Prom 55 - Britten - Peter Grimes

Synopsis

Part of the BBC Proms.

Our Review:

25 August 2012

BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall

Take an opera out of the opera house and put it into the concert hall and a number of things can happen.  An indifferent production that detracts from the musical values can soar in these circumstances, as happened with the Royal Opera’s recent Troyens prom, or the stripping of a great staging can expose weaknesses that weren’t previously apparent. 

Neither was the case with ENO’s prom of Peter Grimes.  David Alden’s 2009 realisation, one of the most exciting and insightful for decades, could hardly have been improved upon but its absence on this occasion revealed no faults in the thrilling playing of the ENO Orchestra under Edward Gardner.  Every detail was meticulously executed in a performance by turns fiery and radiantly beautiful.  The Royal Albert Hall’s organ brought a dimension to the church scene that could never be achieved in a theatre. ...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

Justin Chapman - 25 August 2012:

"We really should be seeing Skelton’s Siegmund at Covent Garden this autumn but sadly that’s not the case." Absolutely spot on. Not only did we have to suffer the inadequate Simon O'Neill as Walther in Meistersinger, but the out of touch casting department at The Royal Opera sees this lamentable singer as the House's Wagnerian white-hope. Is Peter Katona deaf? If rumour is to be believed he's also on the roster to sing the title role in the company's new Parsifal. That there are no plans afoot to cast Skelton (inb anything!) is nothing short of scandalous. *Sigh*...

Read more and add your own review