Britten's composing career, from a student work in 1928 to his Third String Quartet (1975). The [[String Quartet No. 2 (Britten)|Second Quartet]], from 1945, was written in homage to Purcell; Mason considered it Britten's most important instrumental work to that date.<ref name= mason2/> Referring to this work, Keller writes of the ease with which Britten, relatively early in his compositional career, solves "the modern sonata problem – the achievement of symmetry and unity within an extended ternary circle based on more than one subject." Keller likens the innovatory skill of the Quartet to that of [[William Walton|Walton]]'s [[Viola Concerto (Walton)|Viola Concerto]].<ref>[[Hans Keller|Keller, Hans]]. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/943226 "Benjamin Britten's Second Quartet"], ''[[Tempo (journal)|Tempo]]'', March 1947, pp. 6–9 {{Subscription}}.</ref> The third Quartet was Britten's last major work; the critic Colin Anderson said of it in 2007, "one of Britten's greatest achievements, one with interesting allusions to [[Béla Bartók|Bartók]] and Shostakovich, and written with an economy that opens out a depth of emotion that can be quite chilling.<ref>Anderson, Colin, "Britten – 'Phantasy Quartet'; String Quartet No. 3; Bliss – Oboe Quintet", ''[[Fanfare (magazine)|Fanfare]]'', March 2007, pp. 87–88.</ref> The ''Gemini Variations'' (1965), for flute, violin and piano duet, were based on a theme of [[Zoltán Kodály]] and written as a virtuoso piece for the 13-year-old Jeney twins, musical prodigies whom Britten had met in Budapest in the previous year.{{Sfn|Carpenter|1992|p=448}} For [[Osian Ellis]], Britten wrote the Suite for Harp (1969), which [[Joan Chissell]] in ''The Times'' described as "a little masterpiece of concentrated fancy".<ref>[[Joan Chissell|Chissell, Joan]]. "Little Masterpieces", ''The Times'', 26 June 1976, p. 11</ref> ''[[Nocturnal after John Dowland]]'' (1963) for solo guitar was written for [[Julian Bream]] and has been praised by [[Benjamin Dwyer]] for its "semantic complexity, prolonged musical argument, and philosophical depth".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dwyer |first=Benjamin |author-link=Benjamin Dwyer |title=Britten and the Guitar |date=2016 |publisher=Carysfort Press |isbn=978-1-9093-2593-7 |location=Dublin |page=159}}</ref>