Peter Grimes - Britten

[motodraconis]

Ok, that's not Grimes, but "Auntie" Landlady of The Boar (Rebecca de Pont Davies) and very dapper too.


So... Grimes. This is now my third Britten, and I can't help but notice a bit of a theme to his works. A darker, creepier side of subject. The Billy Budd production was laden with unrequited and at certain times slightly rapey-stalkery sexual lust and bullying between chaps. Then there was Death in Venice, with it's theme of unrequited lust of an older man for a young boy - in a context just a leetttle bit rapey-stalkery. Neither opera featured much in the way of female voice roles of any note (or in the case of Budd - at all.) So I didn't quite know what to expect of Grimes. Something creepy, with a dodgy subtext (a hattrick of rapey-stalkery?) and minimal female voice.

So here's Grimes, (Stuart Skelton) who's boy appentice died at sea all alone with him on his fishing boat. It's recorded as accidental death...



The townsfolk, with the exception of Grimes only defender - the Schoolmistress Ellen (Elza van den Hever) are pretty sure that he killed the boy, and are against him getting another boy-apprentice.



The rapey-stalkery subtext here is that Grimes abused the boy and murdered him, and will do the same with his new apprentice, an unloved, workhouse brat who is partially catatonic; from his dire upbringing or from some mental issue (or both) it is unclear...



We don't know if Grimes did abuse his first boy, but Ellen gives him the benefit of the doubt, and tries to spend time with the mute apprentice and cheer him up...



..who reveals he has been battered by Grimes...



Grimes is obsessed by fishing the sea dry. Only by making money does he feel the villagers will give him respect. He drags the kid off to more fishing. (On a Sunday!)



The village, itself filled with it's own fair share of disfunctional characters, is full of suspicion of Grimes. Is he a child abuser? Or has mob mentality distorted the truth? Miss Marple is convinced something more fishy than the catch is afoot...



There are interludes of beautiful music - the storm interval is chaotic and discordant without annoying the f*ck out of me (unlike the jangling discord of Wozzeck which was just plain irritating.)

There are weird characters...



And at least one moment of gorgeous transporting vocals in the quartet of Ellen, Auntie and Auntie's 2 nieces. (Good female voice OMG!)



Britten seems to be like this for me - a couple of moments that take your breath away, buried in about 3 hours of let us laboriously sing the story out to you. Another good moment was Grimes singing "Now the Great Bear and Pleiades"...

This is extraordinary in itself as this part has to really stretch the singer in range...





But it can't end well...



And we'll leave it at that.

So what did I think? Well it ain't jolly, and I can't say Brittain's rapey-stalkery dark themes sit well with me for a chirpy night out (though I was impressed by Billy Budd - or should that be, massively freaked out by Billy Budd.) I could have wished for fewer musical interludes, (or at least some acting or dancing) seeing a blank stage while the orchestra chunters away for some unknown length of time is pretty dull. I don't go to the Opera for musical arrangements, I want singing - people - acting, or at least dancing with the music.

It's grim stuff, or grimey even, but the reviews have been pretty glowing for Peter Grimes at the ENO...

London Evening Standard: 5 stars

Guardian: 4 stars.

Telegraph: 4 stars.

Telegraph: 4 stars.

Spine-tingling and exceptional from the er... Express, that well known organ of culture.

Watch on YouTube

Rigoletto next, that's got the sort of bangin' tunes I enjoy!



All images from the ENO website.

Comments

[cabepfir.livejournal.com]

I watched Peter Grimes, once (though I thought its title was Billy Budd! Thanks for reminding me!) and I left before the show was finished. It depressed me terribly in a moment in which I really didn't need to be depressed any further. :P

[motodraconis.livejournal.com]

It's melodic, but the subject matter is grim grim grim. I didn't hate it, but nor did I love it. Some exquisite vocal moments in a lot of darkness.