Britten Operas

[pjme]

Live, it can have an overwhelming impact.

That is very true! I saw "Peter Grimes" in Amsterdam a couple of years ago, and it left me moved and shocked - inspired. A great work.

I listened tonight to Britten's "War Requiem"  from Saint Denis / Paris. Kurt Masur leading the French National Orchestra & a mixed group of soloists ( not the best that I ever heard..). still : deep impact - stopped working and sat down to listen : "I am the enemy you killed, my friend.."

[knight66]

There were times when Britten could be wayward in his word settings. The format of his opera Lucretia is perverse. I cannot grasp how we end up with a Christian framework and commentary tacked onto a Pagan story.

However, when it came to setting poems, he seemed to have unerring taste and he mined a wonderfully diverse range of poets. The Serenade, for example, has superb lyrics bound by his music into a completely satisfying unity, despite the variety of styles of the poets who supplied the verse.

Mike

[karlhenning]

However, when it came to setting poems, he seemed to have unerring taste and he mined a wonderfully diverse range of poets. The Serenade, for example, has superb lyrics bound by his music into a completely satisfying unity, despite the variety of styles of the poets who supplied the verse.

Yes, the Serenade (e.g.) was, loosely speaking, one model for Shostakovich's Fourteenth Symphony.

[BachQ]

She and a partner cross the Curlew River on a small boat, and she find's the boy's gravesite, where his spirit briefly appears, and she is cured of her madness. 

........ and ....... what happens next ? .........

[yashin]

I remember watching a wonderful production by the DNO in Amsterdam-starring Kim Begley as Grimes. He was wonderful!  Was it the same production Knight?

[pjme]

Yes it was that production,Yashin....

PJME aka ....

Peter

[yashin]

Oh how i miss the DNO opera in Amsterdam
I have seen so many beautiful productions there.

[Boris_G]

........ and ....... what happens next ? .........

I'm not sure whether you were expecting an answer, but just in case you were: the child's spirit promises his mother that they shall meet again in the afterworld, and she is evidently reconciled to his death and no longer feels the empty sense of devastation which had driven her mad.

[BachQ]

I'm not sure whether you were expecting an answer, but just in case you were: the child's spirit promises his mother that they shall meet again in the afterworld, and she is evidently reconciled to his death and no longer feels the empty sense of devastation which had driven her mad.

Ahhh ......... closure at last ..........

[BachQ]

I'm not sure whether you were expecting an answer, but just in case you were: the child's spirit promises his mother that they shall meet again in the afterworld, and she is evidently reconciled to his death and no longer feels the empty sense of devastation which had driven her mad.

(((((apparently Bruce skipped out on that part ..........    )))))

[Susan de Visne]

I have several operas yet to discover.

But thought I should mention that I'm absolutøley enamoured by his early musical (?) Paul Bunyan. Anybody else know it?

Erato, Britten called it a "choral operetta". He suppressed it for most of his life, and was only persuaded to revive it after the death of Auden (whom he had largely cut out of his life), and when he himself was reliving his lost youth not long before he died. You probably know this anyway.

I have mixed feelings about it. There is some lovely music in a simple vein - it was written for students - and some very clever (too clever?) words. Not sure that it adds up to much in the end.

[The new erato]

Little depth I agree. But lots of fun. The telegram aria, complete with bicycle bell - is so funny. Nice to know that Britten weren't only about deep psychological drama,  and it fills out the picture of the man. Last opera of his I listened to: "Turning of the Screw". Another valuable Naxos series.

[Susan de Visne]

Britten had a great sense of fun, though it's been overshadowed by the deep psychological dramas. It's audible in the Young Person's Guide (and most of the pieces for children), Albert Herring, Midsummer Night's Dream, Spring Symphony, and I'm sure others I've forgotten.

[bhodges]

(((((apparently Bruce skipped out on that part ..........    )))))

Heh-heh...sorry, didn't see this.   

On a serious note, I have to say I wasn't quite as bowled over with Curlew River as I thought I would be.  But then, that's just a first impression, based on a single hearing...

--Bruce

[Boris_G]

Heh-heh...sorry, didn't see this.   

On a serious note, I have to say I wasn't quite as bowled over with Curlew River as I thought I would be.  But then, that's just a first impression, based on a single hearing...

--Bruce

It might be a question of going to a production that 'works'. I saw Curlew River performed in a very large church (Ely Cathedral in the UK) and was very moved by the experience, as was a young Spanish lady I was with who normally couldn't bear classical opera. I think once it 'clicks' with you, it's there to stay.

[BachQ]

I have to say I wasn't quite as bowled over with Curlew River as I thought I would be. 

Yeah ........ we noticed that it didn't make your "hit parade" ............ 

[karlhenning]

What do you think of "Britten's own" recording of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Mike?  I'm wondering if it's just something I need to adjust to, or if there are things which I really find a bit stagey (the Duke in the last act, e.g.)

[knight66]

Karl, I barely know the work and don't own a recording. I saw it once and did not take to it. That was such a long time ago that I may well get an enthusiasm for it now. So, I am afraid I can't be of any help.


Mike

[Tsaraslondon]

Readers of this topic might be interested to know that Peter Grimes was the subject of last Saturday's Radio 3 Building a Library. Though none of the available recordings were thought to be without merit, the reviewer finally whittled them down to just two - the composer's own recording with Peter Pears and the first Colin Davis recording, with Jon Vickers. But his final recommendation was the Davis, both for Vickers's riveting  portrayal of the title role and the superiority of its supporting cast. This recording was made during rehearsals for the first revival of Elijah Moshinsky's wonderful production, with the same cast, and it certainly has the feel of a live performance. It would be my recommendation as well.

[bhodges]

Thanks, that might be my choice as well. 

Say, do you have any opinion on the two leads at the Met's Peter Grimes next season?  Neil Shicoff is singing the first six performances, and Anthony Dean Griffey is doing the last one.  (To be honest, I'll probably end up hearing both.) 

--Bruce