Billy Budd is above all an ensemble piece, and the release by Virgin, with Daniel Harding conducting the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, admirably succeeds in conveying the intensity of life on the man-of-war. The complexity of the claustrophobic shipboard community is apparent in the strongly etched characterization each singer brings to his part, no matter how small. Still, the effectiveness of the opera ultimately depends on the believability of the principals, Captain Vere, Claggart, and Billy Budd. Ian Bostridge ...
Read More
Billy Budd is above all an ensemble piece, and the release by Virgin, with Daniel Harding conducting the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, admirably succeeds in conveying the intensity of life on the man-of-war. The complexity of the claustrophobic shipboard community is apparent in the strongly etched characterization each singer brings to his part, no matter how small. Still, the effectiveness of the opera ultimately depends on the believability of the principals, Captain Vere, Claggart, and Billy Budd. Ian Bostridge's Vere is reminiscent of Peter Pears' portrayal, and while there are similarities in their voices, Bostridge's is a considerably more appealing instrument. Having a tenor with such a light voice in the role, though, undercuts the authority that the Captain is supposed to command, so that his inaction in defending Billy Budd seems not so much like an anomalous failure of will in a powerful leader, but as an overly sensitive philosopher's vacillation in the face of moral complexity....
Read Less
