Search - Benjamin Britten, English Chamber Orchestra, Mstislav Rostropovich :: Britten: Owen Wingrave; Six Hölderlin fragments; The Poet's Echo

Excellent and horrific!

Sungu Okan | Istanbul, Istanbul Turkey | 09/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a historic recording of one of the most terrific opera of all history. Conducted by the composer, and performed by English Chamber Orchestra. The recording is not too old, it is 1970 recording, and it is one of the last recording of Britten.



This opera is one of the Britten's last works. In this operai Britten's musical language is getting more heavy, realist. Also, this is an television opera, and it was commisioned and premiered by BBC Television. But today, it is performing on an opera house, too.



This opera based on a story of post-romantic English writer Henry James. And, this is a ghost-opera! Already, Henry James is a famous writer with his ghost stories, and it is one of his most fantastic stories. The opera is not too long, about 1h. 30m.. Scored for a small ensemble and eight soloists.



It is a story of a young man, who is a very intelligent soldier actually, but he doesn't love wars, soldier's life. In other words: he is a very pacifist man. Actually, he is a member of a famous family, who all of them soldiers since nearly 300 years ago!. So, he is now breaking these links. But, (his mother and father were dead on war) his grandmother (Jane), grandfather (Sir Philip), his teacher Spencer Coyle and his class-mate Lechmere are very angrly about his "folly"... And then, his theacher S. Coyle decided send Owen to Paramore, which the house of Wingraves. Coyle, thinks that, he will may be change his idea about war, by the way of his relatives. In this house, there are three more persons: Miss Coyle, the wife of Spencer, Miss Julian and his daughter Kate Julian. They are very-close-family-friends of Wingraves, and they are admirer of wars and soldiering, too!



(Also, there is a legend about the Paramore house. In this house, there is a haunted room, which in this room, The General Old Colonel Wingrave (who lived nearly 100 years ago) was dead. In that room, he was killed his boy, because of there is a quarrel between this man and boy. So, Old Colonel Wingrave angrly killed his boy and then he hide the dead body. The people, was not know about the boy how killed. But later, he was understand that he could not bear his pain about the dead boy and he was dead with a heart disease, in that room. Somebody, says that, The General Old Colonel Wingrave comes this room, in these days!!)



And then, in the evening of the day S. Coyle, Lechmere and Owen arrives this house. After the dinner, there is a dialog between Owen and Kate Julian, who aged 18, and the lover of Lechmere, because she loves the soldier and heros, too! So, she doesn't loves Owen. And Kate says that, Owen can not sleep in the haunted room! But, at the end of this quarrel, Owen says that, he can do that, and so, says to Kate "Lock me to it!". And, she locks him! But later, at midnight, there are some screams, which heard in the all house. So after, all people of house came to this haunted room, they discover the dead body of Owen Wingrave, who dead with the position as like a hero dead on battlefield!!!



Britten's opera about this terrific story is amazing and spine-chilling. I like especially these movements:



Prelude (the music of crisis, which heard in alltime of opera, when there is a crisis-scene)

Act One: The First Scene - The Dialog between S. Coyle, Lecmere and Owen

The Ballad of Narattor (who tells the story about the haunting room)

Act Two: the dialog between Kate and Owen

The Last Secene (of course!)



And the performers are excellent. Peter Pears (as usually, already he is the lover of Britten, as you know!) is very good on Sir Philip role and as Narattor. As you know, in the all Britten operas, there are important tenor roles, including Peter Grimes, all of them dedicated to Pears. Owen Wingrave role sung by very succesful baritone, Benjamin Luxon. At the role of Spencer Coyle, another legendary performer, John Shirley Quirk. Britten already admire him, not only his voice, but with his acting, theatral intelligent. Heather Harper (Miss Coyle), is a very good Britten performer and she is succesful as Ellen Orford role at Peter Grimes, too (with Colin Davis, released on Philips). Sylvia Fisher, portraited a very good Jane Wingrave. She is a very angry character, like Sir Phiip. And Janet Baker, sung Kate Julian role very good, especially in the last scene.



There are two more legendary recordings: 6 Holderlin Fragments, sung by Peter Pears ,accompanied by Britten, again. And, The Poet's Echo, based on Pushkin's poems, written in original language. Performed by soprano Galina Vishnevskaya (the wife of Rostropovich) and M. Rostropovich! Also, this song cycle dedicated to they.



This is an essential recording. It has a thick booklet, which includes very detailed synopsis and librettos of all works .



Highly recommended.



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