Britten - Peter Grimes / Davis, Vickers, Harper, Bailey, Royal Opera Covent Garden

Starring:Jon Vickers, Colin Davis
Studio: Kultur Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
More than half a century after stunning the music world at its 1945 premiere (just a month after the war had ended in Europe), Peter Grimes still overwhelms. It's anchored itself as arguably one of the top 10 works of music theater from postwar Europe. And you can easily experience why in a performance as focused, thrilling, and emotionally compelling as the present one (from the second Covent Garden production, mounted in 1975), with a cast of world-class Britten interpreters. A measure of the opera's artistic depth is the simple fact of how compendious it is, convincing in fundamentally divergent accounts, such as the original canonical Britten-Pears interpretation.

At a far remove here is the equally legendary Peter Grimes of Canadian tenor Jon Vickers. Even distilled via a home theater system, you get a good sense of why so many longtime opera-goers still recall his live performances of the role as a touchstone of operatic power. Vickers brings his huge frame and voice to bear on all the contradictions that make this outcast so strangely repulsive and moving at the same time. His Grimes isn't merely a victim. This fisherman is implacably misunderstood, feverishly ambitious, gruff, gifted with a touch of the poet yet unable to connect, and ultimately--in a tour de force of vocal acting--hounded to madness by the centrifugal energy of his complex personality.

Heather Harper exudes convincing compassion as Ellen Orford, the woman who hopes to save Grimes through her love, but she also voices a clear brand of fatalism that intriguingly links her to the townsfolk of the Borough, failing to see a way to break free from the pattern. Norman Bailey's Capt. Balstrode is a realist who tries his hardest to understand Grimes. The role of the Royal Opera Chorus in venting the village collective is crucial and effective--whether in innocent merrymaking, as a kind of Greek chorus, or as a malevolent moral majority in need of its scapegoat. A younger Colin Davis proves why he became known as a Britten specialist, leading a forceful, dynamic performance that explodes with violence and is keenly sympathetic to the score's symphonic web of texture. Elisha Moshinksy (who made his Covent Garden debut with this production) directs with grim and powerful delineation against a pared-down stage-set of boardwalk that becomes alternatively claustrophobic and barren, while Britten's brilliant music keeps the seascape ever present in the mind's ear and eye. --Thomas May
Description
Royal Opera Chorus. Peter Grimes was the work that established Benjamin Britten as a major musical force when it was first performed in 1945. It is now universally acknowledged as one of the twentieth century's finest operas. In this performance Canadian tenor Jon Vickers - internationally acclaimed for his portrayal of Grimes - heads a cast that gives vivid life to this masterpiece.

Britten - Peter Grimes / Davis, Vickers, Harper, Bailey, Royal Opera Covent Garden
Average customer rating:

Great Opera, Great Tenor

good stuff

seaworthy

Excellent all around

Difficult but beautiful

Britten - Peter Grimes / Davis, Vickers, Harper, Bailey, Royal Opera Covent Garden
Starring: Jon Vickers , and Colin Davis
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000DI86Q
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Amazon.com

More than half a century after stunning the music world at its 1945 premiere (just a month after the war had ended in Europe), Peter Grimes still overwhelms. It's anchored itself as arguably one of the top 10 works of music theater from postwar Europe. And you can easily experience why in a performance as focused, thrilling, and emotionally compelling as the present one (from the second Covent Garden production, mounted in 1975), with a cast of world-class Britten interpreters. A measure of the opera's artistic depth is the simple fact of how compendious it is, convincing in fundamentally divergent accounts, such as the original canonical Britten-Pears interpretation.

Description

Royal Opera Chorus. Peter Grimes was the work that established Benjamin Britten as a major musical force when it was first performed in 1945. It is now universally acknowledged as one of the twentieth century's finest operas. In this performance Canadian tenor Jon Vickers - internationally acclaimed for his portrayal of Grimes - heads a cast that gives vivid life to this masterpiece.

Customer Reviews:

Great Opera, Great Tenor.......2007-06-29

Peter Grimes is one of my "desert island" all time favorite operas. It is an incredible piece of music. Jon Vickers is, to my taste, the finest tenor I have ever heard and his portrayal in this opera is one of his greatest performances. I have seen him (live) in the opera on five occasions and only wish that I could have seen him perform it even more. It is true, as another reviewer noted, that Britten himself didn't like Vickers' interpretation (Vickers being a much different type of singer than Peter Pears for whom Britten wrote the opera) and Vickers has changed a bit of the text in the second act scene in his hut. But, with all due respect to the genius of Britten, I think Vickers' interpretation (and his text changes) are definitely for the better. Vickers makes Peter Grimes more fearsome than Pears did (at least comparing recordings, I never saw Pears perform the opera) but in Crabbe's original poem, Grimes is a pretty fearsome person.

good stuff.......2006-11-01

Benjamin Britten wrote the role of Grimes for Peter Pears (who sings it on the Decca recording of the opera), a much lighter voice than Vickers. Britten reportedly disliked the Davis/Vickers production. No one else does, though. Heather Harper (the superb soprano soloist on Colin Davis's 1965 Messiah on Philips) is an excellent Ellen (better than her Decca counterpart, Claire Watson) and the whole production is first-rate. If you enjoy the opera, pick up the Decca recording too -- Britten himself conducts atmospherically, Pears is very moving in the title role -- less brutal and more vulnerable than Vickers, but both interpretations are valid. One reviewer questioned the "greatness" of the opera -- for me, it's as good as the best of Puccini and Strauss, and only the greatest Mozart, Verdi, and Wagner operas surpass it. The source, by the way, is a poem (c. 1810) by George Crabbe, well worth reading.

seaworthy.......2006-02-18

To the casual listener, Britten may be an acquired taste. And this opera is probably the most accessible of all Britten's works - in other words, a good place to start. In my opinion, it's an unforgettable experience, one that only grows on you with rehearing.

It's a grim story of a fisherman ill at ease with others. He's lost an apprentice at sea and is suspected of having physcally abused the boy. While one woman, Ellen Orford, tries to be his friend, the village gives him no room in their busy, opinionated, suspicious world. He is a monster, unwelcome in their tight little society, a creature to be feared and shunned. When Grimes acquires a new apprentice we know the results will be tragic.

In this recording, the title role is portrayed by Jon Vickers who made this one of his personal triumphs. To see it as well as hear the magnificent singing more than doubles the satisfaction of the performance.

I remember hearing the premiere radio broadcast of this piece from the Met when I was a teenager - I'm in my 70's now. Even then its strange story mesmerized me. Now, after many hearings, it is a joy to finally see what my imagination could not conjure up.

This performance is intense, focused, brooding, in every way "seaworthy" for anyone who turns to opera for a musical experience that is both beautiful and terrible. The fate of Peter Grimes will stay with you long after the credits have run.

Excellent all around.......2005-04-20

Although I don't agree that Peter Grimes is one of the greatest operas of all times, it certainly has its powerful moments. Britten is quite successful at creating an oppressive mood and a kind of generalized expression, but the lyrical moments are disappointingly devoid of melodic profile, and Grimes last soliloquy is a kind of bare, aimless arioso devoid of musical interest.
In any event, the performance is first rate. In fact, it is hard to imagine how it could be significantly improved on. All of the characters are clearly delineated, and the performers act well. Jon Vickers is his usual intense and powerful self, although I find his mealy pronunciation a little annoying. Heather Harper and Norman Bailey stand out, as does the chorus. Most of the time I was drawn into the performance. Colin Davis' conducting is also intense, the balances are good, and the tricky rhythms are handled confidently (if not flawlessly).
The picture and sound quality are quite good for an early-80s production. It is nice to have English subtitles for an opera sung in English, as one can take in the whole experience without struggling to understand the text.

Difficult but beautiful.......2004-09-06

The contrast between the lyrical and beautiful music and the difficult anti-hero, Peter Grimes, is stunning. Vickers is perfect as the pathetic and frightening Grimes. Heather Harper is beautiful as the woman who tries to hold it together and fails.

The sets are simple, but effective. Every actor plays his or her part well; there are no weak links. While it is a story about Grimes, each of the minor characters is carefully deliniated and you feel as if you know the narrow and limited world of this small fishing village by the end of the opera. All the voices are perfect for the roles. It is difficult to imagine a finer production.

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