Back in the 80's, I saw Jon Vickers perform Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera house ... I treated myself to great tickets 4th row centre ... What a phenomenal experience! During this scene, he seemed to be illuminated from within and my vision blurred around the edges until Vickers appeared to be as huge as a house!! Titanic singing from one possessed by the soul of madness, loneliness, and despair .... .... Absolutely rivetingly unforgettable (!)
Riveting, hypnotic, stunning - when I saw JV sing this role on stage, I could not move for a few seconds after it was finished! This is definitely operatic Hall of Fame material!!!!
I was one of those privileged to see Mr. Vickers perform this with Houston Grand Opera in (I think) 1977. He so embodied the character that the audience seemed to forget it was an opera at all. Do you hear how quiet the hall is during this performance?
The cry at the end of this soliloquy is enough to tear your heart out...
Such amazing theater. I had the fortune to see him perform this role twice & Otello twice among others and he was incredible. I had the equally great fortune in getting to know him in the mid 80's and I will never forget the thrill of being with some of my classmates when we passed him on Broadway and he reached out to shake hands and addressed me by name. Boy, my stock sure shot up that day.
Such intense work. I loved Jon's singing, Oddly enough Britten didn't care for hiw interpretation. Well, the sudience sure loved it. I saw him do it three times.
Stunning opera and an almost as stunning performance. Nothing against Pears or any of the others, but for me, Jon Vickers IS Peter Grimes. It's a strongly dramatic role, and Vickers, like no other, makes that strange, tragic character come alive.
wie schon als otello ist vickers die dramatisch menschlich authentischste stimme....jedesmal wenn ich ihn höre eröffnet seine darstellung neue zugänge zum innenleben der betreffenden oper
I am in Peter gimes 2009 at the sydney operah house i play a village kid and so do 5 other of my friends and 1 more who plays John the second apprentice. his is awsome but i the one im in it is sung differently mabee the director planned it different. But it is awsome!!
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Well.. I have this on dvd, and it's a beautiful performance, but I find Vickers having too much old-fashioned operatic mannerisms. He was a great Wagnerian, but Wagner IS big and heroic. Grimes is an anti-hero. And also a sensitive man under the surly bear "cover". I'd die to see the old movie with Pears too.
Sublime!!!! un nivel superior de interpretación, solo podemos contemplar y enloquecer de placer ante tal maravilla escénica, interpretativa y vocal, Thank you Mr Vickers!
Britten seemed to be afraid that the Vickers performance was, perhaps, too butch for the intended audience. A gay man falling for a sad and totally untrue stereotype. Gays can be 'butch' and straights can be femme and he should have been grateful to have such a great singing actor champion his masterpiece. Vickers was a rule unto himself and his soft singing is both moving and very beautiful.
Thank you for sharing this clip of Vickers in a role he OWNED for two decades and in which he and his colleagues convinced several generations (QUITE RIGHTLY) that they were at a MASTER WORK. This really IS an outstanding opera, and Vickers' portrayal of the title role is one of those absolutely OUTSTANDING and unforgettable achievements. For those of us who saw and heard him live, there is no other Peter Grimes!!! THAT is artistry at its finest.
For me Vickers was the greatest male singing actor in opera I ever had the privilege to see and hear; this is unforgettable, as usual with this artist. He completely became the characters he portrayed, sometimes to a frightening degree! I also love the sound of his voice and the fact that his technique was absolute. His Florestan is seared into my memory, as is his Peter Grimes.
Sometimes I have to avoid watching this video because I find myself playing it at least twice! All of a sudden I'm the fourth time into it today and 40 minutes has passed...yet it feels like only 2! I never knew the answer to the "who would you want to meet, dead or alive?" question, but I've never been so sure now. It's Actors (yes, actors) like Vickers that showed the public the true theatrical capabilities of Opera. It isn't all Brindisi and Queen of the night. THIS is Opera at it's best!
Simply out, this is one of the greatest performances on the operatic or any other stage to ever have been recorded. For all his "authenticity", Pears was not even in the same league as Vickers in this role. Come to think of it, henceforth I shall write his name like this: *V*I*C*K*E*R*S*.
I wonder if Pears and Britten had not been life partners whether the role of Grimes would have been his. Vickers and Pears couldn't be more different.Vickers, a heldontenor, 'became the character' in all his roles. He had the most unique voice of the century.A difficult man,with strong religious convictions,he could be dissmissive and, well, arrogant.Still everything else is forgiven when he opens the throat and hails us with the mastery of his voice.I can't imagine anyone else singing this.
Hi, you know I have been thinking about what you wrote and I still cannot get to a definite conclusion. Britten wrote this opera and wrote the part of Peter Grimes to be played specifically by Pears. Of course Pears is absolutelly magnificent as Grimes. On the other hand, Vickers (as you said it perfectly) had to became the character. He had to adapt himself to this role, isn´t that a bigger achivement?
I just throw this question so as to hear another opinion. Rgds,
I am a "singing actor"-that's how Vickers described his role on stage.His career was guided,some say driven by the unending need to search the soul of his character,and vocally portray it on stage.Now,in consideration of the 'larger than life'characters he portrayed(Otello,Tristan,GRIMES! etc),he had plenty of room to build them.This is how he approached things-at least that's what he told me.Trouble is thwere wasn't much wiggle room.He would not compromise on anything or for anyone.
...even conductors(Solti).He was so intense in doing his 'due dilligence',that once researched, and thoroughly absorbed, the character was set.I worked with him once in Tristan(chorus).He assembled us all to tell us his character's 'story'-to make sure we saw Tristan, as he sang him.Some might assume this as arrogance,but looking closer revealed an artist duty bound- by God to fashion the character in the way he'd chosen...and that was it !This conviction he brought to the stage-every night.
watch on YouTube his 'prodana nevesta' from the Bartered Bride.He built the character, and you can see it and hear it.His Pollione from Norma.After seeing him,noone else could resemble or make the character more real.That was the Vickers gift to opera.Some may have had better(sic) voices-but none built better operatic characters.
vickersman: The great tenor wasn't the favorite of Britten because Vickers didn't think that Britten understood his opera. Britten in turn walked out on the Vickers performance at Covent Garden. Britten was right of course but Vickers made his opera popular. Vickers was not overly fond of gays according to everything I've read. Greay, great singer but very set in his opinions.
I think too that since Britten and Pears had such a close personal relationship Britten was furious that Vickers had taken the interpretation of Grimes in such a different direction than his lover. Perhaps Britten took this interpretation a bit too personally.
he was very anti-gay because of his fundamental religious convictions.I know Vickers way of thinking-'rural protestantism'.-it's part of our Canadian history. One's life is from and for God.Now he was a very intelligent artist but underexposed and 'under read', in terms of a wider intellectual weltanschuung.Still nothing, and noone will ever come close to his searing intensity or subtle nuances,both vocally and as an actor.
vickersman: I generally agree with you. Vickers was totally unique and his religous faith had a great, great deal to do with his opinions and beliefs--the Covent Garden Tannhauser walk-out etc.--but like all divos he has often of two minds as in the case of Seigmund, Canio, etc., none of whom are candidates for inclusion as moral heros. None of this is of great importance since he was totally unique as an artist.
Vickers was never against playing an "anti-hero", moral or otherwise. Look at Nero, Pollione, Tristan, Otello, Don Carlo etc etc. He was against playing someone who was celebrated because of his moral failings. It was the message of the opera not his individual role that he emphasized. No contradiction there.He also always said that if he didn't sing the hardest roles, ie Enee and Tristan, then he couldn't walk away from other roles with his head up.
Sorry, but you are very presumptuous. You "know" his way of thinking--but did you ever know HIM? You say he was "under read", but did you ever sit in his library in Bermuda or near Orangeville in Canada and actually discuss politics or philosophy or theology with him? I have and I can tell you that you are dead wrong. I disagreed with his opinion on many occasions, but never because he was "under read". What poppycock!
So intense it's almost unbearable. Vickers is sensational. His versatility astounds me: Wagner, Monteverdi, Verdi, Britten, Bellini, Handel - and each as convincing and impressive as the next!! Bravo!
Tout simplement magistral ! Une leçon de chant et de jeu intégré. Une musicalité sans faille, des nuances raffinées pour une voix colossale ! Quel artiste au service d'une des musiques les plus poignante qui soit !
I know this opera pretty well word for word, but never have seen it as much to do with gay issues. Obviously it contains much about marginalisation. Billy Budd is entirely different. Neither Vere's nor Claggart's torments would have been solved by the love of a good woman!
I saw him also do this at the met and they ended carrying me out of there reduced to tears. Vickers understood the torment not only of Peter Grimes but the under painting of Britten. This was an explosive combination.
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I have issues? Have you ever read a word of Vicker's bio? The man had more issues than National Geographic. It might interest you to know that Vickers is one of my favorite singers in spite of the personality traits that I find distasteful. You did read the last sentence of my original comment did you not?
By the way, the evidence of Vickers' anti-gay stance is well documented. And the word is hearsay, not heresay.
It's ironic (although surely not intentionally) that the Met has scheduled this year's gay and lesbian singles night during a performance of Peter Grimes.
We should enjoy the artistry of this man and stop passing judgment on his personal life and what we all thought his personal beliefs are based on heresay. Knock it off with the underlying bashing and agenda driven anger.
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Just to set the record ahem, straight, Jon Vickers was a major league homophobe and fundie Christian. He didn't like Britten, and Britten detested his portrayal of Grimes. Having said that, he was spectacular in the role.
Well, Vickers couldn't afford doing a frail or weak Grimes so he protrays it according to his personality. Grimes here is very mad and desolate. I do not know what Pears did, maybe it was closer to Britten's intentions, but Vickers Grimes IS HIGH LEVEL OF ARTISTRY , for goodness sake !
True. I do think that it's a little over powering. Grimes is a powerful statement of homosexual repression. It's probaly why Pears intreptation is so powerful because both Pears and Britten were openly gay in an era of deep gay repression.
Well, Vickers aspect was so stgrongly ' straight ', perhaps his inner beliefs were so...too... I mean perhaps deep inside he did not like gays. I do not know but I feel that the gay element in Grimes is almost a mandatory thing...And here Vickers falls short.
I don't believe that Dramatic/Heldontenors are nessary for the role of Peter Grimes. Domingo would be also be wrong for the role. The one person who I would love to see as Peter Grimes is Anthony Dean Griffey who seems to fit my image of the role.(I wonder if he's gay.)
Well nothing is ideal if we come to think. Opera is SOOO dmanding ! Nilsson was too matronly for Salome, for instance, yet she was one of the best ever.- Vickers compensated his straigthness - so to speak - ( LOLOL ) with a genial portrait of paranoia and dementia.I agree that it is not necessary a drammatic for >Grimes. Vickers MADE THAT ROLE, " HIS " ROLE through his inmense talent !
After listening to it a couple of times. I agree with you about Vicker's artistry. He's superb technically. Vickers did have a disadvantage being a fundie christian. He didn't understand Britten's subtle portayal Grimes as a homophobic statment. The Bourogh represents homophobic publis unable to except the notion of gay men in their town.
Yes, a fundie Christian, & in art one must reflect what the author asks and not impose our beliefs. Vickers' ' build ' was the greatest problem. He looked so virile. AndI do not know if Britten WANTED Grimes to be openly portrayed as homosexual. Maybe he wanted the judgement be a mad one . The people chasing after him because he is supposedly guilty of something. Nobody knows WHAT. A good metaphore I think. Would have liked to see Pears version.
Maybe. I wouldn't think Vicker's would make a good Gustav von Aschenbach from "A Death in Venice" or Captin Vere from "Billy Budd". Vickers' is viril which is why he was such a great Siegfried, Otello, & Samson. Still I agree with u Greatfan about his technique and artistry with Peter Grimes. BTW: if I get the money I hope to go to Met production show in theaters in March with Anthony Dean Griffey and Patricia Racette.
I have a friend who says he has Pears' version. I asked him to upload it, maybe he will, I will try to convince him. As for Aschenbach maybe to be formally dressed could make him look a bit like an old fashioned gay trying to pretend formality. Maybe I would have believed him being gay more in Aschenbach than in Grimes. In Grimes with those woolly sweaters he seemed a welsh coal mine worker or a truck driver !
Didn't think there was a Vid of Pears singing the role. If u can get it uploaded it would be great. Yeah Vickers does like a coal miner or truck driver. Hmm maybe cause he's Canadian.
My friend is a difficult person. Not really a close friend but we speak about opera and sometimes he was helpful to me and me to him, but I know his limits, anyhow I will ask him Best Wishes !
Btw. Are you going to the Metropolitian Opera broadcast of Peter Grimes in the movie theaters on March 15th with Anthony Dean Griffey and Patricia Racette? Hope to go to it, looks good. Griffey is considered one of the main modern interpreters of the role.
Here's what- Grimes was guilty of abusing and killing every apprentice he ever had...! Britten didn't overtly make Grimes gay or a child sex molester, he only hinted at their possibilities; it is more of an interesting look into the child welfare of the past and the imperfections of the apprentice system...
Wow, what a bland postulation. Killing the Apprentices? Have you ever read the libretto? This story is solely about the mob mentality that was rampant in small villages. It is a testament for the martyr, the outcast, the DIFFERENT. Once grimes is done away with, the town returns to normalcy. Listen to the first choir hymn and the last at the end of the work.
Don't spread filth about Britten and his intent to write a piece about child molestation or a synthesis of child 'labor laws'. Stupid.
For those hung up with Vickers" "straightness", remember that the opera is based on Crabbe's poem of the same name. The poem, and the opera, are a study of human rejection, no matter what the source of the difference or rejection is. The "Hut Scene" makes this all the more wrenching.
BTW, Vickers was quoted as "standing in awe" of Britten.
Vickers' also is reported to have offered to portray Grimes as a black man in Apartheid South Africa in the early eighties-turned down of course.
Grimes is such a great role that in a way a performer can't miss. I've seen a lot of Grimeses, and they've all convinced me more or less. Pears was the best (I've only seen him do it on film) because he understood it better than anyone else. Unfortunately, because Vickers reached a wider audience via video, his has become the standard, and most people imitate him now. Pity.
If Britten didn't like Vickers in the role it is simply proof of how a work of art, once it leaves it's creator's pen, acquires a life of it's own. I also saw one of his Covent Garden performances... only wish I could have been old enough to appreciate it to the full, but I'll never forget it. Such an artist!
In Jeannie Williams' biography of Jon Vickers(Jon Vockers:A Heroes Life, a story is told that Benjamin Britten hated Vickers in this role. I'm not sure why, because Vickers has so long been associated with this role and for many opera goers this role is Mr. Vickers. Britten originally wrote the role of Peter Grimes for Peter Pears.
Well Pears and Vickers are as vocally different as night and day.Composers tend to have a sound in mind for their pieces I guess.Vicker's is just so overpowering-perhaps Britten just wanted a more restrained interpretation and thought immediately of his partner Pears.Vickers owns this role!
Strange, but on his recording of Niun mi Tema, someone has written "He was Otello". Seems to be a constant theme in the way Vickers approached whatever he was singing. Greatest acting tenor ever in my opinion for he succeeded in all languages and from classic era roles up to this wonderful 20th century masterpiece.
Vickers leaves me speechlesss. The first time I saw this video I was absolutely amazed. Not only is his voice amazing, but the way in which he uses his voice with his more than believable acting is true genius.
I saw Vickers sing Grimes at the Met in 1973. Imagine: I'm sixteen years old, never been to an opera before, and this is my first experience. What an initiation! I was immediately taken by Britten and have been a big fan ever since
I saw this at Covent Garden in 1981 - I wonder whether it was the same night. Vickers was mesmerizing - fantastic production and Colin Davis was spot on throughout. The best Grimes of the lot - although John Mitcheson came very very close in his portrayal for WNO a year or two later than this. My greatest memories are appearing on YouTube - thank you Oneguin!!
one of the most utterly depressing scenes ever. mind blowingly brilliant orchestration. vickers is fantastic.
123jsbach 1 month ago
Back in the 80's, I saw Jon Vickers perform Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera house ... I treated myself to great tickets 4th row centre ... What a phenomenal experience! During this scene, he seemed to be illuminated from within and my vision blurred around the edges until Vickers appeared to be as huge as a house!! Titanic singing from one possessed by the soul of madness, loneliness, and despair .... .... Absolutely rivetingly unforgettable (!)
RingingHeldentenor 1 month ago
It's act 3 scene 2
hippolovesclarinet 2 months ago
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hippolovesclarinet 2 months ago
Riveting, hypnotic, stunning - when I saw JV sing this role on stage, I could not move for a few seconds after it was finished! This is definitely operatic Hall of Fame material!!!!
DonPaolissimo 3 months ago
I was one of those privileged to see Mr. Vickers perform this with Houston Grand Opera in (I think) 1977. He so embodied the character that the audience seemed to forget it was an opera at all. Do you hear how quiet the hall is during this performance?
The cry at the end of this soliloquy is enough to tear your heart out...
bb8319 5 months ago
Wow! THe Recital from Pasadena CA. is also amazing when he is I think 68 yrs old. An amazing man/voice. I hope I have the longevity as of this man.
Sam
Sambosingo 7 months ago
Heather Harper is a genius.
coryisawake 8 months ago
Pears 1
Vickers 2
Sorry, game over. Here Canada beats UK in World Britten Championship.
olmaleo 8 months ago 2
Cuts at the best part ahhhh!
MartinRyleOShea 9 months ago
Peter Grrrriiiiiiimmmmmmeeessss, WenyoukilleddaboyBilly
LMAO
ares12790 10 months ago
My voice coach performed the role of Rev. Horace Adams with Jon Vickers once.
Matthewcoakley08 1 year ago
¡¡¡Una Grandiosa interpretacion!!! Vickers, en un rol a su medida, conocedor,
en forma contundente, de este dificil rol. Este personaje fue una de sus es-
pecialidades. Altisima calidad de interpretacion, un verdadero Ejemplo.
55werther 1 year ago
Agreed - amazing
iKohan 1 year ago
His intensity as an actor, which he is able to translate into sound, being the great singer that he is, is absolutely spellbinding! Deeply moving.
sebastiaan1951 1 year ago
Such amazing theater. I had the fortune to see him perform this role twice & Otello twice among others and he was incredible. I had the equally great fortune in getting to know him in the mid 80's and I will never forget the thrill of being with some of my classmates when we passed him on Broadway and he reached out to shake hands and addressed me by name. Boy, my stock sure shot up that day.
Greg07623 1 year ago
Pears, Vickers, Langridge... there are no others.
olmaleo 1 year ago
Vickers IS Peter Grimes.!! Sorry Peter Pears.
BritinIsrael 1 year ago
@BritinIsrael except not
serenitydrummer 11 months ago
Untouchable performance, even better in person.
vigwig 1 year ago 2
Absolute Perfection! Close the book, no one can approach this intensity!
DonPaolissimo 1 year ago 3
Not only a great singer, but a real artist!
mozart200657 1 year ago 2
Such intense work. I loved Jon's singing, Oddly enough Britten didn't care for hiw interpretation. Well, the sudience sure loved it. I saw him do it three times.
Greg07623 1 year ago
@Greg07623 Lucky you to hear Jon Vickers as Peter Grimes !
Several years ago i've discovered Peter Grimes with the recording on Philips, with Jon Vickers, Heather Harper ...dir.Sir Colin Davis : BRILLIANT !!!
wesskin 1 year ago
i don't understand this opera, this kind of bizarre music.
But Vickers woa!!!!
Genius!!!
ezev8logos 1 year ago
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sirmercutio99 2 years ago
whate the f...... XD
saudinamber 2 years ago
great tenor!
lorymiky07 2 years ago
Stunning opera and an almost as stunning performance. Nothing against Pears or any of the others, but for me, Jon Vickers IS Peter Grimes. It's a strongly dramatic role, and Vickers, like no other, makes that strange, tragic character come alive.
charold3 2 years ago 8
wie schon als otello ist vickers die dramatisch menschlich authentischste stimme....jedesmal wenn ich ihn höre eröffnet seine darstellung neue zugänge zum innenleben der betreffenden oper
taxijunkie 2 years ago
I was in peter grimes at the ENO understudy for the boy who dies at end of act one! Great Opera!
supertown 2 years ago
grande tenore!!!
waltermontani 2 years ago 3
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heheh...messed up the lyrics.
Gabrieja 2 years ago
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ROWANV1 2 years ago
I am in Peter gimes 2009 at the sydney operah house i play a village kid and so do 5 other of my friends and 1 more who plays John the second apprentice. his is awsome but i the one im in it is sung differently mabee the director planned it different. But it is awsome!!
Hailshimmy120 2 years ago
Saw your production last night Hailshimmy... it was excellent!
ttmor 2 years ago
Utterly shattering...One of the finest
performances of a mad scene on
YouTube. Thank you for posting
this treasure!
Kievest 2 years ago 30
Many thanks to Oneguin65 for this extraordinary posting, and to Kievest for sending my way. Doug --
CurzonRoad 2 years ago
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Well.. I have this on dvd, and it's a beautiful performance, but I find Vickers having too much old-fashioned operatic mannerisms. He was a great Wagnerian, but Wagner IS big and heroic. Grimes is an anti-hero. And also a sensitive man under the surly bear "cover". I'd die to see the old movie with Pears too.
Sieglinde84 2 years ago
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Check out my video of Jon Vickers
jaaaaaayynnee 2 years ago
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jaaaaaayynnee 2 years ago
Sublime!!!! un nivel superior de interpretación, solo podemos contemplar y enloquecer de placer ante tal maravilla escénica, interpretativa y vocal, Thank you Mr Vickers!
Marinausbcn 2 years ago 5
Britten seemed to be afraid that the Vickers performance was, perhaps, too butch for the intended audience. A gay man falling for a sad and totally untrue stereotype. Gays can be 'butch' and straights can be femme and he should have been grateful to have such a great singing actor champion his masterpiece. Vickers was a rule unto himself and his soft singing is both moving and very beautiful.
gaytenor 2 years ago
I was fortunate to see him in rehearsal for Peter Grimes at the London Opera Centre back in 1974. Unforgettable.
wefond 2 years ago
Fantastic! I bought this dvd now.
3tristan 2 years ago
I saw Jon Vickers do this role at the Met in 1983. I was 13 years old and I sat in the front row in the orchestra.
Needless to say, one of the highlights of my life!
logenisti 2 years ago
I saw him in the same "run" in 1983-may have been the same night, who knows? It was magical.
crabbe88 2 years ago
Thank you for sharing this clip of Vickers in a role he OWNED for two decades and in which he and his colleagues convinced several generations (QUITE RIGHTLY) that they were at a MASTER WORK. This really IS an outstanding opera, and Vickers' portrayal of the title role is one of those absolutely OUTSTANDING and unforgettable achievements. For those of us who saw and heard him live, there is no other Peter Grimes!!! THAT is artistry at its finest.
jmccracken1963 2 years ago 5
For me Vickers was the greatest male singing actor in opera I ever had the privilege to see and hear; this is unforgettable, as usual with this artist. He completely became the characters he portrayed, sometimes to a frightening degree! I also love the sound of his voice and the fact that his technique was absolute. His Florestan is seared into my memory, as is his Peter Grimes.
billyguns2 2 years ago 3
I guess Britten liked Pears better in the role. But wow, Vickers is absolutely incredible. Masterful.
kgeorg1979 3 years ago
What an amazing performance of brittens masterpiece. The dvd is being ordered as I write this. Can`t wait to see the full opera. Bravo Vickers!
sephrider 3 years ago
Sheesh . . . this is what you call a clinic on breath control, interpretation, artistry. I could watch this clip over and over.
hisalways922 3 years ago 19
This is absolutely riveting.
skyboyq 3 years ago
Absolutely incredible. Wow.
pillsman35 3 years ago
What a voice, what a performance!
Could you PLEASE post some other scenes from this great production? Particularly the very last scene...that's my favorite.
JeeRant 3 years ago 3
Too late, I've already ordered the DVD.
JeeRant 3 years ago
Sometimes I have to avoid watching this video because I find myself playing it at least twice! All of a sudden I'm the fourth time into it today and 40 minutes has passed...yet it feels like only 2! I never knew the answer to the "who would you want to meet, dead or alive?" question, but I've never been so sure now. It's Actors (yes, actors) like Vickers that showed the public the true theatrical capabilities of Opera. It isn't all Brindisi and Queen of the night. THIS is Opera at it's best!
tenli8 3 years ago
O-M-G ! ! ! !!
2ManyHighCs 3 years ago 2
Simply out, this is one of the greatest performances on the operatic or any other stage to ever have been recorded. For all his "authenticity", Pears was not even in the same league as Vickers in this role. Come to think of it, henceforth I shall write his name like this: *V*I*C*K*E*R*S*.
kunstderfuge 3 years ago 5
I wonder if Pears and Britten had not been life partners whether the role of Grimes would have been his. Vickers and Pears couldn't be more different.Vickers, a heldontenor, 'became the character' in all his roles. He had the most unique voice of the century.A difficult man,with strong religious convictions,he could be dissmissive and, well, arrogant.Still everything else is forgiven when he opens the throat and hails us with the mastery of his voice.I can't imagine anyone else singing this.
vickersman 3 years ago
Hi, you know I have been thinking about what you wrote and I still cannot get to a definite conclusion. Britten wrote this opera and wrote the part of Peter Grimes to be played specifically by Pears. Of course Pears is absolutelly magnificent as Grimes. On the other hand, Vickers (as you said it perfectly) had to became the character. He had to adapt himself to this role, isn´t that a bigger achivement?
I just throw this question so as to hear another opinion. Rgds,
Antillas636 3 years ago
I am a "singing actor"-that's how Vickers described his role on stage.His career was guided,some say driven by the unending need to search the soul of his character,and vocally portray it on stage.Now,in consideration of the 'larger than life'characters he portrayed(Otello,Tristan,GRIMES! etc),he had plenty of room to build them.This is how he approached things-at least that's what he told me.Trouble is thwere wasn't much wiggle room.He would not compromise on anything or for anyone.
vickersman 3 years ago
...even conductors(Solti).He was so intense in doing his 'due dilligence',that once researched, and thoroughly absorbed, the character was set.I worked with him once in Tristan(chorus).He assembled us all to tell us his character's 'story'-to make sure we saw Tristan, as he sang him.Some might assume this as arrogance,but looking closer revealed an artist duty bound- by God to fashion the character in the way he'd chosen...and that was it !This conviction he brought to the stage-every night.
vickersman 3 years ago
watch on YouTube his 'prodana nevesta' from the Bartered Bride.He built the character, and you can see it and hear it.His Pollione from Norma.After seeing him,noone else could resemble or make the character more real.That was the Vickers gift to opera.Some may have had better(sic) voices-but none built better operatic characters.
vickersman 3 years ago
vickersman: The great tenor wasn't the favorite of Britten because Vickers didn't think that Britten understood his opera. Britten in turn walked out on the Vickers performance at Covent Garden. Britten was right of course but Vickers made his opera popular. Vickers was not overly fond of gays according to everything I've read. Greay, great singer but very set in his opinions.
gaytenor 2 years ago
I think too that since Britten and Pears had such a close personal relationship Britten was furious that Vickers had taken the interpretation of Grimes in such a different direction than his lover. Perhaps Britten took this interpretation a bit too personally.
jirvintenor 2 years ago
he was very anti-gay because of his fundamental religious convictions.I know Vickers way of thinking-'rural protestantism'.-it's part of our Canadian history. One's life is from and for God.Now he was a very intelligent artist but underexposed and 'under read', in terms of a wider intellectual weltanschuung.Still nothing, and noone will ever come close to his searing intensity or subtle nuances,both vocally and as an actor.
vickersman 2 years ago
vickersman: I generally agree with you. Vickers was totally unique and his religous faith had a great, great deal to do with his opinions and beliefs--the Covent Garden Tannhauser walk-out etc.--but like all divos he has often of two minds as in the case of Seigmund, Canio, etc., none of whom are candidates for inclusion as moral heros. None of this is of great importance since he was totally unique as an artist.
gaytenor 2 years ago
Vickers was never against playing an "anti-hero", moral or otherwise. Look at Nero, Pollione, Tristan, Otello, Don Carlo etc etc. He was against playing someone who was celebrated because of his moral failings. It was the message of the opera not his individual role that he emphasized. No contradiction there.He also always said that if he didn't sing the hardest roles, ie Enee and Tristan, then he couldn't walk away from other roles with his head up.
crabbe88 2 years ago 6
@vickersman Um, guys, he isn't dead.
MrJoeh1234 1 year ago
@vickersman
Sorry, but you are very presumptuous. You "know" his way of thinking--but did you ever know HIM? You say he was "under read", but did you ever sit in his library in Bermuda or near Orangeville in Canada and actually discuss politics or philosophy or theology with him? I have and I can tell you that you are dead wrong. I disagreed with his opinion on many occasions, but never because he was "under read". What poppycock!
crabbe88 10 months ago 4
So intense it's almost unbearable. Vickers is sensational. His versatility astounds me: Wagner, Monteverdi, Verdi, Britten, Bellini, Handel - and each as convincing and impressive as the next!! Bravo!
Gigglingatagas 3 years ago 5
To: all Vickers fans...
Do you know if Jon Vickers sang Nessun dorma? Do you have a clip (video or audio)? Please I wish liste it, of course if he did it.
Thank you...
Marcorotti 3 years ago 4
I doubt it. I've never read that he had. Not his rep, either.
sgnmath1234 3 years ago
His support is amazing! Even on the quietest pitches his voice rings perfectly.
StevenPierceLumpkin 3 years ago
Vickers is the best Grimes. The part needs a voice that is more dynamic than Pears. Vickers does crazy really well too.
jschultz4 3 years ago 2
The height of all western art... we are sentenced to obscurity.
theropodia 3 years ago 4
By far the best Grimes I've ever heard. Better than Pears even. The recording is just as devestating.
omarshahryar 3 years ago 3
Is this also Heather Harper????
coryisawake 3 years ago
Tout simplement magistral ! Une leçon de chant et de jeu intégré. Une musicalité sans faille, des nuances raffinées pour une voix colossale ! Quel artiste au service d'une des musiques les plus poignante qui soit !
koudriach 3 years ago
Is there somewhere I can order this?
eeli1 3 years ago
john vickers is peter grimes
sirmaxalot123 4 years ago 2
Quite incredible. Britten knows how to use silence perhaps better than any other composer.
cdyexhibit 4 years ago 3
Mesmorizing!
sgnmath1234 4 years ago
Vickers is at is outstanding elemental best.
I know this opera pretty well word for word, but never have seen it as much to do with gay issues. Obviously it contains much about marginalisation. Billy Budd is entirely different. Neither Vere's nor Claggart's torments would have been solved by the love of a good woman!
hedgechair 4 years ago 5
I saw him at the Met in October 1983.I was frozen during this scene.
hosphot 4 years ago
Peter Grimes returns to the Met next month with Anthony Dean Griffey in the title roles
kazakhman52 4 years ago
I saw him also do this at the met and they ended carrying me out of there reduced to tears. Vickers understood the torment not only of Peter Grimes but the under painting of Britten. This was an explosive combination.
mrteryx 4 years ago 5
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I have issues? Have you ever read a word of Vicker's bio? The man had more issues than National Geographic. It might interest you to know that Vickers is one of my favorite singers in spite of the personality traits that I find distasteful. You did read the last sentence of my original comment did you not?
By the way, the evidence of Vickers' anti-gay stance is well documented. And the word is hearsay, not heresay.
maestro214 4 years ago
It's ironic (although surely not intentionally) that the Met has scheduled this year's gay and lesbian singles night during a performance of Peter Grimes.
MSMillerNYC 4 years ago
Really is Anthony Dean Griffey openly gay? I know Patrica Racette is openly lesbian.
sirmercutio99 4 years ago
The Bio was UNAUTHORIZED and therefore do not believe what you read.
ROWANV1 3 years ago
Maestro 214, You have some issues in life. Leave the singer alone. Your assertions are baseless and demeaning.
hosphot 4 years ago 4
We should enjoy the artistry of this man and stop passing judgment on his personal life and what we all thought his personal beliefs are based on heresay. Knock it off with the underlying bashing and agenda driven anger.
sgnmath1234 4 years ago 9
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Just to set the record ahem, straight, Jon Vickers was a major league homophobe and fundie Christian. He didn't like Britten, and Britten detested his portrayal of Grimes. Having said that, he was spectacular in the role.
maestro214 4 years ago
interesting...
gtelloz 4 years ago 4
Well, Vickers couldn't afford doing a frail or weak Grimes so he protrays it according to his personality. Grimes here is very mad and desolate. I do not know what Pears did, maybe it was closer to Britten's intentions, but Vickers Grimes IS HIGH LEVEL OF ARTISTRY , for goodness sake !
Greatfan 4 years ago
True. I do think that it's a little over powering. Grimes is a powerful statement of homosexual repression. It's probaly why Pears intreptation is so powerful because both Pears and Britten were openly gay in an era of deep gay repression.
sirmercutio99 4 years ago
Well, Vickers aspect was so stgrongly ' straight ', perhaps his inner beliefs were so...too... I mean perhaps deep inside he did not like gays. I do not know but I feel that the gay element in Grimes is almost a mandatory thing...And here Vickers falls short.
Greatfan 4 years ago
I don't believe that Dramatic/Heldontenors are nessary for the role of Peter Grimes. Domingo would be also be wrong for the role. The one person who I would love to see as Peter Grimes is Anthony Dean Griffey who seems to fit my image of the role.(I wonder if he's gay.)
sirmercutio99 4 years ago
Well nothing is ideal if we come to think. Opera is SOOO dmanding ! Nilsson was too matronly for Salome, for instance, yet she was one of the best ever.- Vickers compensated his straigthness - so to speak - ( LOLOL ) with a genial portrait of paranoia and dementia.I agree that it is not necessary a drammatic for >Grimes. Vickers MADE THAT ROLE, " HIS " ROLE through his inmense talent !
Greatfan 4 years ago
After listening to it a couple of times. I agree with you about Vicker's artistry. He's superb technically. Vickers did have a disadvantage being a fundie christian. He didn't understand Britten's subtle portayal Grimes as a homophobic statment. The Bourogh represents homophobic publis unable to except the notion of gay men in their town.
sirmercutio99 4 years ago
Yes, a fundie Christian, & in art one must reflect what the author asks and not impose our beliefs. Vickers' ' build ' was the greatest problem. He looked so virile. AndI do not know if Britten WANTED Grimes to be openly portrayed as homosexual. Maybe he wanted the judgement be a mad one . The people chasing after him because he is supposedly guilty of something. Nobody knows WHAT. A good metaphore I think. Would have liked to see Pears version.
Greatfan 4 years ago
Maybe. I wouldn't think Vicker's would make a good Gustav von Aschenbach from "A Death in Venice" or Captin Vere from "Billy Budd". Vickers' is viril which is why he was such a great Siegfried, Otello, & Samson. Still I agree with u Greatfan about his technique and artistry with Peter Grimes. BTW: if I get the money I hope to go to Met production show in theaters in March with Anthony Dean Griffey and Patricia Racette.
sirmercutio99 4 years ago
I have a friend who says he has Pears' version. I asked him to upload it, maybe he will, I will try to convince him. As for Aschenbach maybe to be formally dressed could make him look a bit like an old fashioned gay trying to pretend formality. Maybe I would have believed him being gay more in Aschenbach than in Grimes. In Grimes with those woolly sweaters he seemed a welsh coal mine worker or a truck driver !
Greatfan 4 years ago
Didn't think there was a Vid of Pears singing the role. If u can get it uploaded it would be great. Yeah Vickers does like a coal miner or truck driver. Hmm maybe cause he's Canadian.
sirmercutio99 4 years ago
My friend is a difficult person. Not really a close friend but we speak about opera and sometimes he was helpful to me and me to him, but I know his limits, anyhow I will ask him Best Wishes !
Greatfan 4 years ago
Btw. Are you going to the Metropolitian Opera broadcast of Peter Grimes in the movie theaters on March 15th with Anthony Dean Griffey and Patricia Racette? Hope to go to it, looks good. Griffey is considered one of the main modern interpreters of the role.
Keep me updated about he upload of Pears vid.
sirmercutio99 4 years ago
I live in Argentina....
Greatfan 3 years ago
Here's what- Grimes was guilty of abusing and killing every apprentice he ever had...! Britten didn't overtly make Grimes gay or a child sex molester, he only hinted at their possibilities; it is more of an interesting look into the child welfare of the past and the imperfections of the apprentice system...
wbiro 3 years ago
Wow, what a bland postulation. Killing the Apprentices? Have you ever read the libretto? This story is solely about the mob mentality that was rampant in small villages. It is a testament for the martyr, the outcast, the DIFFERENT. Once grimes is done away with, the town returns to normalcy. Listen to the first choir hymn and the last at the end of the work.
Don't spread filth about Britten and his intent to write a piece about child molestation or a synthesis of child 'labor laws'. Stupid.
~A
nessunabilita 3 years ago
For those hung up with Vickers" "straightness", remember that the opera is based on Crabbe's poem of the same name. The poem, and the opera, are a study of human rejection, no matter what the source of the difference or rejection is. The "Hut Scene" makes this all the more wrenching.
BTW, Vickers was quoted as "standing in awe" of Britten.
Vickers' also is reported to have offered to portray Grimes as a black man in Apartheid South Africa in the early eighties-turned down of course.
crabbe88 2 years ago
One of the signature unions of singer to role in history. He took so many risks vocally! so many rewards...
theropodia 4 years ago
Grimes is such a great role that in a way a performer can't miss. I've seen a lot of Grimeses, and they've all convinced me more or less. Pears was the best (I've only seen him do it on film) because he understood it better than anyone else. Unfortunately, because Vickers reached a wider audience via video, his has become the standard, and most people imitate him now. Pity.
Dulciethecat 4 years ago
If Britten didn't like Vickers in the role it is simply proof of how a work of art, once it leaves it's creator's pen, acquires a life of it's own. I also saw one of his Covent Garden performances... only wish I could have been old enough to appreciate it to the full, but I'll never forget it. Such an artist!
CzarDodon 4 years ago
In Jeannie Williams' biography of Jon Vickers(Jon Vockers:A Heroes Life, a story is told that Benjamin Britten hated Vickers in this role. I'm not sure why, because Vickers has so long been associated with this role and for many opera goers this role is Mr. Vickers. Britten originally wrote the role of Peter Grimes for Peter Pears.
Rocky99
susandstone 4 years ago
Well Pears and Vickers are as vocally different as night and day.Composers tend to have a sound in mind for their pieces I guess.Vicker's is just so overpowering-perhaps Britten just wanted a more restrained interpretation and thought immediately of his partner Pears.Vickers owns this role!
vickersman 4 years ago
He is Peter Grimes!!!!
bmcg94 4 years ago
Strange, but on his recording of Niun mi Tema, someone has written "He was Otello". Seems to be a constant theme in the way Vickers approached whatever he was singing. Greatest acting tenor ever in my opinion for he succeeded in all languages and from classic era roles up to this wonderful 20th century masterpiece.
cyfieithydd 4 years ago
Vickers leaves me speechlesss. The first time I saw this video I was absolutely amazed. Not only is his voice amazing, but the way in which he uses his voice with his more than believable acting is true genius.
bjorlingopera 4 years ago 2
spellbinding-
FJMLAM 4 years ago
beyond words!
wow!!
festerbester 4 years ago
wow....
findo 4 years ago
I saw Vickers sing Grimes at the Met in 1973. Imagine: I'm sixteen years old, never been to an opera before, and this is my first experience. What an initiation! I was immediately taken by Britten and have been a big fan ever since
burghbill 4 years ago
I saw this at Covent Garden in 1981 - I wonder whether it was the same night. Vickers was mesmerizing - fantastic production and Colin Davis was spot on throughout. The best Grimes of the lot - although John Mitcheson came very very close in his portrayal for WNO a year or two later than this. My greatest memories are appearing on YouTube - thank you Oneguin!!
cyfieithydd 4 years ago
Art at its most humble! What a tremendous gift back to the Muses!
DayleVS 4 years ago
sublime. tnx for loading this. do you have the scene from act 1, when he enters the pub?
rakewell2 5 years ago
Let me tell you, seeing Vickers live in Peter Grimes was one of my greatest theatrical and musical experiences ever. His projection was phenomenal.
nopuppy 5 years ago
This is from the very end of the opera, Act III
hightenor123 5 years ago
this is incredible,
Britten builds intensity in his own virtuosic way.
which act is this from?
Sweatybus 5 years ago