Munich’s Peter Grimes: first review
NewsThe director Stefan Herheim was absent due to Covid and the performance was preceded by the singing of Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’, but Britten’s 1945 masterpiece received a triumphant reception.
Peter Jungblut of BR24 reports:
Stuart Skelton, ein Berg von einem Mann, singt mit martialischem Kraftaufwand, der ihn auch mal stimmlich aus der Kurve trägt. Das schmälert seine Präsenz aber nicht. Rachel Willis-Sørensen als verständnisvolle Ellen Orford ist viel zu selbstbewusst und kraftvoll, um ihr diese Rolle abzunehmen. Sie bleibt nämlich letztlich Beobachterin und scheut sich, wirklich in die Handlung einzugreifen, was bei soviel Energie und sehr robuster Ausstrahlung nicht sonderlich plausibel wirkt.
Stuart Skelton, a mountain of a man, sings with martial effort, which can take him off the vocal curve, though without diminishing its presence. Rachel Willis-Sørensen as the insightful Ellen Orford is far too confident and powerful for the role. Ultimately, she remains a bystander, afraid to really intervene in the plot….
Read on here.
photo: (c) © Wilfried Hösl/ Bayerische Staatsoper
“Triumphant”? A production of “Peter Grimes” with no defined title character, an Ellen Orford left to her own, and the most applause for the Balstrode? I can’t recall a review which used the word “oppressive” more times.
I agree. If that’s the most triumphant paragraph that can be extrapolated, I do have to wonder about interpretations of language around here.
I watched part of the live stream and got the sense that Skelton was in vocal difficulty. Maybe someone who was there could tell me that it was just my ears deceiving me. As to the production it just seemed to be meh. The definitive Grimes for me is the Phyllida Lloyd production for Opera North which no doubt cost next to nothing compared to what Munich can spend but packed a punch that I still feel even now just thinking about it.
It seems more and more critics are describing Herheim’s recent works as ‘meh’.
Did you see the ENO/David Alden ‘Grimes’? I thought that was tremendous and it’s stayed with me. Skelton can go awry on occasion, as in last year’s Last Night of the Proms, but I still think he is one of the greats.
The best Grimes is the one directed by Steuart Bedford at Snape Maltings during the Britten centenary.
The live stream is online https://www.operaonvideo.com/peter-grimes-munich-2022-skelton-willis-sorensen-paterson-mahnke/
I hold my breath when i heard Skelton`s voice cracking and giving completely up at last years Last Night of the Proms….A horrible moment and i felt so sorry for him