Prom 60 - 27.08.13: Britten – Billy Budd

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

7.00pm – c. 10.15pm
Royal Albert Hall

Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Andrew Davis live at the BBC Proms. Jacques Imbrailo stars as Billy Budd, the doomed pure-hearted sailor caught between the predatory Claggart, and the weak Captain Vere.

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London

Britten: Billy Budd - (two-act revised version; semi-staged)

Billy Budd ..... Jacques Imbrailo (baritone)
Captain Vere ..... Mark Padmore (tenor)
John Claggart ..... Brindley Sherratt (bass)
Mr Redburn ..... Stephen Gadd (baritone)
Mr Flint ..... David Soar (bass-baritone)
Lieutenant Ratcliffe ..... Darren Jeffery (bass)
Red Whiskers ..... Alasdair Elliott (tenor)
Donald ..... John Moore (baritone)
Dansker ..... Jeremy White (bass)
The Novice ..... Peter Gijsbertsen (tenor)
Squeak ..... Colin Judson (tenor)
Bosun ..... Richard Mosley-Evans (baritone)
First Mate ..... Michael Wallace (baritone)
Second Mate ..... Benjamin Cahn (baritone)
Glyndebourne Festival Opera
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Andrew Davis (conductor)

Andrew Davis conducts the London Philharmonic and the cast of Glyndebourne Festival Opera's production of Billy Budd. Based on Herman Melville's novella, the opera tells the story of a young sailor who is persecuted by the predatory master-at-arms John Claggart. His only hope of salvation is Captain 'Stary' Vere who is too rule-bound to help him. Jacques Imbrailo sings the innocent Budd, with Brindley Sherratt and Mark Padmore as Claggart and Vere.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've never really associated Sir Andrew Davis with Britten, but he's made several interesting recordings.

[edashtav]

Does nobody love billy budd?

What - no posts on one of the big beasts of the 2013 Proms?

I can't write in too much detail for I had time only for one act. But that was brilliantly played by a rip-roaring LPO driven on by Andrew Davis and the (male) chorus was menacingly full of testosterone. The soloists characterised their parts well and were "loud and clear" thanks to Britten's very clever orchestration.

Come away, fellow posters,
your anchors be weighing.
Time and tide will admit no delaying.
...

MAN OVERBOARD.... NO: MAN YOUR KEYBOARDS

[amac4165]

Come away, fellow posters,
your anchors be weighing.
Time and tide will admit no delaying.[/B]
...

MAN OVERBOARD.... NO: MAN YOUR KEYBOARDS

ahoy !

Excellent in the hall - Brindley Sherratt outstanding as Claggart and Mark Padmore as guilt ridden Vere. Fortunately they moved away from the usual staging and had most of the action in front of the orchestra.

[jean]

What - no posts on one of the big beasts of the 2013 Proms?

Perhaps because the production has been the subject of a recent discussion?

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?9024-Billy-Budd-at-Glyndebourne

I wasn't able to hear the first half, and could only switch on for the interval discussion, which was most interesting.

But I imagine we're not allowed to talk about that.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I caught only the ending, but that was enough to make me regret having been so lax in my organisation...

iPlaye beckons.

[ostuni]

I'm at Paddington, awaiting my train home, and my mind is still buzzing with details of last night's superb performance. The huge silence at the end was a testimony to the power of the final scene and epilogue; Dansker's fashioning of the noose was an eloquent bit of production, as was the older Vere's silent witnessing of the scene.

I've just read IGI's excellent review of the performance at Glyndebourne, and would agree with all his verdicts on individual singers. Padmore's Vere was the stand-out for me. I've only heard him live in baroque repertoire, but this was absolutely rivetting. Just as eloquent with the text as Bostridge, but far more vocally believable as the older Vere in prologue & epilogue - for the first few minutes of the former, I coudn't believe it really was Padmore, so successfully did he colour his voice to match the age & mood.

[edashtav]

Perhaps because the production has been the subject of a recent discussion?

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?9024-Billy-Budd-at-Glyndebourne

I wasn't able to hear the first half, and could only switch on for the interval discussion, which was most interesting.

But I imagine we're not allowed to talk about that.

Thanks for that "heads up" re the former thread, Mary, whoops, Jean: {Sorry, there's something going wrong in my brain!}.

[Mary Chambers]

The discussion was very good, but although I hardly dare say so (given the general praise) I have some reservations about the performance. It may have been different in the hall, but I didn't really like Padmore's Vere. I prefer a more thoughtful, introverted Vere, and his anguish didn't come across subtly enough for my taste. Claggart wasn't as terrifying as I expected from the reviews. Jacques Imbrailo's frog in the throat at key moments was unfortunate, and prevented me from getting truly involved in his performance - which I was when I saw him in the filmed version.

Apart from those things, which are fairly important, it was wonderful, and I'm sure the semi-staging would have tempered my concerns. What an opera.

[Ferretfancy]

The discussion was very good, but although I hardly dare say so (given the general praise) I have some reservations about the performance. It may have been different in the hall, but I didn't really like Padmore's Vere. I prefer a more thoughtful, introverted Vere, and his anguish didn't come across subtly enough for my taste. Claggart wasn't as terrifying as I expected from the reviews. Jacques Imbrailo's frog in the throat at key moments was unfortunate, and prevented me from getting truly involved in his performance - which I was when I saw him in the filmed version.

Apart from those things, which are fairly important, it was wonderful, and I'm sure the semi-staging would have tempered my concerns. What an opera.

Mary,

It was an amazing evening in the hall, and the staging was very imaginative. The exits and entrances of the crew made it possible to envisage other decks below the Arena level!

I understand you feelings about Mark Padmore in the role, though I don't share them. You probably know that in the original four act version Britten was persuaded by Pears to delete a scene at the end of Act 1 This was because Pears felt uncomfortable in what was a heroic address from him, and felt happier in the more introverted side of Vere's character.

There was much more stage movement last night than is common at RAH presentations, and I wonder whether any vocal elements were missed. Perhaps a stereo listener can tell me. I have to admit that two long acts heard standing in the Arena do present a challenge to my legs these days, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I've just read IGI's excellent review of the performance at Glyndebourne, and would agree with all his verdicts on individual singers. Padmore's Vere was the stand-out for me.

Thank you, ostuni. This morning I published my OB colleague's review of the Prom and Mark Padmore's Vere was the outstanding performance for him:

http://www.opera-britannia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=994:prom-60-billy-budd-27th-august-2013&catid=10:concert-and-recital-reviews&Itemid=16

[PhilipT]

Definitely one of the best Proms I've ever been to. Partly this was because by doing away with the usual Glyndebourne raised stage the performers had more room and were closer to the front of the Arena, so it was much more involving. As someone has already said, there was good use of the levels of the Albert Hall, although some of the action of the Glyndebourne production was lost (e.g. the marines had to march on the spot at the back of the platform). Even so, there was much more staging than there was for Parsifal, which must have come close to not qualifying as "semi-staged". IMHO Mark Padmore's characterisation of Vere was very good - he showed us both the decisiveness of the man of action during the encounter with the French warship, and the guilt-ridden introspection of the old man reminiscing many years afterwards.

Please will someone tell me that I didn't just imagine that amendment to the libretto in the shanties: ".. luncheon in Doha ..". Was that put in to catch out pirates (no pun intended), or just someone's bright idea?

[edashtav]

Thank you, ostuni. This morning I published my OB colleague's review of the Prom and Mark Padmore's Vere was the outstanding performance for him:

http://www.opera-britannia.com/index...iews&Itemid=16

What a splendid and detailed review by Sebastian Petit. I'll take the liberty of quoting one sentence pour encourager les autres

A great pity and a missed opportunity but I would urge anyone who didn’t hear the performance to take advantage of the Radio 3 listen again option available for the next seven days.

[amac4165]

Mary,

You probably know that in the original four act version Britten was persuaded by Pears to delete a scene at the end of Act 1 This was because Pears felt uncomfortable in what was a heroic address from him, and felt happier in the more introverted side of Vere's character.

I think the scene was also compared - unfavorably to Gilbert & Sullivan by some critics

[Mary Chambers]

Mary,

It was an amazing evening in the hall, and the staging was very imaginative. The exits and entrances of the crew made it possible to envisage other decks below the Arena level!

This was clearly so, as the response has been so very positive. At home, I found it difficult to adjust to certain things - for instance, I couldn't really appreciate "Look, through the port comes the moonshine astray", a deeply moving moment normally, because all I could think about was whether Imbrailo's voice was going to survive to the end. It did, fortunately.

Was there a good-sized audience? A lot of people still seem to think Britten is 'difficult'.