Here is little blurb of Dudley Moore making fun of Britten and Pears. Britten is famous for re-setting and completely re-writing folk songs of the British Isles. This is Moore's clever version of the result. Have fun at the show this weekend!
Showing posts with label Benjamin Britten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Benjamin Britten. Show all posts
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Clip of the Day: A Midsummer Night's Dream
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!
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!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Clip of the Day: Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten
In preparation for the upcoming Met HD Broadcast of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes (I'm pretty excited), I'll be posting some YouTube clips of interest.
Today's video features a vintage clip of of Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten collaborating on a bit of Schubert ("Mein" from the beloved song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin). Britten and Pears were long-time collaborators and partners in life. Pears, in fact, was the first Peter Grimes (and the first of many of Britten's opera's protagonists).
I'm pretty sure those are cheat-sheets in Sir Peter's hand...pretty funny! Anyway, get your tickets for Peter Grimes. It is this coming Saturday, March 15, at 1:30 PM EST.
Today's video features a vintage clip of of Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten collaborating on a bit of Schubert ("Mein" from the beloved song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin). Britten and Pears were long-time collaborators and partners in life. Pears, in fact, was the first Peter Grimes (and the first of many of Britten's opera's protagonists).
I'm pretty sure those are cheat-sheets in Sir Peter's hand...pretty funny! Anyway, get your tickets for Peter Grimes. It is this coming Saturday, March 15, at 1:30 PM EST.
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