Search - Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears, Claire Watson :: Britten - Peter Grimes / Pears · C. Watson · Pease · Brannigan · J. Watson · Elms · Studholme · Kells · R. Nilsson · Lanigan · G. Evans · D. Kelly · ROH Covent Garden · Britten

The greatest British opera

Jay Dickson | Portland, OR | 12/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As beautiful as they are, even DIDO AND AENEAS and Britten's own BILLY BUDD are just not up to the level of this, Britten's first "major" opera. The theme of an individual hounded by the community is timeless, but the possibility of Grimes's homosexuality makes the opera especially timely for the twentieth century. And have there ever been such beautiful and appropriate interludes, or as sophisticated muscial characterization in ANY national operatic tradition? The great gossip scene in Act II is a case in point: ever striking Ellen, Grimes cries out the phrase, "And may God have mercy upon me" and exits, as his phrase is taken up in a round through the different sections of the orchestra, mirroring the way the gossip is about to spread. Then the other characters exit their houses to address Ellen and one another, each using the same musical phrase as Grimes's, but using it severally to express eloquently all manner of things. First we hear it as frightened chiding at Ellen's indulgent behavior towards Peter, then as a sarcastic commentary on the town's likely propensity to gossip, then (finally) as the gossip itself about the attack, which gathers greater and greater momentum until the townspeople are almost hysterical with indignation.On the only other major recording of this opera (with Jon Vickers in the title role), this stunning sequence is bizarrely interrupted between CDs; although this set is considerably more expensive, its more proper distribution among CDs makes it infinitely preferable. Also, although the other set has a superbly romantic Grimes in Vickers, the role nonetheless was specifically written for Peter Pears, who sings here with great purity of tone. This is a famous historic recording: no 20th-century opera buff's collection is complete without it."

Magnificent

11/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is a rare privilege, in classical music, to hear a work performed the way the composer actually wants it to. Here is your chance. Not only does Britten conduct himself but also the wonderful Peter Pears for whom it was written (and who actively participated in the writing of the libretto) sings it.This opera, like others of the 20th century really marries theater and music. Unlike Puccini or Verdi where appalling librettos are made acceptable by wonderful music (can you get any worse than the words to "Che gelida mannina"?), Peter Grimes is a full blooded story, and the music accompanies it wondefully.The atmospheres of fear (the storm) or complacency (the final dawn) are depicted in the music in a way difficult to match.Britten is one of those underrated allrounders who builds the sounds to match the action and the feelings like few people do.This rendition is impeccable and well rehearsed and the sound bears the Decca quality of the 50s which is really hard to find.Pears gives a heartbreaking rendering of a misunderstood and isolated man who finds himself the victim of his own ambition to prove himself worthy of the society that despises him.Vickers' more recent version is very good. But get the real masters and see what they really wanted. This recording will make your hairs stand on end and make you regret that you weren't in Saddler's Wells back in the 50s."

Unmatchable performance of a masterpiece

madamemusico | Cincinnati, Ohio USA | 04/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This, the first and in my view the best complete recording of Peter Grimes, is unforgettable for a number of reasons, but two in particular. First is that Britten corrects here a number of scoring errors that appeared in the early Boosey & Hawkes edition of his opera (and, sad to say, the one that Jon Vickers insisted on using into the 1980s), and some of these orchestral changes have a marked effect on the music, making it more colorful and interesting. Second is the fact that it is conducted by Britten himself. Other reviewers have pointed out the value of having the composer conduct his own work, and of course that is important; but the other factor to consider is that Britten, though a part-time and often reluctant conductor, was one of the great masters of the baton. The BBC recently issued a series of CDs taken from live broadcasts of the '60s, including marvelous versions of Bridge's "The Sea," Handel's "Ode to St. Cecilia" and the Mahler 4th Symphony, which when heard alongside his commercial recording of the Bach Brandenburg Concertos (still a best-seller and one of the preferred versions after 40 years), testify that this was a conductor who could stand comparison with Walter, Toscanini, Szell and other acknowledged masters. The only known video of Britten in rehearsal (of his own "Nocturne") reveals why: like them he was a nit-picker for detail, accent and phrasing, and if he was not as outwardly temperamental as Toscanini he was just as grueling in working sections or individual players until they got it the way he wanted it.As for the cast on this recording, they are quite fine, even if Peter Pears' voice was more solid and more beautiful on the 1946 excerpts conducted by Reginald Goodall (EMI). At the time this recording was issued, several critics jumped on Claire Watson, knowing that she was a last-minute substitute for Britten's preferred Ellen of the time, Heather Harper (who sings so beautifully opposite Vickers); but with digital remastering, Watson's voice sounds far less shrill here than it did on LP, and she has the advantage of really clear and distinct English diction....something that cannot be taken for granted even in English-speaking singers (just think of Leontyne Price or Frederica von Stade). As a result of this (mostly) hand-picked cast and Britten's perfectionism, you get a performance that sounds both "live" in the theatrical sense and beautiful in the superb balance of soloists, chorus and orchestra. In short, this is not a performance to be missed, and I highly recommend it to all opera-lovers but especially those who enjoy Grimes."