What I find attractive in Britten is his power and sincerity, the outward simplicity of his music and its deep, emotional effectiveness. Personally I do not like to listen to a work and remain unaffected by it: it should act on me and open up something new in the world and in myself. This is precisely what Britten does in all his works, from his operas and War Requiem to his quartets and romances based on the poetry of Pushkin.