Britten: Billy Budd [Box set]

Benjamin Britten (Composer, Conductor), Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Orchestra), Peter Pears (Performer), Theodor Uppman (Performer), Frederick Dalberg (Performer), Hervey Alan (Performer), Geraint Evans (Performer), Michael Langdon (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Peter Pears, Theodor Uppman, Frederick Dalberg, Hervey Alan, Geraint Evans, et al.
• Orchestra: Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
• Conductor: Benjamin Britten
• Composer: Benjamin Britten
• Audio CD (January 31, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Video Artists Int'l
• ASIN: B000003LJ7
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,638 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Billy Budd: Prologue: I Am An Old Man...

2. Billy Budd: Act l: Pull, My Bantams! Pull, My Sparrow-Legs!

3. Billy Budd: Act l: Boat Ahoy! Guard Boat! Indomitable!

4. Billy Budd: Act l: Billy Budd, King Of The Birds!

5. Billy Budd: Act l: I Heard, Your Honour! Yes! I Heard.

6. Billy Budd: Act l: Come Along, Kid!

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Billy Budd: Act ll. Handsomely Done, My Lad.

2. Billy Budd: Act ll. Come Here. Remember Your Promise

3. Billy Budd: Act ll. Billy! Hist, Billy Budd!

4. Billy Budd: Act ll. Dansker Old Friend, Glad To See You

5. Billy Budd: Act lll. I Don't Like The Look Of The Mist, Mister Redburn

6. Billy Budd: Act lll. Deck Ahoy! Enemy Sail On Starboard Bow!

See all 8 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Billy Budd: Act lll. (You Must) Forget All That For The Moment.

2. Billy Budd: Act lll. The Mists Have Cleared.

3. Billy Budd: Act lll. Orchestral Interlude; William Budd, You Are Accused...

4. Billy Budd: Act lll. I Accept Their Verdict

5. Billy Budd: Act lV. Look! Through The Port Comes The Moonshine Astray!

6. Billy Budd: Act lV. Orchestral Interlude; 'According To The Articles Of War...'

See all 7 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique chance to hear the very first cast of Billy Budd, August 6, 2000

By 

Mermaid (Northern Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Britten: Billy Budd (Audio CD)

The technical flaws of this unique recording are outweighed indeed by the magic and beauty of this performance by the original cast, conducted by Britten himself. The technical flaws (reputed to be due to the fact that the source of this CD is a amateur-recording of a 1951 performance of this beautiful opera) make for instance Claggart's voice sound at one - happily non-crucial - point rather wavy, rather like tapes sometimes sound after having listenend to them too much. Still, moments like these are very rare and in a way add to the nostalgia of this recording of 1951 being now finally available. The music and the singing this CD offers have a magical flavour. Claggart, Vere and Billy are sung with emotional profundity and make this CD well worth the purchase for every Britten fan (and every E. M. Forster fan of course; together with Eric Crozier he wrote the libretto, which Britten called the best libretto he had ever heard).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great historical moment, if you don't mind the pirate sonics, September 23, 2005

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Britten: Billy Budd (Audio CD)

Pirated recordings, usually taken from radio sources or portable tape recorders sneaked into the theater, have risen to semi-respectability in recent years. This is one of the most treasurable, a great performance caught in listenable mono sound. Uppman remains the ideal Billy Budd, not only for his mesmerizing good looks (crucial to Melville's concpetoin of angelic innocence) but also for his unique ability to make Billy sound innocent. Pears is the ideal Vere, here caught in much better voice than on the later studio rcording. This used to be the only version of the original, unrevised score that you cuold buy, but that lacuna has been filled by the live Nagano performance on Erato, which is excellent. In terms of sound this Billy Budd ranks dead last and always will, but in terms of drama and musicality, it ranks near the top.