Description
Book SynopsisThis is a double volume dedicated to two masterpieces by Benjamin Britten. While Peter Grimes established Britten as a composer of international standing, Gloriana, composed for the coronation of Elizabeth II, has never enjoyed a comparable fame. The variety of mood, characterization and pace, in each, illustrates Britten's exceptional gift for theatre. Commentaries on the scores reveal, for instance, how much the popular concert extracts gain from their context in the dramas. The essay by E.M. Forster the inspiration for Peter Grimes is reprinted here, and Michael Holroyd discusses Lytton Strachey's controversial Elizabeth and Essex the source for Gloriana.Contents: Benjamin Britten's Librettos, Peter Porter; George Crabbe: The Poet and the Man, E.M. Forster; Peter Grimes': A Musical Commentary, Stephen Walsh; Peter Grimes: Libretto by Montagu Slater; Peter Grimes' and Gloriana', Joan Cross, Peter Pears and John Evans; Some Reflections on the Operas of Benjamin Britten, Buxton Orr;
Trade ReviewBrilliantly produced and superb value.' * Sunday Times *
All these will provide the new opera-goer with food for thought.' * Daily Telegraph *
Wholehearted recommendation of this valuable new series.' * TLS *
Table of ContentsList of illustrations Benjamin Britten's Librettos by Peter Porter George Crabbe: The Poet and the Man by E.M. Forster 'Peter Grimes': A Musical Commentary by Stephen Walsh Thematic Guide 'Peter Grimes' An Opera in Three Acts and a Prologue by Montagu Slater Prologue Act One Act Two Act Three 'Peter Grimes' and 'Gloriana' by Joan Cross, Peter Pears and John Evans Some Reflections on the Operas of Benjamin Britten by Buxton Orr 'A daring experiment' by Michael Holroyd The Librettist of 'Gloriana' by Rupert Hart-Davis The Music of 'Gloriana' by Christopher Palmer Notes on the Libretto of 'Gloriana' by William Plomer Gloriana: An Opera in Three Acts by William Plomer Act One Act Two Act Three Discography by Martin Hoyle Bibliography Contributors
