Benjamin Britten based on a theme from Britten's Piano Concerto. Works commemorating Britten include "Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten" an orchestral piece written in 1977 by Arvo Pärt, and Sally Beamish's "Variations on a Theme of Benjamin Britten", based on the second Sea Interlude from "Peter Grimes"; she composed the work to mark Britten's centenary. Alan Bennett depicts Britten in a 2009 play "The Habit of Art", set while Britten is composing "Death in Venice" and centred on a fictional meeting between Britten and Auden. Britten was played in the premiere production by Alex Jennings. Tony Palmer made three documentary films about
Violet (opera) November 2005 at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, directed by Tess Gibbs and conducted by Clive Timms. Scruton is better known as a writer and philosopher, and is largely self-taught as a composer. "Violet" is the second of Scruton's two operas – it was preceded by the one-act "The Minister" (1998). According to The Times' critic Hilary Finch, Scruton's first opera was influenced by Benjamin Britten, whereas according to a review by David Conway, "Violet" is influenced by Janáček, a composer Scruton is known to admire. The score includes a number of references to music of other