Billy Budd in Munich
Benjamin Britten’s “Billy Budd” is my favourite opera by that composer and one of the great operas of the twentieth century. I was therefore looking forward to a visit to Munich to see a performance at the Bayerische Staatsoper.
Things started badly with an announcement that both Christopher Maltman (Billy) and John Tomlinson (Claggart) were indisposed and would be replaced by Russell Braun and Peter Rose respectively.
Braun sang well enough as Billy, although he did occasionally shout, but he did not really have the looks or physique for the role or the stage charisma to overcome his lack in the looks department. Peter Rose, filling even larger shoes, did pretty well, presenting a character of considerable vocal and dramatic menace.
The part of Captain Vere was sung by John Daszak. Not the most elegant or sophisticated Vere, he also had trouble with the higher notes in the role. He was very warmly received by the audience. Vere is a particularly difficult part both dramatically and especially vocally. More than any other of Britten’s tenor roles it seems to have been tailored to Pears’s unusual vocal gifts.
The minor parts were all competently taken. There was excellent singing from the large chorus (very good English as well) and first rate playing from the orchestra under Kent Nagano. Nagano has been something of an advocate for the original four act version of “Billy Budd”, including recording it, and it was that version that was given here. I think Britten’s later thoughts were better but it is good to have a chance to see the original.
All the efforts of the musicians were severely hampered by Peter Mussbach’s awful production. Not clever or challenging, simply bad. The first mistake was to update the piece to the twentieth century: very difficult to do when the prologue ends telling us we are going to back to ‘the summer of seventeen hundred and ninety seven’. Even more difficult when the whole piece is full of references to war against the French, flogging and hanging from the yard arm - hardly the stuff of twentieth century British Naval life.
The opera opened with Vere, still a young man, still in his uniform, cradling the body of the dead Billy in his arms and this he continued to do for most of the first scene before eventually carrying the body off stage. All the cast were in dark blue great coats and caps so for long periods of time it was impossible to tell who was who or even who were officers and who crew.
But worse was to come. The below decks scene including ‘We’re off to Samoa..’ was brought up above decks and the song turned into a camp song and dance number, with the crew lined up across the stage chorus line fashion and with dancing boys stripped to the waist and wearing diamante high heels. I kid you not.
The other great ensemble moment, following the sighting of the French ship, was equally mishandled. The assembly of the entire crew for battle, so superbly matched in the music, just didn’t happen. Instead we had the crew (back in their great coats) reeling about the stage. No onstage drums or boys voices so even the musical effect was blunted.
One idea that almost worked was to have the scene between Billy and Vere after the trial played out on stage. By then Billy was already on his scaffold and Vere ended sitting before him so that Billy sang ‘Look! Through the port comes the moon-shine astray’ to Vere. This was an interesting and indeed moving moment. But it meant that Dansker had to become a fantasy and that there was no execution.
Despite good efforts from singers and orchestra, a disappointing evening.
Things started badly with an announcement that both Christopher Maltman (Billy) and John Tomlinson (Claggart) were indisposed and would be replaced by Russell Braun and Peter Rose respectively.
Braun sang well enough as Billy, although he did occasionally shout, but he did not really have the looks or physique for the role or the stage charisma to overcome his lack in the looks department. Peter Rose, filling even larger shoes, did pretty well, presenting a character of considerable vocal and dramatic menace.
The part of Captain Vere was sung by John Daszak. Not the most elegant or sophisticated Vere, he also had trouble with the higher notes in the role. He was very warmly received by the audience. Vere is a particularly difficult part both dramatically and especially vocally. More than any other of Britten’s tenor roles it seems to have been tailored to Pears’s unusual vocal gifts.
The minor parts were all competently taken. There was excellent singing from the large chorus (very good English as well) and first rate playing from the orchestra under Kent Nagano. Nagano has been something of an advocate for the original four act version of “Billy Budd”, including recording it, and it was that version that was given here. I think Britten’s later thoughts were better but it is good to have a chance to see the original.
All the efforts of the musicians were severely hampered by Peter Mussbach’s awful production. Not clever or challenging, simply bad. The first mistake was to update the piece to the twentieth century: very difficult to do when the prologue ends telling us we are going to back to ‘the summer of seventeen hundred and ninety seven’. Even more difficult when the whole piece is full of references to war against the French, flogging and hanging from the yard arm - hardly the stuff of twentieth century British Naval life.
The opera opened with Vere, still a young man, still in his uniform, cradling the body of the dead Billy in his arms and this he continued to do for most of the first scene before eventually carrying the body off stage. All the cast were in dark blue great coats and caps so for long periods of time it was impossible to tell who was who or even who were officers and who crew.
But worse was to come. The below decks scene including ‘We’re off to Samoa..’ was brought up above decks and the song turned into a camp song and dance number, with the crew lined up across the stage chorus line fashion and with dancing boys stripped to the waist and wearing diamante high heels. I kid you not.
The other great ensemble moment, following the sighting of the French ship, was equally mishandled. The assembly of the entire crew for battle, so superbly matched in the music, just didn’t happen. Instead we had the crew (back in their great coats) reeling about the stage. No onstage drums or boys voices so even the musical effect was blunted.
One idea that almost worked was to have the scene between Billy and Vere after the trial played out on stage. By then Billy was already on his scaffold and Vere ended sitting before him so that Billy sang ‘Look! Through the port comes the moon-shine astray’ to Vere. This was an interesting and indeed moving moment. But it meant that Dansker had to become a fantasy and that there was no execution.
Despite good efforts from singers and orchestra, a disappointing evening.
posted by Alnwickian at 9:30 pm
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