As promised, here is a clip of David Daniels (arguably THE counter-tenor of today), singing Oberon's first aria from Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The orchestration is so cool. Britten uses different instrumentation for different kinds of characters. Here, the harp plays a really prominent role with an other-worldly character. With the "rude mechanicals," we hear lots of brass and drums. Enjoy!
Showing posts with label A Midsummer Night's Dream. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A Midsummer Night's Dream. Show all posts
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Clip of the Day: Jon Vickers as Peter Grimes
So, I just learned that Jon Vickers was the Peter Grimes for the first Met production in 1967. AND, he's Canadian...how cool is that? Sid and I have a dream/goal of moving to Canada. I think this is a sign.
Sid is right. I do love Benjamin Britten, and I TOTALLY disagree with him. I think Britten's music is very easy on the ears! I'll play something from A Midsummer Night's Dream later this week, and you'll see what I mean. Obviously, it doesn't sound like Mozart, but it's a really accessible and beautiful musical language that makes sense to after about 10 minutes of listening. Give it a chance! Also, it's kind of spooky and creepy. Case in point? This little ditty from Peter Grimes (with the late Jon Vickers). Enjoy!
Edit: This production was directed by Tyrone Guthrie!
Sid is right. I do love Benjamin Britten, and I TOTALLY disagree with him. I think Britten's music is very easy on the ears! I'll play something from A Midsummer Night's Dream later this week, and you'll see what I mean. Obviously, it doesn't sound like Mozart, but it's a really accessible and beautiful musical language that makes sense to after about 10 minutes of listening. Give it a chance! Also, it's kind of spooky and creepy. Case in point? This little ditty from Peter Grimes (with the late Jon Vickers). Enjoy!
Edit: This production was directed by Tyrone Guthrie!
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