Product Description

Billy Budd is Britten's gripping opera of sadism and injustice aboard a British man-o'-war. The libretto by E.M. Forster and Eric Crozier is based on the literary masterpiece by Herman Melville and tells the tale of a young seaman, Billy Budd, who is maliciously persecuted by his master-at-arms. The opera explores universal themes of an individual at odds with society, the corruption of innocence and the conflict between good and evil. David Atherton conducts the English National Opera Orchestra for this production directed by Tim Albery.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #76650 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-05-29
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 155 minutes

Amazon.com
Perhaps no Benjamin Britten opera so forcefully explores the composer's recurring theme of the destruction of innocence as Billy Budd, adapted from the Herman Melville novella about an angelic midshipman who is fated to his demise when he clashes with the inscrutably evil Claggart. It's the character of Captain Vere who is the essence of any Billy Budd production (Britten originally wrote it for his lover and best interpreter, the velvet-voiced tenor Peter Pears), and this English National Opera staging from 1988 boasts the finest contemporary Vere, Philip Langridge, who creates a nuanced and sympathetic portrait of a man torn between duty and honor. Thomas Allen's Billy seems too knowing, not the innocent he should be, but he sings with great beauty. Richard Van Allan's Claggart is evil incarnate, yet with enough shading in his singing and acting to hint at welcome ambiguities. David Atheron's conducting is, as befits this Britten specialist, skillfully done.

This straightforward English National Opera production of a masterly music drama (in its original four-act version, by the way) is a most welcome addition to DVD, even if there are some caveats: the Dolby 5.1 sound could be more forceful, and the opening intro (by an unidentified narrator) promises a talk with librettist Eric Crozier "at the interval" that never materializes! Otherwise, this version of Billy Budd remains a vivid reminder that 20th century opera, at least in Britten's hands, could be thought-provoking and extremely entertaining. --Kevin Filipski

Customer Reviews

Wow!!! Now this is opera!
Sir Thomas Allen in his autobiographical book 'Foreign Parts' wrote that he and the rest of the cast of this ENO production could not believe the queues around the block for tickets for this production. Well, I can well understand the public taking this production to its heart. In its own quite understated way this austere and stylised production by Tim Albury is a winner on every level. Each of the many roles in this all male opera has been filled with a singing actor who really has what it takes; especially Phillip Langridge who instills his Captain Vere with all of the confused pain his role demands, Richard van Allan as a true black hole of a man as Claggart (although there does seem to have been some audio re-recording over his aria) and, of course, Sir Thomas' Billy is so moving in its simplicity that at times it is unbearable. The chorus is very fine, but could have been more overwhelming in their 'Blow her away' moment, but the orchestra is truly astonishing in its accuracy and power. David Atherton conducts the performance of his career. His musical direction is in turn delicate and earth-shattering without ever becoming bombastic, and how unusual it is to notice a conductor who actually listens and allows every line, whether vocal or orchestral, to be heard. A truly outstating document of a stunning performance!

BIlly Budd disappoints
It is good to have a DVD of Billy Budd, perhaps Britten's greatest opera, but this ENO production, that should have had everything going for it - experienced Billy Budd cast, good conductor and director - simply misfires. Perfectly OK to get to know the opera, but for anyone who has seen a production that wrings the soul(such as the recent WNO (Welsh National Opera)/Australian Opera Company production conducted by Richard Hickox) this offering seems insipid, and does not convey the real power this opera has.

The fundamental problem seems to be one of body-language. With the close-up shots in this DVD, too many of the cast seem to be concentrating on the singing rather than the character (and this shows in the characterization of the voices), and their body-language fails to convey the emotions. This is reflected in the conducting by David Atherton - perfectly servicable, but without any of the bite and fire that Britten himself, or Hickox, to name but two, have brought to this score.

The actual procution itself reflects this rather bland impression. The Napoleonic period costumes (and one can hardly avoid them) are reduced to bare, simple essentials, as if half-formed, and though there are visual moments that have considerable impact, these are few and far between. Perhaps the whole thing is summarized by the midshipmen: a line of boy singers sanding side by side to one side of the stage - no colour, no vibrancy, no particular involvement with the action.

So if you see this, yes, you will get some concept of the opera, but no real idea how powerful it can be. If Covent Garden ever revive their famous production, where the entire ship was on stage, cut away so all the decks can be seen - and film it with a cast of this calibre really working with an electric conductor - then that would be the DVD to cherish. In the meantime, WNO, where are you? Their procution would have made a great DVD.

Mark Morris

Powerful -- Captures the Essence of Melville
This is one of the most powerful of the 50-60 opera DVDs I personally have managed to view so far. Britten somehow seemed to get wonderful librettists -- for example, the libretto for The Turn of the Screw captures the essence of James' novel in about five percent of the words James used. The same goes for the libretto Crozier and Forster (yes, THE E. M. Forster) wrote for this opera. They have absolutely captured the dramatic essence of Billy Budd, Foretopman in a form that Britten could then use to express effectively through his music.

If you read the various reviews of this production (for the originals as well as the recording), you will hear carping to the effect that (1) Thomas Allen is too old to be Billy Budd; (2) the set is too abstract; (3) the older Vere shouldn't be on stage at the climax; and so on. This is all nit-picking nonsense. The positives of this production so far outweigh the negatives that the overall result is overwhelming. You will find few opera video recordings as moving and effective as this one.

By the Way: one of the other Amazon reviewers complains about how the orchestral interlude between the scenes in the final act is cut in half. This is not an issue with the DVD -- everything proceeds seamlessly.