Britten: Peter Grimes

Britten: Peter Grimes

Britten: Peter Grimes
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Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1999-06-15
Music Label: Philips
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. Prologue: `Peter Grimes!` (Hobson, Swallow, Grimes)
  2. Prologue: `You sailed your boat` (Swallow, Grimes, Mrs. Sedley, Hobson, Ellen)
  3. Prologue: `Peter Grimes, I here advise you!` (Swallow, Hobson, Grimes)
  4. Prologue: `The truth... the pity...` (Grimes, Ellen)
  5. Prologue: Interlude I
  6. Act I. `Oh, hang at open doors` (Auntie, Boles, Balstrode, Rector, Nieces, Mrs. Sedley, Keene, Swallow)
  7. Act I. `Hi! Give us a hand` (Grimes, Boles, Balstrode, Keene, Auntie, Hobson)
  8. Act I. `I have to go from pub to pub` (Hobson, Ellen, Keene)
  9. Act I. `Let her among you` (Ellen, Hobson, Mrs. Sedley, Keene)
  10. Act I. `Look, the storm cone!` (Balstrode, Keene, Boles)
  11. Act I. `And do you prefer the storm` (Balstrode, Grimes)
  12. Act I. `What harbour shelters peace` (Grimes)
  13. Act I. Interlude II
  14. Act I. `Past time to close!` (Auntie, Mrs. Sedley, Balstrode, Boles, Nieces)
  15. Act I. ` We live and let live` (Balstrode)
  16. Act I. `Have you heard?` (Keene, Auntie, Mrs. Sedley, Balstrode, Nieces)
  17. Act I. `Now the Great Bear and Pleiades` (Grimes, Nieces, Boles, Balstrode, Auntie)
  18. Act I. `Old Joe has gone fishing` (Keene, Auntie, Grimes, Hobson, Ellen, Boles, Nieces)
  19. Act II. Interlude III
  20. Act II. `Glitter of waves` (Ellen, Rector)
  21. Act II. `Let this be a holiday` (Ellen, Grimes)
  22. Act II. `This unrelenting work` (Ellen, Grimes)
Music CD 2
  1. Act II. `Fool to let it come to this!` (Auntie, Keene, Boles, Mrs. Sedley, Balstrode)
  2. Act II. `What is it?` (Swallow, Nieces, Rector, Mrs. Sedley, Balstrode)
  3. Act II. `People!... No! I will speak!` (Boles, Balstrode, Rector, Auntie, Ellen)
  4. Act II. `We planned that their lives` (Ellen, Rector, Mrs. Sedley, Boles, Keene, Swallow, Nieces, Auntie, Balstrode, Hobson)
  5. Act II. `Swallow! Shall we go` (Rector, Swallow, Balstrode, Mrs. Sedley, Nieces, Keene, Hobson, Boles)
  6. Act II. `Now is gossip put on trial` (Mrs. Sedley, Boles, Rector, Keene, Swallow)
  7. Act II. `From the gutter` (Nieces, Auntie, Ellen)
  8. Act II. Interlude IV
  9. Act II. `Go there!` (Grimes)
  10. Act II. `Now!... Now!` (Boles, Rector, Swallow, Keene, Grimes)
  11. Act II. `Peter Grimes! Nobody here?` (Rector, Swallow, Keene)
  12. Act III. Interlude V
  13. Act III. `Assign your prettiness to me` (Swallow, Nieces)
  14. Act III. `Pah!` (Swallow, Keene, Mrs. Sedley)
  15. Act III. `Come along, Doctor!` ( Rector, Mrs. Sedley, Ellen, Balstrode)
  16. Act III. `Embroidery in childhood` ( Ellen, Balstrode)
  17. Act III. `Mr. Swallow!` (Mrs. Sedley, Auntie, Swallow, Hobson)
  18. Act III. `Who holds himself apart` (Swallow, Hobson)
  19. Act III. Interlude VI
  20. Act III. `Grimes! Grimes!` (Grimes)
  21. Act III. `Peter, we've come to take you home` (Ellen, Grimes, Balstrode)
  22. Act III. `To those who pass the Borough` (Swallow, Auntie, Boles)

Free Music Notes for Britten: Peter Grimes

Free Music Review: A robust and idiomatic performance of this key opera
Hit: 5 Stars

This was the first opera recording I ever listened to and it got me hooked. I've since acquired the Pears / Britten interpretation on Decca, but (so far) have been unable to relinquish my loyalty to this Philips set. The two major pillars here are Jon Vickers as Peter Grimes and Colin Davis overseeing the whole work. Vickers makes Grimes much more powerful, agressive, threatening and tortured than Pears. Right from the first bars - in the court room scene - it's clear that Vickers is going to put his heart and soul into this role. Indeed, such is the depth of his portrayal that one cannot help a degree of sympathy for the "sadistic fisherman". In fact, it is Vickers' ability to generate a complex mix of feelings in the listener that gives Grimes a real human dimension. I confess to a personal feeling that Vicker's is the better of the two interpretations. His singing in key scenes such as "The truth... the pity..." and, particularly, "Now the Great Bear and Pleiades" simply makes more of the score than does Pears. Clearly, to judge by the Decca recording by the composer, Britten did not intend this though.

Heather Harper should also be mentioned as a beautiful, compassionate and thoroughly believable Ellen Orford. Her "Let her among you" and "Glitter of waves" are wonderful. The Chorus is superb too. And finally, the orchestra plays immaculately to provide stalwart backing to the singers as well as offering up excellent Sea Interludes.

The sound here is superb. There are one or two noticeable edits, but nothing too serious. This version comes without a libretto, but that's easy enough to find electronically. So, if you're after a Peter Grimes, then it's down to Britten or Davis and you can't go far wrong with either. Those who love the opera will want both since the interpretations are so different.

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