Post by tmesis on May 11, 2019 9:12:20 GMT
This was my first experience of this Deborah Warner production and very satisfying it is too. We never see a ship as such but there is great atmospheric use of decking, ropes, ladders and sails (lots of hammocks) and it all feels very convincing. There is also great use of different levels to suggest above and below deck and therefore reinforce the issues of rank and class.
I've seen a few productions of this over the years but it is never performed that often. One memorable one was at ENO many years ago with a youthful Thomas Allen as Budd.
The opera is long and Britten set himself quite a challenge with a closed environment and a cast of male only voices. I often find an opera like Boris Godunov can be a bit of a trial because of its lack of contrasting female voices but Britten achieves much greater variety of texture here with some thrilling choral moments.
The plot is possibly the simplest in all opera and there are really only three main characters. Brindley Sherratt was a dark, domineering Claggart, Toby Spence was wonderfully intense as Fairfax and Jacques Imbrailo an almost perfect, both physically and vocally, Billy Budd.
Frankly I couldn't imagine this better done.
I've seen a few productions of this over the years but it is never performed that often. One memorable one was at ENO many years ago with a youthful Thomas Allen as Budd.
The opera is long and Britten set himself quite a challenge with a closed environment and a cast of male only voices. I often find an opera like Boris Godunov can be a bit of a trial because of its lack of contrasting female voices but Britten achieves much greater variety of texture here with some thrilling choral moments.
The plot is possibly the simplest in all opera and there are really only three main characters. Brindley Sherratt was a dark, domineering Claggart, Toby Spence was wonderfully intense as Fairfax and Jacques Imbrailo an almost perfect, both physically and vocally, Billy Budd.
Frankly I couldn't imagine this better done.
