Billy Budd

"It is a fine production and a fine performance of a great opera ... The costumes are naval, 20th century ones for officers and earlier (i.e., utilitarian scruffy) for other ranks ... The cast is a strong one, the leads among the top choices for their roles in the world ... Direction, lighting and editing are a triumph, among the best I have seen for any filmed opera ... This is not an opera for the squeamish, since we are invited to enjoy the spectacle of an innocent person being destroyed ... But if you are feeling strong enough, this will grip you throughout its near three hour length. For those who care about the work, or just about what staged opera on film can achieve, this is less a recommendation than a requirement".

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"There isn't a lot of competition for Billy Budd on DVD, but even with the little there is this DVD immediately jumps to the top of the recommendable list. The only Billy that is more convincing is Hickox's outstanding CD set on Chandos ... Anyone with an interest in Britten or in opera should rush to acquire it. For my money this is the best opera DVD of the year so far, and quite possibly the best in a considerably greater time period".

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"Den er fra 1966 og i sort-hvid. Operaen er i dag en af Brittens mest opførte, men dengang var det et overset værk ... Pears synger rollen som den lærde, samvittighedsplagede kaptajn Vere ... Han er en glimrende skuespiller, også i de nærbilleder, som så mange operasangere ikke mestrer ... Titelrollen synges af barytonen Peter Glossop ... han er kæk og kraftfuld som den naive og ærkegode urkraft ... Dvd'en er dog et oplagt førstevalg ... En BBC-produktion af vintage kvalitet".

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"The strength of the production is its universality ... The acting works so well in close-up that it is possible to follow this performance almost like a film ... [Imbrailo's] warm, unforced singing is a major asset ... Bolton is the skilful conductor, keeping the drama taut ... The Madrid chorus does itself proud ... The final scene of this Billy Budd, grandly staged, sturdily sung, is as powerful as it gets".

"With the LPO on top form, Mark Elder conducts a performance of impeccable class which never takes the drama to the edge, rather like the production as a whole".

"This is the most compelling Billy Budd available on video".

Vurdering (performance): 5/5.

vurdering (picture & sound): 4/5.

"Charles Mackerras maintains both the score's gusty energy and claustrophobic tension, with an equally intense cast".

Vurdering (performance): 5/5.

Vurdeing (presentation): 3/5.

"A note warns that the technical quality if the film is not ideal, but so riveting is the performance that one scarcely notices the imperfections".