Benjamin Britten's centenary the ideal chance to revisit his music WITH all the recent fuss about the English invasion of Scottish culture, maybe this is not the best time to be flagging up a year of celebrations marking the centenary of an English-born composer. But to ignore Britten 100, the worldwide partying that is about to greet Benjamin Britten's Centenary Year, is to ignore the most influential British composer of the modern age. Britten was born in Lowestoft on 22 November 1913. That being St Cecilia's Day - the patron saint of music - he got off to a good start. Controversial in his youthful works, and in his personal life (as a wartime pacifist and guilt-ridden homosexual), he was eventually accepted worldwide for all the right reasons - as a composer of piercing vision and undisputable genius. While the older William Walton and Ralph Vaughan Williams played their parts in the so-called English Renaissance, it was Britten who embraced the international post-war avant-garde, creating such ground breaking operas as Peter Grimes, such mind-blowing orchestral works as the Cello Symphony, those inspirational documentary collaborations with WH Auden, such gripping political works as the War Requiem, and at the same time works for children that embodied the paradoxical nature of his genius, that ability to combine childlike simplicity and naivety in his music with an adult sensuality and complexity. Some 100 years after his birth, and 37 years after his death, Britten's influence remains a visceral presence in the music of successive generations of composers. Just listen to those chuntering string chords in James MacMillan's Veni, veni Emmanuel, the echoes of the opening of Britten's Les Illuminations are unmistakable. As with so many of today's composers, such subliminal references say everything about the lasting power of Britten's unique creative influence. Which is why his name will dominate 2013 with celebrations of his centenary (that began officially last month) that amount to literally thousands of performances happening all over the world: from the Russian premiere of his opera Death in Venice; to a performance of his most seminal opera Peter Grimes on the very Suffolk beach on which it is set; to new biographies, documentary films, recordings and radio series; to events happening here in Scotland. Here's a month by month guide to some accessible highlights: Scottish Opera teams up with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to present Britten's magical opera A Midsummer Night's Dream, a revival of the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio production by Olivia Fuchs. RCS Head of Opera Tim Dean conducts performances in Glasgow, Inverness (semi-staged) and Edinburgh. Cellist Matthew Barley begins a marathon nationwide tour of small-venue workshops and concerts, centring on Britten's Cello Suite No 3, but also featuring solo works by Bach and a varied package of new commissions from Dai Fujikaru, DJ Jan Bang and James MacMillan. An accompanying CD will be released in January. The tour comes to Scotland at the end of May, visiting Edinburgh, Cromarty and Tobermory. The first major biography of the composer in 20 years, written by Britten expert Paul Kidea, is published. EMI launches its five-part Britten Centenary Series of recordings. The Edinburgh Quartet continues its survey of Britten's music for string quartet. The Britten Pears Foundation (BPF) is taking every opportunity, as part of its Britten 100 project, to make Britten's physical legacy as accessible as possible. Over £6 million is being spent on a range of initiatives, from performances and commissions to major renovations and improvements of The Red House (Britten's former home, now the headquarters of the Foundation). March sees the opening of the Britten Trail around The Red House and Aldeburgh. A big month for Scotland, with four of its major orchestras and ensembles collaborating in The Scottish Orchestras" Guide to Benjamin Britten. This includes the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Scottish Ensemble, and encompasses music as varied as the early Simple Symphony to one of his very last works Phaedra, featuring mezzo soprano Jane Irwin and the Scottish Ensemble. The biggest of the recording projects - Decca's 40-CD edition - hits the streets. With the annual Aldeburgh Festival in full swing, there are many good reasons to visit Britten's East Anglian home town, not least to see for the first time the studio in which he worked, newly opened as part of the final renovations of The Red House. Theatre group Punchdrunk perform Tim Albery's production of Peter Grimes on the beach at Aldeburgh. The BBC SSO tours the Spring Symphony to Holland, and Sir Simon Rattle conducts a performance of the War Requiem - written in 1962 to celebrate the opening of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral - in Berlin, a city where its pacifist resonances will have particular poignancy. Britten enthusiasts, academics and composers will welcome the launch by the BPF of its new Online Thematic Catalogue, a unique desktop research tool. No news yet as to whether the BBC Proms will pay homage to Britten this year, though it's unlikely Britain's flagship orchestral festival will overlook the opportunity. The Edinburgh Festival is also keeping tight-lipped. The Lammermuir Festival has no such qualms, revealing it will include a performance of Britten's Violin Concerto, featuring Anthony Marwood and the BBC SSO, as well as an admittedly unseasonal performance of the wonderful Ceremony of Carols by the National Girls" Choir of Scotland. Will Scottish Opera include any more Britten Operas in its 20013/14 season? No whispers yet, but Opera North has already publicised its intention to do so, with four Britten productions lined up in its new season. A new production of Peter Grimes - surely the most influential British opera of the modern age - is well overdue in Scotland. Will anyone oblige? At last, the centenary month itself. Again, no heads-ups on Scottish activity, but this is when BBC Television and Radio 3 really get going with their Britten celebrations, though Tony Palmer's new Sky Arts film about the composer, Nocturne, is a must-see. I suspect we'll have had enough of Britten by this time, but one final thought: will the Royal Mint cash in on the celebrations and go ahead with its plans to put Britten's head on the 50p coin? It was supposed to have happened last month, but recent messages on the Royal Mint's blog suggest it may not happen until much nearer the centenary date. For more information on Britten 100 events, see www.britten100.org