Search - Alan Opie, Roderick Williams, Benjamin Britten :: Benjamin Britten: Peter Grimes

A Shattering Performance

D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 03/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Peter Grimes is one of the most engaging operas written. It is riveting to see it staged and equally attention holding just to hear a performance. Peter Grimes is a highly dramatic story of someone slowly sinking into misfortune, shunned by the community and misunderstood. The drama of the opera is reflected in the splendid music that Benjamin Britten wrote defining the mood of his story. The many interludes that come between scenes have achieved their own fame in Britten's Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes. When heard in the context of the opera the show their true significance setting up the story that is unfolding.



This recording has been considered among the very best performances of Peter Grimes. Philip Langridge is superb as Grimes, conveying the frustration of an outcast and the menace of his character. This is especially true in Act 2 Scene 2 where Grimes imagines a kind of paradise with his new apprentice that disintegrates into a vision of Hell when he hears the villagers approaching his hut, and in the final scene he is excellent in expressing Grimes' collapse. Mr. Langridge is well supported by Janice Watson as Ellen Orford, Alan Opie as Captain Balstrode and Roderick Williams as Ned Keene, to name just a few. But it is Richard Hickox and the City of London Sinfonia who deserve the credit for creating a performance that is second to none. The playing by the orchestra is beautifully interwoven with the voices and the balance of the recording is outstanding. The London Symphony Chorus, who has a major role in the opera, are magnificent.



There are many great recordings of Peter Grimes, among them that of Benjamin Britten himself. It is a difficult decision to choose just one Peter Grimes but one can rest assured that the Hickox performance is certainly among the very best. Highly recommended.

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