English National Opera - Billy Budd Reviews
28 March 2024
Benedict Nelson
Gwynne Howell, Benedict Nelson, Duncan Rock, Michael Colvin
Nicky Spence, Matthew Rose
Kim Begley
Gerard Collett, Darren Jeffrey, Jonathan Summers

Performance reviews

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Billy Budd

English National Opera


No. of reviews: 26

Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd turns Melville's novel into a gripping psychosexual drama
14 Jul 12 / Telegraph
La ópera del mar
14 Jul 12 / Miami Clásica
Das Budd
5 Jul 12 / Out West Arts
Secret desires in the heart of ‘Billy Budd’
4 Jul 12 / New York Times
Austerity Britten isn't much fun in depressing opera Billy Budd
30 Jun 12 / Daily Mail
David Alden’s production for ENO of Britten’s great opera is a thoroughly enjoyable sail
29 Jun 12 / Telegraph
A stark portrayal of Billy Budd
26 Jun 12 / The Opera Critic
A great evening and an unmissable realisation of a masterpiece
26 Jun 12 / The Stage
The hero of the hour is undoubtedly Edward Gardner
26 Jun 12 / Opera Britannia
Rule those bloody waves
26 Jun 12 / New York Times
A grim, ghostly 'Billy Budd' on British stage
25 Jun 12 / San Francisco Chronicle
This Budd delivers a deliberate, carefully told narrative
24 Jun 12 / The Observer
Magnificent at full throttle, an enlarged chorus observes Britten's detailed dynamic markings to the letter
24 Jun 12 / Independent on Sunday
An oppressive setting and an overwhelming chorus
21 Jun 12 / Londonist
Billy Budd is a magnificent opera and the ENO does justice to it
21 Jun 12 / Musical Criticism
It’s worth donning your stripy top and deck shoes for a voyage to The Coliseum
21 Jun 12 / So So Gay
Though Britten’s opera is sung by a superb cast, the ambiguities in David Alden’s staging come at a cost
21 Jun 12 / Financial Times
A fine cast of singers makes for a thrilling performance
20 Jun 12 / Telegraph
Brutal and electrifying
20 Jun 12 / The Guardian
Ultimately there is something missing from the production, and its absence was keenly felt - the sea
20 Jun 12 / Classical Source
A huge disappointment after ENO's compelling Dutchman
20 Jun 12 / Musical Pointers
Given Alden’s track record, this is a bitterly disappointing evening
19 Jun 12 / What's on Stage
A thrilling company achievement - world class
19 Jun 12 / Independent
How to make Britten's great opera a bloodless bore: junk the context and get the cast wrong
19 Jun 12 / The Arts Desk
ENO's new production of Billy Budd hasn't mastered the ship – or the characters
19 Jun 12 / Telegraph
Alden unfolds the action in nightmarish slow motion
19 Jun 12 / Evening Standard
Production details
Cast
Begley, Nelson, Rose, Summers, Jeffrey, Waddington, Colvin, Rock, Howell, Spence, Farnsworth, Norman, Rupp, Dunn, Stoughton, Collett
(c) Gardner (d) Alden
Performance dates
18, 23, 27, 30 June, 3, 5, 8(m) July 2012
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