Britten - Peter Grimes (The Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series)
starring: Anthony Dean Griffey, Patricia Racette, Anthony Michaels-Moore, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
directed by: Donald Runnicles (Conductor)
directed by: Donald Runnicles (Conductor)
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Few modern operas can match Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes for harrowing intensity wedded to brilliant music. Grimes is a fisherman whose young apprentices meet with unfortunate accidents, making him suspected of murder by his mean-spirited neighbors. At the end, Grimes’ psyche snaps and, suicidal, he rows out to sea to find oblivion under the waves. For a generation of opera-goers, the role of Grimes was defined by Jon Vickers, whose huge voice and overwhelming intensity embodied the loner struggling for self-preservation in a bigoted, conformist environment. In this new MET production, Grimes is the sterling American tenor Anthony Dean Griffey, who approaches the role from a very different, but also effective, angle. He’s a light-voiced lyric tenor, at the opposite end of the tonal spectrum from Vicker’s heroic voice. But so was the originator of the role, Peter Pears, and like Pears, Griffey projects an antihero enmeshed in self-doubt, confusion and bewilderment. He also sings and acts well; the voice easily encompassing Britten’s writing, the stage demeanor effective. Soprano Patricia Racette is a terrific Ellen Orford, the widow who tries to understand and help the hapless Grimes. Her bright-voiced portrayal makes her a profoundly sympathetic character. The entire cast is excellent in what is essentially an ensemble opera, though some manage to stand out: Felicity Palmer as the malevolent Mrs. Sedley, whose "Murder most foul" drips with venom; mezzo Jill Grove as "Auntie," John Del Carlo as a Swallow to remember, and Teddy Tahu Rhodes who brings welcome nuance to the role of Ned Keene, are just a few of the many worthy of mention. Donald Runiccles conducts brilliantly; the responsive MET orchestra and chorus wonderful in an opera where they are of crucial importance.
Unfortunately, in an opera whose orchestral interludes and depictions of the ever-present sea this production gives no hint of fishing boats, sea spray or the other aspects of the seaside village. Instead, producer John Doyle and set designer Scott Pask have built a full-stage wall of dark houses, through whose doors and windows different characters sing or watch. This enhances the claustrophobic nature of the narrative; a physical analogue to the way Grimes psyche is hemmed in by a stifling environment. But it also removes the realism of Britten’s conception and its sense of place while enforcing a static stage picture. Some of this is mitigated by TV director Gary Halvorson’s fluid camera work and closer observations of the singers, making the DVD more involving than the production was in the theatre. --Dan Davis
Peter Grimes is an all-regions disc in 16:9 ratio. Sound options include PCM Stereo and DTS 5.1 Surround. Sung in English, subtitles include English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Extras include Backstage at the Met with the singers and production team involved in the opera.
Product Description:
The Metropolitan Opera's acclaimed Live in High-Definition series, which projects live performances into theaters across the globe, has met with unprecedented critical and commercial success and has made opera convenient and affordable to millions of viewers worldwide. Now, EMI Classics is proud to collaborate with The Met to release 6 new DVDs made from these broadcast performances.
"The more vicious the society, the more vicious the individual." (Benjamin Britten) Anthony Dean Griffey and Patricia Racette captivate in John Doyle's new production of
Britten's tortured masterpiece. Donald Runnicles leads the Met Orchestra in what the Boston Globe called "an inspired performance . . . full of passion and commitment yet free of bombast."
Few modern operas can match Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes for harrowing intensity wedded to brilliant music. Grimes is a fisherman whose young apprentices meet with unfortunate accidents, making him suspected of murder by his mean-spirited neighbors. At the end, Grimes’ psyche snaps and, suicidal, he rows out to sea to find oblivion under the waves. For a generation of opera-goers, the role of Grimes was defined by Jon Vickers, whose huge voice and overwhelming intensity embodied the loner struggling for self-preservation in a bigoted, conformist environment. In this new MET production, Grimes is the sterling American tenor Anthony Dean Griffey, who approaches the role from a very different, but also effective, angle. He’s a light-voiced lyric tenor, at the opposite end of the tonal spectrum from Vicker’s heroic voice. But so was the originator of the role, Peter Pears, and like Pears, Griffey projects an antihero enmeshed in self-doubt, confusion and bewilderment. He also sings and acts well; the voice easily encompassing Britten’s writing, the stage demeanor effective. Soprano Patricia Racette is a terrific Ellen Orford, the widow who tries to understand and help the hapless Grimes. Her bright-voiced portrayal makes her a profoundly sympathetic character. The entire cast is excellent in what is essentially an ensemble opera, though some manage to stand out: Felicity Palmer as the malevolent Mrs. Sedley, whose "Murder most foul" drips with venom; mezzo Jill Grove as "Auntie," John Del Carlo as a Swallow to remember, and Teddy Tahu Rhodes who brings welcome nuance to the role of Ned Keene, are just a few of the many worthy of mention. Donald Runiccles conducts brilliantly; the responsive MET orchestra and chorus wonderful in an opera where they are of crucial importance.
Unfortunately, in an opera whose orchestral interludes and depictions of the ever-present sea this production gives no hint of fishing boats, sea spray or the other aspects of the seaside village. Instead, producer John Doyle and set designer Scott Pask have built a full-stage wall of dark houses, through whose doors and windows different characters sing or watch. This enhances the claustrophobic nature of the narrative; a physical analogue to the way Grimes psyche is hemmed in by a stifling environment. But it also removes the realism of Britten’s conception and its sense of place while enforcing a static stage picture. Some of this is mitigated by TV director Gary Halvorson’s fluid camera work and closer observations of the singers, making the DVD more involving than the production was in the theatre. --Dan Davis
Peter Grimes is an all-regions disc in 16:9 ratio. Sound options include PCM Stereo and DTS 5.1 Surround. Sung in English, subtitles include English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Extras include Backstage at the Met with the singers and production team involved in the opera.
Product Description:
The Metropolitan Opera's acclaimed Live in High-Definition series, which projects live performances into theaters across the globe, has met with unprecedented critical and commercial success and has made opera convenient and affordable to millions of viewers worldwide. Now, EMI Classics is proud to collaborate with The Met to release 6 new DVDs made from these broadcast performances.
"The more vicious the society, the more vicious the individual." (Benjamin Britten) Anthony Dean Griffey and Patricia Racette captivate in John Doyle's new production of
Britten's tortured masterpiece. Donald Runnicles leads the Met Orchestra in what the Boston Globe called "an inspired performance . . . full of passion and commitment yet free of bombast."
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Briny
The extras here (Natalie Dessay's amusingly arch introductions; backstage interviews with singers, the maestro, and other personnel) are woven into the performance in chronological order, so that if the viewer watches the DVD straight through, he or she experiences exactly what was seen in the March 2008 HD theater broadcast. I am not sure I would like for this to become standard practice on the new Met DVDs, but then, we all presumably are equipped with a "track forward" button. That this is the ... Read More
Rating: - Music, 5; Production, ?
I have owned the Jon Vickers recording since vinyl lp days.I have heard Metropolitan Saturday broadcasts with Vickers, Philip Langridge, and Anthony Rolfe Johnson.But, this is the first time I have been privileged to see "Peter Grimes."
If I had seen this in the opera house, I would probably have reviewed, "I did not like it."The dark, stark set.The minimal stage action, mostly people wandering onto the stage, singing, and then wandering off.Characters popping in and out of what one ... Read More
Rating: - A Perfect "Grimes" From the Met
The first viewing of this, one of my favorite operas, worked me up as though I were experiencing it for the first time.I've seen Vickers, I've heard Pears, I've seen a number of video performance by others (including Chris Ventris who was superb) but Griffey offers the finest Grimes in my experience.The sweetness and clarity of tone he brings to the role adds a level that enhanced the character to a degree almost unimaginable.The detail of the acting of each role simply mind boggling and completely ... Read More
Rating: - The Met's Peter Grimes is awesome!
I first saw this production of Peter Grimes when the Met broadcast it to movie theatres in March and vowed I would purchase the DVD when it became available. From the stark set of the poor fishing village to the wonderful performance by Anthony Dean Griffey in the lead role to the great sound of the orchestra under Donald Runnicles, bringing to life Britten's evocative score, the entire performace was mesmerizing. I highly recommend this DVD.
Rating: - Runnicles leads an impressive reading of Grimes
The Met's HD production of "Peter Grimes" packs a lot of power and brings the brooding musicality of Benjamin Britten's 1945 operatic masterwork to life. The cast is uniformly fine vocally and dramatically, though people who remember Jon Vickers in his full-voiced portrayal of the titular anti-hero may find Anthony Dean Griffey's tenor light and reedy by comparison. Nonetheless, he is compelling in his portrayal of Grime's anguished internal pre-occupations, and the rest of the cast brings theatrical and ... Read More
- BrinyThe extras here (Natalie Dessay's amusingly arch introductions; backstage interviews with singers, the maestro, and other personnel) are woven into the performance in chronological order, so that if the viewer watches the DVD straight through, he or she experiences exactly what was seen in the March 2008 HD theater broadcast. I am not sure I would like for this to become standard practice on the new Met DVDs, but then, we all presumably are equipped with a "track forward" button. That this is the ... Read More
- Music, 5; Production, ?I have owned the Jon Vickers recording since vinyl lp days.I have heard Metropolitan Saturday broadcasts with Vickers, Philip Langridge, and Anthony Rolfe Johnson.But, this is the first time I have been privileged to see "Peter Grimes."
If I had seen this in the opera house, I would probably have reviewed, "I did not like it."The dark, stark set.The minimal stage action, mostly people wandering onto the stage, singing, and then wandering off.Characters popping in and out of what one ... Read More
- A Perfect "Grimes" From the MetThe first viewing of this, one of my favorite operas, worked me up as though I were experiencing it for the first time.I've seen Vickers, I've heard Pears, I've seen a number of video performance by others (including Chris Ventris who was superb) but Griffey offers the finest Grimes in my experience.The sweetness and clarity of tone he brings to the role adds a level that enhanced the character to a degree almost unimaginable.The detail of the acting of each role simply mind boggling and completely ... Read More
- The Met's Peter Grimes is awesome!I first saw this production of Peter Grimes when the Met broadcast it to movie theatres in March and vowed I would purchase the DVD when it became available. From the stark set of the poor fishing village to the wonderful performance by Anthony Dean Griffey in the lead role to the great sound of the orchestra under Donald Runnicles, bringing to life Britten's evocative score, the entire performace was mesmerizing. I highly recommend this DVD.
- Runnicles leads an impressive reading of GrimesThe Met's HD production of "Peter Grimes" packs a lot of power and brings the brooding musicality of Benjamin Britten's 1945 operatic masterwork to life. The cast is uniformly fine vocally and dramatically, though people who remember Jon Vickers in his full-voiced portrayal of the titular anti-hero may find Anthony Dean Griffey's tenor light and reedy by comparison. Nonetheless, he is compelling in his portrayal of Grime's anguished internal pre-occupations, and the rest of the cast brings theatrical and ... Read More
