Britten

[Ein Heldenleben]

That hideous Simply The Best trail out of the end of Curlew River was the equivalent of some one punching in the face while you’re looking at a Rembrandt.

Otherwise ….very good performance that.

[Pulcinella]

That hideous Simply The Best trail out of the end of Curlew River was the equivalent of some one punching in the face while you’re looking at a Rembrandt.

Otherwise ….very good performance that.

The credits rolled by too quickly: is there a cast list anywhere?

[LMcD]

The rumours and indeed you are right, Magnificently sung with Ian Bostridge and Duncan Rock stunningly good. Not a weak link anywhere. Sir Willard as the Abbot is luxury casting indeed.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The credits rolled by too quickly: is there a cast list anywhere?

Yes with a bit of googling

The Madwoman	Ian Bostridge
The Abbott	Willard White
The Ferryman	Duncan Rock
The Traveller	Marcus Farnsworth
Music Director	Audrey Hyland
Stage Director	Deborah Warner
Director	Dominic Best
Producer	Dominic Best
Production Company	Ad Lib Productions Ltd

They should have run a silent slow roller over black. 45 secs or so …

then a two second down and up to black

and then run a suitable Classical music trail.

instead they took Dominic’s excellent film and dumped a bucket of **** on it …

what has happened to BBC presentation or Red Bee or whatever they call themselves these days. No doubt it’s all done by AI

[Pulcinella]

Thanks.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Anyway on the positive side . Sir Willard White is one of the miracles of the age . To sing like that at 78 ….incredible.

[LMcD]

Yes with a bit of googling

The Madwoman	Ian Bostridge
The Abbott	Willard White
The Ferryman	Duncan Rock
The Traveller	Marcus Farnsworth
Music Director	Audrey Hyland
Stage Director	Deborah Warner
Director	Dominic Best
Producer	Dominic Best
Production Company	Ad Lib Productions Ltd

They should have run a silent slow roller over black. 45 secs or so …

then a two second down and up to black

and then run a suitable Classical music trail.

instead they took Dominic’s excellent film and dumped a bucket of **** on it …

what has happened to BBC presentation or Red Bee or whatever they call themselves these days. No doubt it’s all done by AI

Credits, including musical forces, can be seen by pausing iPlayer at 1 hour 11 minutes and 13 seconds.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Credits, including musical forces, can be seen by pausing iPlayer at 1 hour 11 minutes and 13 seconds.

Indeed but that’s asking the licence fee payer to do productions’ work for them.
I could have recorded the entire film , ingested it all into FCPX , slowed the roller down and cut off the trail but that’s what others are paid to do !

[LMcD]

Indeed but that’s asking the licence fee payer to do productions’ work for them.
I could have recorded the entire film , ingested it all into FCPX , slowed the roller down and cut off the trail but that’s what others are paid to do !

I record most things these days, as I'm increasingly likely to nod off. Fortunately that didn't happen on this occasion, but I shall keep and treasure the recording. However, I do agree about the unseemly haste with which the credits were rolled by and followed by a trailer for what promised - or do I mean threatened? - to be a very different different viewing experience.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I record most things these days, as I'm increasingly likely to nod off. Fortunately that didn't happen on this occasion, but I shall keep and treasure the recording. However, I do agree about the unseemly haste with which the credits were rolled by and followed by a trailer for what promised - or do I mean threatened? - to be a very different different viewing experience.

You have to ask yourself the fundamental editorial question - why would somebody who watched Britten’s masterpiece be interested in the music in that trail ? And why create such a jarring clash ?

[LMcD]

You have to ask yourself the fundamental editorial question - why would somebody who watched Britten’s masterpiece be interested in the music in that trail ? And why create such a jarring clash ?

Why indeed? I would also like to have seen the audience's reaction. As the performers had already left the church, I would imagine there was a respectful silence, which would have spoken volumes.

[Dave2002]

I'd class mobile phone photography at classical concerts an occasional irritant rather than the end of civilisation as we know it. At present photography disturbs me less than ringtones, pings, or indeed coughing. I'm happy to read Birmingham has rowed-back from the previous stance of encouraging photography during performance.

At the Prom performance of the War Requiem this summer I sat next to or close to someone who seemingly hadn't bought the programme, and tried to read the words on her tablet or mobile phone. Total pain.

Eventually she gave up. I noticed just a few other "bright light" spots in hall of others doing the same. Mostly the audience were OK - but "digital" programme notes can be a curse.