As somebody who loves Peter Grimes, and generally finds this series of opera performances from the Met interesting, I very much liked this production. As always, the High Definition is splendid, with some interesting camera work and the lighting in Act 3 is very atmospheric. The costumes are also good. Against this, when it comes to the settings this Peter Grimes feels rather drab. Now Peter Grimes is not a "happy" opera by all means, and while the wall with opening doors and towering windows was a good idea in some scenes as if to symbolise the lack of secrets and privacy, I didn't think it needed to be used all the time and consequently it limited some of what was going on onstage.
The staging is not bad per se, but at the same time there is nothing much to leaps out as "wow that is a great touch, why didn't I think of that?" If I were to say anything which I did find interesting, it was during Peter's "Mad scene" when it is implied he is imagining Ellen and Balstrode's voices, not as psychologically intriguing of those two actually being there with him, but intriguing still. The principals are actually fine on the whole, though I did wish the hauling of Peter's boat aided by Balstrode wasn't as stand and deliver as it was, for me that is a genius bit of orchestral and vocal writing that sadly lost its impact. It's the chorus dramatically that weren't so good. The poses they are made to do feel very static, and I got the sense of watching a staged concert rather than an opera. For me, that's not what opera productions should be like.
Of the three acts of Peter Grimes, the most well-done of this production was the final one, which was very engrossing and intense. The other two acts were musically superb and sung brilliantly, but too drab and uneven dramatically. Onto the positives, although this Peter Grimes is less than perfect there are many great things here. One is the singing of the chorus, their singing is warm and very well balanced. But what the chorus excelled in here was in the musicality, with the crescendo on "Peter Grimes, Peter Grimes" genuinely hair-raising and the quieter moments such as the final scene very haunting. The orchestra as always are impeccable with a lot of their playing very evocative and Donald Runnicles's conducting is both nuanced and thrilling.
I have always loved great singing, and a lot of the time the Met gives us that. Peter Grimes is no exception. Anthony Dean Giffrey is a very compelling Peter Grimes, the singing has both beauty and intensity and I find he is more musical than Pears and much more lyrical than the huge, guttural, albeit thrilling sound that is perhaps more suited to Tristan, Canio and Otello of Vickers(an interpretation that Britten himself disliked but I myself admire) though Langridge is still my personal favourite in the role. His acting is not quite as good but still impressive, he is very moving, powerful and ambiguous yet our sympathy of this troublesome and perhaps brutal character doesn't waver.
With the supporting cast, I was very impressed with Teddy Tahu Rhodes's(his debut at the Met I believe?) scene-stealing Ned(much more consistent than his Escamillo in Carmen), Felicity Palmer's embodiment of Mrs Sedley and Jill Groves's brilliant, right down to the mannerisms, Auntie. The Nieces are youthful and beautiful, and have great voices, but of the cast they were the only members where the diction wasn't always clear. Anthony Michaels-Moore is a powerful presence as Captain Balstrode, but I found my favourite of the cast to be Patricia Racette, a stunning performance, with a vulnerable yet very focused soprano voice and a seamless ability to show Ellen's strength, decency and loneliness, and the best I've seen her so far.
All in all, very good and recommended, though I'd go with the Pears, Vickers and especially Langridge DVDs for better productions of the opera. 7-7.5/10 Bethany Cox
The staging is not bad per se, but at the same time there is nothing much to leaps out as "wow that is a great touch, why didn't I think of that?" If I were to say anything which I did find interesting, it was during Peter's "Mad scene" when it is implied he is imagining Ellen and Balstrode's voices, not as psychologically intriguing of those two actually being there with him, but intriguing still. The principals are actually fine on the whole, though I did wish the hauling of Peter's boat aided by Balstrode wasn't as stand and deliver as it was, for me that is a genius bit of orchestral and vocal writing that sadly lost its impact. It's the chorus dramatically that weren't so good. The poses they are made to do feel very static, and I got the sense of watching a staged concert rather than an opera. For me, that's not what opera productions should be like.
Of the three acts of Peter Grimes, the most well-done of this production was the final one, which was very engrossing and intense. The other two acts were musically superb and sung brilliantly, but too drab and uneven dramatically. Onto the positives, although this Peter Grimes is less than perfect there are many great things here. One is the singing of the chorus, their singing is warm and very well balanced. But what the chorus excelled in here was in the musicality, with the crescendo on "Peter Grimes, Peter Grimes" genuinely hair-raising and the quieter moments such as the final scene very haunting. The orchestra as always are impeccable with a lot of their playing very evocative and Donald Runnicles's conducting is both nuanced and thrilling.
I have always loved great singing, and a lot of the time the Met gives us that. Peter Grimes is no exception. Anthony Dean Giffrey is a very compelling Peter Grimes, the singing has both beauty and intensity and I find he is more musical than Pears and much more lyrical than the huge, guttural, albeit thrilling sound that is perhaps more suited to Tristan, Canio and Otello of Vickers(an interpretation that Britten himself disliked but I myself admire) though Langridge is still my personal favourite in the role. His acting is not quite as good but still impressive, he is very moving, powerful and ambiguous yet our sympathy of this troublesome and perhaps brutal character doesn't waver.
With the supporting cast, I was very impressed with Teddy Tahu Rhodes's(his debut at the Met I believe?) scene-stealing Ned(much more consistent than his Escamillo in Carmen), Felicity Palmer's embodiment of Mrs Sedley and Jill Groves's brilliant, right down to the mannerisms, Auntie. The Nieces are youthful and beautiful, and have great voices, but of the cast they were the only members where the diction wasn't always clear. Anthony Michaels-Moore is a powerful presence as Captain Balstrode, but I found my favourite of the cast to be Patricia Racette, a stunning performance, with a vulnerable yet very focused soprano voice and a seamless ability to show Ellen's strength, decency and loneliness, and the best I've seen her so far.
All in all, very good and recommended, though I'd go with the Pears, Vickers and especially Langridge DVDs for better productions of the opera. 7-7.5/10 Bethany Cox
