Benjamin Britten’s Prelude and Fugue, Op. 29, was composed in 1943 for 18-part string orchestra, and it was written to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Boyd Neel Orchestra. It lasts about nine minutes and is a compact two-part work built around a contrasting Prelude and Fugue.

The piece is notable for the sharply focused tension of the Prelude and the more driving, buoyant energy of the Fugue. Britten divides the strings into 18 separate parts, which gives the music great clarity and independence of line while keeping the overall effect concise and tightly controlled.