Britten's The World of the Spirit was written for BBC Radio in 1938, his second collaboration with R. Ellis Roberts. The wide-ranging texts from religious books, poetry, and newspaper articles about the First World War and Irish 'Troubles' are complemented by a rich variety of musical styles from the prodigious composer.

The first performance of this concert version was given on 27th June 1998 in the Snape Maltings Concert Hall as part of the Aldeburgh Festival, by Janice Watson (Soprano), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (Mezzo-Soprano), Timothy Robinson (Tenor), Neal Davies (Baritone), and David Evans (Speaker), with the Joyful Company of Singers and the City of London Sinfonia, conducted by Steuart Bedford.