Britten - Peter Grimes "To hell with all your mercy"

[homesize]

man this is great, but i found it a little creepy after i realized what britten tried to say through this scene.......

[ikmarchini]

Strong stuff.

[rubikon5]

well i'm sure he sucked a fisherman's friend all right. ;)

[cdgray2]

I have always been a fan of Vickers in this scene, but to hear and see Pears, the initial Grimes, is a pleasure. That must be a very young Heather Harper.

[Bazzito52]

@cdgray2

This was from 1969. So, she was 39. Is that young?

[nobisotti]

@Bazzito52

he was 59!

[cakeyspig]

Tuneless kak

[cakeyspig]

Tuneless kak

[fremsley001]

His diction and breathing are so clear. He must have sucked a Fisherman's Friend.

[mrgunni]

not anyone can ever do this as good at Peter Pears.. Amazing

[mrchuck3000]

This is great. So happy to be able to see P.Pears doin a bit of this great role.

Has anyone seen the DVD recording with Philip Langridge? He has to be the greatest actor of any opera star, ever! It is, for my money, the most well-acted Grimes of them all.

[Mezzotenor]

This is really splendid! And I respect all the comments made on the plot -- it is a truly disturbing depiction of inhumanity, and I wager the authors were well aware of the ethical dilemmas it would raise. I also could be persuaded that certain ambiguities of meaning (e.g., is it really about a gay guy?) were intentional. Thank you for posting!

[Sieglinde84]

How beautiful. I've only heard it on a recording before - and it was with Vickers - but for Pears, this wasn't a "role". So moving. :'(

I think Grimes doesn't need a shouting Heldentenor. Neither a bear-type singer. He needs a certain fragility. If you make him a brutal savage, who'd feel sorry for him? But I can absolutely feel sorry for Pears. He seems so lost. :'(

[crabbe88]

I agree with you except for the "hut" scene as portrayed by Vickers. He shows Grimes as fragile, with very human longings which will never be fulfilled. That is what makes the final scene so pitiable and moving in Vickers' rendition, at least for me.

[pierreob]

thank you for this video!a masterpiece, and a very good interpretation. Pears and Harper are excellent.

[hedgechair]

I think it is a fiction that Britten disliked Vickers' interpretation, talking to people who knew him. It surprised him. It has been said that Vickers was reserved about gay people, but neither Pears nor Britten would have ben too concerned by this. This clip shows Pears at 59 with surprising vocal weight and "squillo". The most powerful thing in this opera is Ellen and Balstrode's final betrayal of Peter. This is far worse than all Iago's intrigue, and always shocks me to the core.

[JeeRant]

Ellen and Balstrode's betrayal of Peter? I thought they were supposed to be the only people in the Borough who tried to help him.

[BrandonMSherman]

Ellen and Balstrode are the only two characters in the story who have any type of compassion or care for Peter and his well being.

[hedgechair]

May I open by suggesting that any hint of sexual passion in Britten's operas seems to lead to death. (Grimes, Budd, Claggart, Lucretia, Aschenbach etc.) May I ask rhetorically, if you were in real trouble, would your partner, lover or best friend tell you to kill youself? Balstrode knew every creek and inlet of the UK and could have taken Ellen and Peter anywhere to start again unsuspected. The ultimate betrayal of Grimes by those who seemed to love him is the true tragedy in this opera!

[BrandonMSherman]

I'm currently in the production of Peter Grimes with San Diego Opera with Copley... The Director of SDO's Peter grimes, and original 'Apprentice' in the Opera those many years ago.

The idea and artistry behind the opera is the town and townspeople. How even through everything, without any proof or reason for an idea of murder, they wouldnt sway their 'Rumours.' The last scene closes with the townsfolk doing their daily routine as if nothing happened, Ellen staring out to the ocean.

[BrandonMSherman]

Ellen and Balstrode loved peter and were shunned by the community because they helped him. The townsfolk are the ones who go mad and are so blinded by their loathing for Peter, who is self educated of the sea, and is a much better fisherman overall that he could even sell such catches in London because they are too big to sell in the little fishing town, that no matter the outcome of the trial or second wind with the apprentice, the would never trust him or care to care for him again.

[Sieglinde84]

But Peter told him earlier he just couldn't leave this place. And... can you imagine him living happily ever after with Ellen? :D That would be so OOC.

Balstrode just gave that "push" Peter needed.

[quakercub]

I agree completely!!! Ellen and Balstrode, even though they do want to help Grimes in their own way, they still accept their society's view of the outsider at the end. Tragic on so many levels.

[g4thz]

It's interesting to compare the outburst "Peter Grimes Grimes Grimes Peter Grimes" etc. with "Figaro Figaro Figaro" in Seville. Two completely different takes on the exact same idea. Figaro is... annoyed? but of course he loves the attention. Grimes is tortured by the voices and just wants to be left alone.

[pjdonagh]

Harper's diction is amazing ....a much underrated singer!!

[coryisawake]

I agree - she set very high standards...this is not to mention her inuitive acting!

[katiebeth24]

best opera ever written, in my opinion.

[devaraja42]

Another good version is the one by the Convent Royal Opera House, with Colin Davis conducting. Jon Vickers and Heather Harper were also in that one, but the articulations are notably different. However, I like both versions a lot!

[Dulciethecat]

Britten hated Jon Vickers as Grimes, didn't think he was right at all. He loved Heather Harper as Ellen.

[coryisawake]

Harper is exquisite almost always-she acts vocally better than many singers in this role and in many others.

[tenorismo]

Why do you think he hated Vickers ?

[Dulciethecat]

Tenorismo: I'm not sure exactly why Britten disliked Vickers' interpretation so much, but I suspect he found it coarse, and missing the sensitivity that's needed. Vickers sings as if it's Wagner or Verdi. It isn't.

[kmillard]

Well, Believe it or not, from all I've heard, Britten didn't care for Vickers portrayal because it had a subtle yet undeniable homosexual undercurrent. When Britten objected to this, the director and Vickers pointed it out to the homosexual Britten that he couldn't deny it was there, especially since he had created the role in the first place for his domestic partner Peter Pears.

[jewish1972]

B.Britten is really the best british composer of the XXth century!

[CyanCaz]

I can only agree with olliedrake ..... it is more than the greatest opera of the 20th century ... the greatest ever?

[OrpheuCe]

very impressive the singing and acting of Peter here...

[jawdust3]

I love the bit that starts at about two minutes in. I would really like to know the words to this, does anybody have a link?

[Dulciethecat]

I have tried to post a link to the libretto but for some reason it isn't working. If you search for "Peter Grimes libretto" it is available online. This extract (starting "To hell with all your mercy") is the end of the opera. The bit you like may be "What harbour shelters peace?".

[MarquisDePosa53]

I donh't think this has even been released for sale yet. Amazon says September 9th

[rorydog1]

Fantastic. Really special. Thank you.

[ohheheinbon]

Oh my God, I didn't even know there was a filmed recording of Peter Pears performing Peter grimes! I'm so excited to find out about it! Could you please please post more of it?

[colenso05]

It has been re-released on DVD from Decca, along with Billy Budd and Schubert's Wintereisse. Also DVD of Mozart's Idomeneo, with Pears in title role - all  a wonderful record of their musical partnership.

[ohheheinbon]

Thanks a lot, and thanks to DrStraughn for posting this. I would never have known there was a filmed version with Pears. Vickers is quite impressive, but to me Pears just *is* Grimes.

[olliedrake1]

As a young boy I was present when this recording was made - my father, Bryan Drake played Captain Balstrode - seen briefly in this clip. I have seen both the recent Met production and the Opera North production a couple of years ago, and, although both were superb, this has to be the benchmark production. After seeing the whole opera, I think that this is not only the greatest opera of the 20th century, but the greatest opera. Period.

[Dulciethecat]

Oh, I remmember Bryan Drake! He was in quite a lot of Britten pieces. He's an excellent Balstrode. I do agree that this is the best production of Grimes I've seen, partly because it told the story straightforwardly, leaving the music to tell us the deeper implications, and partly (mostly?) because of the superb cast. Congratulations to all of them who are still with us.

[Dulciethecat]

Also quite amazing that Peter Pears could look such a ruffian when you think how well-groomed and elegant he looked in real life!

[josephgoodrich]

Wow! Where did you get that? I want to see the whole thing! Is it available??

[brittenb]

I have a copy on DVD - bought on eBay - but I think it's going to be made commercially available this year... It's great, eh!

[cdpete]

thanks for posting this clip - how extraordinary to see the originator of this powerful role - it would be like seeing the original tenor sing Otello!

I've just seen Tony Griffey's MET performance and this is equally moving!

[HornLocker]

nice drama from pears, but his diction is still not great.

[Dulciethecat]

It's not meant to be - stage directions as he descends into madness, despair or whatever you like to call it, read "To be sung in a tone almost like prolonged sobbing".

[HornLocker]

i didn't say it was meant to be, it's just britten wouldn't write words for no-one to be able to hear them. u now what i'm saying? pear's diction i always find is lacking slightly though he's a great musician no doubt!

[brittenb]

I find this rather a strange comment. Pears seems to me always to have superlatively clear diction. I constantly find a great pleasure in the clarity and sensibilty of his approach to words.

[Dulciethecat]

I agree with you, brittenb. Hornlocker and I have locked horns before on this subject, on the Pears/Britten Schubert clips.

[kwizRcool]

fab per4mance loved it!

[kwizRcool]

yea it was the opera north 1! totally but i was in the 1 THIS yr! the music is faster if you no wat i mean dulciethecat? we went on tour and this week we r goin 2 newcastle and its the last performence :( but i had a good time :) x

[kwizRcool]

omg!!! im in peter grimes it waz on at the grand! i was a child in it the music is completely different! if u've seen it i was the girl with the brown bobble hat lol~!x

[Dulciethecat]

Was that the Opera North one, kwizRcool? I saw it last year. Very good! (Not as good as this clip!). The music wasn't different - there's only one Peter Grimes opera.

[angelparsifal]

Peter Grimes is one of the most beautiful operas of the history.

Thank you, master Britten!

[nicolasgerber]

A touching performance, thank you for posting it. Where did you get the video from?

[rakewell2]

Wow, this is great stuff! Have you any more of this production?

[Dulciethecat]

A treasure from the archives for Pears/Britten fans (Grimes was composed for Pears, and he could clearly still sing it almost 25 years later), and the divine Heather as well! Thank you so much for this.