The Building of the House

The Building of the House, op. 79 is an "overture with or without chorus" by Benjamin Britten written in 1967.
The overture is notable for the use of Asian-influenced heterophony.
Text.
The optional text is taken from Psalm 127, adapted by Imogen Holst from "The Whole Book of Psalms (set in English)". It is set using the chorale melody Vater unser im Himmelreich. In performance the chorale can be sung by a choir or played on the organ.
History.
The piece was written for the inauguration of the Snape Maltings concert hall, which took place in June 1967. This has been described as the first performance, although it was played at the opening of the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London which took place earlier the same year.
Notable performances since 1967.
"The Building of the House", which had previously only been heard in the Snape Maltings Concert Hall on the night of its opening, was again performed there for the 2017 Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the composition.
The piece was played in 2018 by Chineke!, a BME orchestra in residence at the South Bank, in a concert to mark the reopening of the Queen Elizabeth Hall after refurbishment.
Recordings.
The piece has been recorded by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle.