: Altdorf’s earliest poems, written during military service and as a prisoner of war, reflected on nature, poetry and art. Beginning a new life, post-war, as an artist, Altdorf explored how the human figure might be depicted through increasingly abstract representations. Similarly, he refined his poetry to create ‘a new, free, melodic’ language’ with ‘a simple, song-like beauty’. Presenting Altdorf’s poetry alongside his art reveals a powerfully interconnected vision shaped but not defined by war: a humanitarian outlook informed by a profound spiritual belief.

This heavily illustrated publication considers the importance of art and design in the lives of composer Benjamin Britten and tenor Peter Pears. Anyone who has visited the Red House in Aldeburgh will have been struck by the range and quality of art collected by Benjamin Britten and, in particular, by Peter Pears. A Musical Eye is illustrated with more than 200 worksfrom the Britten-Pears collection and considers more widely the importance of art and design in their lives and work. There is also a comprehensive checklist of over 300 paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures in the collection with details including size, medium, date and purchase price. The book is edited by former Britten-Pears Foundation Curator Judith LeGrove, who also explains how the collection evolved and provides a checklist of keyworks. Colin Matthews, who worked with Britten and is now BPF's Director of Music, provides an introduction, while the current Curator at The Red House, Caroline Harding, uses correspondence in the BPF archive to explore the patronage by Britten and Pears of a wide range of artists. Julian Potter writes on the friendship between his mother, the artist Mary Potter, and Britten. Broadening the scope of the visual arts, architectural historian AlanPowers considers the buildings commissioned or modified by Britten and Bloomsbury; Britten's work for film; Sidney Nolan's artistic responses to Britten's music; and the designs for Britten's stage works, most notably by John Piper.

Having travelled extensively throughout his life, Grant has drawn inspiration from landscapes from Antarctica to the tropics, While attracted to northerly territories (he has lived in Norway since 1996), the subject matter of Grant's bold images varies from marine volcanoes and rainforests to icebergs and glaciers. Dynamic and vital, elemental palettes conjure up abstracted fiery drama to figurative icy stillness. Seen collectively, the work reveals a creative energy that finds many forms of expression. This translates into an original visual language that questions and probes how we see the world around us. Much more than images, Grant's remarkable artistic contribution not only provides paintings that capture the world's beauty, but also extend our understanding of the environment, climate and the fundamental importance of nature.