Opera review: Billy Budd, Glyndebourne Festival Opera
IS it possible I have been wrong all these years? Was Benjamin Britten a fine composer after all?
Ever since I left my school choir over fifty years ago because I could not stand his dreary cantata St Nicholas, I have winced at the thought of having to listen to his tuneless music.
This is, however, his centenary year, and a trip to Glyndebourne is always worthwhile, so with fairly low expectations, I went to see Billy Budd. And I came away almost converted. It was, I must admit, quite magnificent.
First, and most striking of all, there is the set, designed by Christopher Oram, which is probably the most effective and imaginative set I have ever seen on stage.
The entire action of the opera takes place on board an English vessel in the Napoleonic wars, and the entire stage is turned into the decks of the ship, subtly curving outwards at the front and upwards at the sides, with perfect use of perspective to increase the feeling of depth.
You almost feel you are part of something that is happening in front of you rather than watching action portrayed on a stage.
Then there is the singing and acting by a hugely impressive cast.
Jacques Imbrailo is excellent in the title role as the young and trusting sailor press-ganged into service but eager to do his best; Mark Padmore is hugely impressive as Captain Vere, caught in a moral quagmire between following the law of the sea or doing what he knows to be morally right; and best of all, Brindley Sherratt is quite superb as the evil Claggart, whose combination of envy and suppressed lust for Billy Budd makes him determined to have the young man put to death.
The plot is based on a novella by Herman Melville, and this production of it, originally directed by Michael Grandage at Glyndebourne in 2010 and now revived by Ian Rutherford, perfectly captures the drama of Melville's story.
With the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Andrew Davis bringing the best out of Britten's score, it all adds up to a thrilling performance, but I must confess that I am still wondering quite how I came to enjoy a Benjamin Britten opera so much.
I suspect the answer is something along the following lines:
You almost feel you are part of something that is happening in front of you rather than watching action portrayed on a stage
When I go to an opera, I expect to enjoy the music, the singing, the orchestral playing, the acting, the drama and the staging, in that order of importance. Britten, I have always felt, was a good technician, a fine arranger, and a good composer of mood-setting film music, especially if the mood was grim and dreary.
What happened in Glyndebourne's Billy Budd was that my priorities were turned on their head: the drama, acting, singing and staging were so exceptionally good, that even though I knew the story line, I was absolutely caught up in it. And Britten's score, though relegated to a background role, perfectly enhanced it all to offer a complete experience of opera at its best.
The original 2012 version of this production will be screened in cinemas from August 19 and will be streamed online from August 23. Details may be found at glyndebourne.com/festival-2013-cinemas-and-online.
Box Office: www.glyndebourne.com or 01273 815000
Verdict: 5/5
