Word: brittens
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...Metropolitan has been trumpeting a good deal about its new opera, Benjamin Britten's "Peter Grimes." I suspect that the fanfare has been, at least in part, an attempt to cover its neglect of modern opera, for "Grimes" seems to be the only work in the current repertoire that is less than 30 years old. This is not wholly the fault of the Met, since it has staged several unsuccessful premieres in recent decades; the empty seats in the Opera House Thursday night showed that the responsibility also lies with the public. But the Met has not gone...
...other inhabitants is well portrayed. There are several numbers which stand out: the quartet the end of the first scene of act two, Grimes' song, "In dreams I've built myself some kindlier home," and Ellen's "Embroidery in childhood." There are also some chorus tunes which show Britten's skill at folk music. The most effective writing is in the alternation of Ellen's singing to the apprentice with excerpts from the church service off-stage...
...English, and it cannot fall back on the translation excuse. The fault lies with librettist Montagu Slater. He doesn't seem to think in musical terms, so that there is a lot of pretty tedious recitative, much of which is superfluous. The verbosity has apparently proved too much for Britten, for his music, though following thought and mood, does not fit the words very skillfully. This failing was exaggerated Thursday night by poor diction on the part of both soloists and chorus...
With All Due Respect Lawrence Tibbett, now in his 26th year of baritoning for the Metropolitan Opera, was given a little backstage party and a few handsome knickknacks in honor of the first 25 years. Still in costume from Benjamin Britten's gloomy Peter Grimes (see cut), Larry told his coworkers: "An expression of love from your colleagues is the dearest and most stimulating thing in the world. Now look at what you've done! Tonight you've started me off on another 25 years...
...chamber music compositions and began commissioning works by contemporary composers. The list of those she has helped in this way, who have dedicated their works to her, contains virtually every name in modern music. Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Malipiere, Ravel, Copland, Milhand, Sowerby, Piston, Bartok, Martinu, Hindemith, Harris, Hanson, Prokoileff, and Britten are among the composers who have benefited from her generosity. In fact, at a recent con- cert, her son pointed out that Beethoven was the only man on the program who had not dedicated his composition...