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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2013 18:08:17 GMT -5
liveweb.arte.tv/fr/video/Le_Tour_d_Ecrou_de_Benjamin_Britten_a_l_Armel_Opera_Festival/"Dans un manoir isolé," we read, "une jeune gouvernante est chargée de l'éducation de deux enfants. Très vite, la nouvelle arrivée découvre que ses pupilles sont visités par des fantômes: ceux de leur ancienne gouvernante et de son amant, tous deux morts dans d'étranges conditions. Ces apparitions sont-elles de véritables revenants ou bien des fantasmes? Une invention des enfants ou bien celle de la gouvernante? "'Le Tour d'Ecrou' est le huitième opéra de Benjamin Britten. On y retrouve des thèmes chers au compositeur: carcan de la société, tourments de l'âme... Une oeuvre tout en noirceur et ambiguité qui glace littéralement le sang, le tout servi par une musique sublime." For the information of members, "écrou" may mean not only "screw" but also "committal to gaol." And "carcan" means "yoke" or "constraint." But two points: 1) "glace littéralement" - hopefully not - a Gallic exaggeration surely! 2) "une musique sublime" - that is one attribute I never expected to see applied to Britten's. In fact - rather like Shonkycowitch - I am not aware that Britten ever succeeded in writing a good tune. Nothing lingers. So for me the interest of this opera resides entirely in the action and interaction.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2013 14:46:13 GMT -5
Out of interest, Sydney, do you consider that a good tune is necessary for music to be sublime? My own feeling would be that although a good tune helps, melody can sometimes take second or third place to harmony and rhythm. This is not, to be honest, my favourite Britten opera. It does tend to screw me up inside, but I suspect that this is actually part of the point of the story. Nevertheless, it looks good on video!
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