Britten: The Turn of the Screw (complete opera)

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This clearly, carefully played performance of what is certainly one of the world's spookiest operas is just about everything but spooky. Conductor Daniel Harding has a feel for the music but not the atmosphere, and so some moments are rushed which ought to be lingered over and vice-versa. Star tenor Ian Bostridge sings the pivotal role of the ghostly Peter Quint with elegance and beautiful tone--certainly two attributes his predecessors on CD lacked--but these are traits that work against the character. His eerie calling of the boy's name over and over again early in the opera is a model of good singing of difficult music, but that's not what we should be noticing. A pity, since Joan Rodgers's Governess is near ideal in her combination of terror, sadness, and weirdness. The children are convincing (though the Miles is not as good as David Hemmings on Britten's own recording), and as mentioned, the playing is near perfect and all the instruments in this wonderfully, economically scored work are audible. This is a truly great opera. You should own the Decca version, led by the composer himself, despite that it isn't up to this new one sonically. Bostridge fans will not be disappointed here, but Britten fans will want to hear Peter Pears in the role of Quint. --Robert Levine

Britten: The Turn of the Screw (complete opera), Music, Ian Bostridge, Joan Rodgers, Benjamin Britten, Daniel Harding, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, British 20th/21st Century Opera, Classical, Classical Music, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta

Average customer rating:

A great opera gains by taking on a taboo subject

Memorable Melancholy

Britten: The Turn Of The Screw / Britten, Pears, Vyvyan, Cross, et al

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000041WD
Release Date: 2002-09-10

Tracks:

Act I: Prologue - Peter Pears
Act I: Theme/Scene 1 - Jennifer Vyvyan
Act I: Var I/Scene 2 - David Hemmings/Olive Dyer/Joan Cross/Jennifer Vyvyan
Act I: Var II/Scene 3 - Joan Cross/Jennifer Vyvyan/David Hemmings/Olive Dyer
Act I: Var III/Scene 4 - Jennifer Vyvyan
Act I: Var IV/Scene 5 - Olive Dyer/David Hemmings/Jennifer Vyvyan/Joan Cross
Act I: Var V/Scene 6 - David Hemmings/Olive Dyer/Jennifer Vyvyan
Act I: Var VI/Scene 7 - Olive Dyer/Jennifer Vyvyan/Daivd Hemmings
Act I: Var VII/Scene 8 - Peter Pears/David Hemmings/Arda Mandikian/Jennifer Vyvyan/Joan Cross

Tracks:

Act II: Var VIII/Scene 1 - Arda Mandikian/Peter Pears/Jennifer Vyvyan
Act II: Var IX/Scene 2 - David Hemmings/Olive Dyer/Joan Cross/Jennifer Vyvyan
Act II: Var X/Scene 3 - Jennifer Vyvyan/Arda Mandikian
Act II: Var XI/Scene 4 - David Hemmings/Jennifer Vyvyan/Peter Pears
Act II: Var XII/Scene 5 - Peter Pears
Act II: Var XIII/Scene 6 - Jennifer Vyvyan/Joan Cross/Olive Dyer
Act II: Var XIV/Scene 7 - Joan Cross/Jennifer Vyvyan/Olive Dyer/Arda Mandikian
Act II: Var XV/Scene 8 - Jennifer Vyvyan/Joan Cross/David Hemmings/Peter Pears

Customer Reviews:

A great opera gains by taking on a taboo subject.......2006-06-04

I wanted to say something about sex in The Turn of the Screw, but first I should give a succinct review. This 1954 mono recording, featuring the same singers who premiered the work, has always been considered exemplary. Most critics believed it would never be equalled, and the performances from Jennifer Vyvyan as the Governness, Peter Pears as Quint, and David Hemmings as Miles probably haven't been bettered over the past fifty years.

But a recent recording on Virgin is superior to Britten's classic account in three ways. First, we get state-of-the-art digital sound that allows us to hear much more of Britten's exquisitely orchestrated score. Second, Daniel Harding's conducting is edgier and more gripping than Britten's, excellent as he was. Third, the singers are tenser, more psychologically attuned to the plot's homosexual overtones, than the composer ever allowed his singers to be--Britten kept the drama well inside the bounds of a Victorian ghost story.

So, is the new version justified in making us think of sexual repression and abuse rather than simple scary ghosts?

James's novella was a boring staple of high school English class when I was a junior, and yet I imagine it would have been snatched from the classroom if anyone had intimated that it secretly concerned pedophilia. All we talked about was whether the ghosts were real or a figment of somebody's imagination. The reviewer below takes it for granted that "of course" Quint was a pedophile who sexually corrupted (to use the Victorian term--we would say sexually abused) the boy Miles. Thus the story--and Britten's opera--unfolds through the governess's eyes as she gradually uncovers the sexual crimes of the household, and her mounting horror is justified, not by ghosts haunting the two children, but by knowledge of what Quint did while alive.

In James's case, I think there is room for more ambiguity, the sexual implications being directed strongly to the governess more than the children; the effectiveness of the tale lies in its sexual ambiguity. Is a frigid spinster being frightened by her own libido? But Britten was without a doubt a repressed pedophile (someone more politely termed him an "intellectual pedophile," which doesn't even make sense). Since Quint appears on stage as a singer who is just as real as any ohter character, his cry of "you belong to me" at the end, just as Miles dies, gains by not being ambiguous. A real male is seducing a boy in front of our eyes, and by bringing that out, a staged production can be much more frightening than James's tale.

Memorable Melancholy.......2003-04-01

The original version of Turn of the Screw, featuring the fluid tenor of the composer's lover Peter Pears, is still the stand-out. Based on a Henry James novella, this ghost story probes a very current theme (one found in the film L.I.E. or the Catholic priest sex scandals): man-boy seduction. Pears' character Quint (a musical pun on its use of fifths), the libretto implies with typical British indirection, had sex with the boy Miles.
Even from beyond the grave, he continues his seduction with the honeyed words of librettist Piper and some haunting mellifluous melody by Britten. Miles' sister Flora is suffering a parallel seduction by salacious nanny Miss Jessel, which is less compelling, perhaps because it's less dear to James' or Britten's "haunted hearts."

The children's governess, a prudish Pollyanna, is horrified as Miles and Flora begin to seem autistic, listening to other voices only they can hear. Miles utters blasphemies as church bells ring, a sign of his influence under a pagan and pederastic seducer. The showdown comes at the end when Miles dies inexplicably. Morgan of James' short story "The Pupil" dies in this way too; for Henry James, then, the tension of oncoming pedophiliac consummation is mysteriously fatal.

Tension and mystery pervade Britten's score, but so does the detached melancholy of the inevitable. Britten whisks us through a kaleidoscope of emotions in this atmospheric chamber opera--The governess' nervous anticipation before meeting the children, her excitement upon meeting them, her numbing fear that all is not right at the manor house Bly. The boisterous group recitation of Miles' Latin lessons transforms into the boy's solo lament "Malo."

Britten's melodies all over this opera are as catchy as pop song hooks. It is the best contribution England has made to a largely Italian art form. Its tension, horror, and otherworldliness are strangely addictive. The way Britten uses strings to mimic a horse-drawn carriage or piano to darken Mozart under Miles' fingers is brilliant. This is a brooding masterpiece that rewards muliple listening.

Britten: The Turn of the Screw (complete opera)
Average customer rating:

One of the best opera recordings of the decade

LIBERA NOS A MALO

A WONDERFUL OPERA, BUT.............

Fine recording of a haunting opera

Britten: The Turn of the Screw (complete opera)
Ian Bostridge , Joan Rodgers , Benjamin Britten , Daniel Harding , and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000646J2
Release Date: 2002-09-17

Tracks:

Prologue
Theme
Scene 1. The Journey
Variation I
Scene 2. The Welcome
Variation II
Scene 3. The Letter
Variation III
Scene 4. The Tower
Variation IV
Scene 5. The Window
Variation V
Scene 6. The Lesson
Variation VI
Scene 7. The Lake
Variation VII
Scene 8. At Night

Tracks:

Variation VII
Scene 1. Colloquy And Solilquy
Variation XI
Scene 2. The Bells
Variation X
Scene 3. Miss Jessel
Variation XI
Scene 4. The Bedroom
Variation XII
Scene 5. The Quint
Variation XIII
Scene 6. The Piano
Variation XIV
Scene 7. The Flora
Variation XV
Scene 8. Miles

Amazon.com

This clearly, carefully played performance of what is certainly one of the world's spookiest operas is just about everything but spooky. Conductor Daniel Harding has a feel for the music but not the atmosphere, and so some moments are rushed which ought to be lingered over and vice-versa. Star tenor Ian Bostridge sings the pivotal role of the ghostly Peter Quint with elegance and beautiful tone--certainly two attributes his predecessors on CD lacked--but these are traits that work against the character. His eerie calling of the boy's name over and over again early in the opera is a model of good singing of difficult music, but that's not what we should be noticing. A pity, since Joan Rodgers's Governess is near ideal in her combination of terror, sadness, and weirdness. The children are convincing (though the Miles is not as good as David Hemmings on Britten's own recording), and as mentioned, the playing is near perfect and all the instruments in this wonderfully, economically scored work are audible. This is a truly great opera. You should own the Decca version, led by the composer himself, despite that it isn't up to this new one sonically. Bostridge fans will not be disappointed here, but Britten fans will want to hear Peter Pears in the role of Quint. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

One of the best opera recordings of the decade.......2006-05-23

As a non-fan of Ian Bostridge and the owner of two very good recordings of 'The Turn of the Screw,' I had avoided buying this new set. NOw that I have, I am amazed by its quality. Daniel Harding imparts riveting musical excitement into Britten's score, but more than that, the psychologtical realism from every singer hasn't been matched in any previous recording. Aided by crystal-clear sonics, each performer gives us every syllable of the all-important text. This can't be said even of Britten's classic (mono) recording or the excellent version under his disciple Steuart Bedford, where the resonant acoustic badly garbles the words.

This crystalline clarity draws one vividly into th cloudy terrors of James's ghost story, one in which extreme psychological states are hinted at but only occasionally erupt on the surface (in this regard, Turn of the Screw is Britten's mini-version of Pelleas and Melisande). Considering that Harding's conducting outdoes the composer, himself a great conductor, one expects even greater things from him in the future. The Amazon reviewer makes too much of Bostridge's pretty singing style--the tenor does a lot to change his tone into errie timbres when it's called for, and the very fact that he sounds boyish is creepy in and of itself. In sum, this performance is all but definitive.

LIBERA NOS A MALO.......2005-04-13

A good many years ago I attended a performance of The Turn of the Screw with Pears as Quint. Enough recollection stays with me to put Bostridge into some sort of context, and the general quality of the rest of that staging was nowhere near in the class of what we have here. I also had the opportunity to hear Daniel Harding conduct a concert of standard fare by Wagner, Mahler and Beethoven in Berlin just under a year ago, and this set reinforces what I suspected at that time, namely that great things might be expected of Harding were he given a bigger challenge.

This performance is nothing short of electrifying so far as I'm concerned. Harding's very thrusting tempi are to my own taste, as the plot of this sinister and ambiguous story tumbles headlong through fear, panic and nightmare. Neither Bostridge as Quint nor Vivian Tierney as Miss Jessel try to sing in `haunted-house' voices, nor should they in my opinion. In life both had obviously exercised personal human magnetism, however twisted or perverted Quint's personality might have been. Britten himself handles the sinister dimension through his vocal line and his orchestration, and he does not overdo it. Many years earlier Schubert had the sense and insight not to set the speeches of Goethe's Erlking to spooky music whereas Loewe did not, and interpreters should not try to force the issue here either. In any case no composer would give a bogeyman part to a tenor. Really this point is part and parcel of how one reads the story as a whole. Are Quint and Miss Jessel `real' in the sense that you or I might have seen or heard them if we had turned up on the scene collecting for charity or in some such totally uninvolved capacity? The more `real' they are in that sense the less they should be acted as fairground bogeys - the whole meaning of this story depends on the grip that Quint and Jessel retain on the children from the other side, and they gained that grip in the first place through being attractive human personalities in some sense. James quite explicitly refused to come off the fence as regards this, and just as explicitly said that it was for us to do our best with the question. I don't even believe that the admirable libretto by Myfanwy Piper comes off the fence either (nor should it), despite putting utterances into the mouths of the two and even giving them a ghostly dialogue - this could be perfectly well explained as dramatic licence, with the dead talking through their interaction in life as they might have been supposed to do while they still saw the sunlight. As for the rest, the Governess is a young, inexperienced and presumably nubile woman, Mrs Grose is an impressionable old biddy, and Miles is a boy on the verge of puberty, the very age most associated with recorded cases of poltergeists, telekinetic manifestations and other such problematical occurrences. What seems clear enough is that it was certainly not all just imagination or `dreaming'. At the very least there was some kind of `atmosphere' around the house of Bly, and I myself countenance no explanation that removes this great tale from the category of `ghost story'.

One can nitpick in various ways if one wants to, but I don't given that I side with the production in respect of the major points of issue. Jane Henschel's voice is probably more suggestive of the Royal College of Music than of a simple uneducated countrywoman, but what really made a big impression on me was how successfully this production dealt with the practical problem of a 2-hour-plus music-drama in which there is only one resonant male voice, and that in a comparatively brief part. The fast underlying pulse contributes a lot to this particular success, I don't for a moment doubt. The youngsters do very well indeed, the orchestra, who I understand to be a handpicked group, perform quite brilliantly in a dazzlingly-written score, and the recording does them all justice.

The liner note is far better than many, but it irritated me a little through its pretentious tone. The material on the music itself is more what a BMus student might write to impress examiners rather than my idea of something that gives illumination to the listener. As regards the background, it is really quite insightful here and there despite a certain amount of psychobabble (`...a knowing innocent caught between a threatening lover and a stifling mother-figure is perhaps too down to earth...and ultimately too reductive in general') and sociobabble (`...he is at another level equally preoccupied with the issues of social control and oppression resulting from the imposition of sexuality as a controlling force in modern society - issues which are no less social for being presented in this oblique guise'). Where it does seem to me acute and to the point is in recognising the effects of a culture that met even the normal processes of sexuality with repression and with denial. That this must have been particularly stressful and confusing for a composer whose own inclinations were literally a crime if acted on in his day seems only too easy to imagine. That the tensions thus engendered were a powerful stimulus to his genius I do not doubt either, and his pain is our gain.

A WONDERFUL OPERA, BUT....................2002-10-01

Benjamin Britten is one of the great composers of the Twentieth Century and, personally, one of my all-time favorites. That said, I just do not understand the "necessity" of a new recording of his opera THE TURN OF THE SCREW when there are three first-rate recordings available, one of them quite extraordinary.

The opera is certainly not as frequently performed as are either of Britten's two masterpieces, PETER GRIMES and BILLY BUDD mainly, I would guess, because it is a small story told with a small cast and a small (13 pieces total) orchestra. It simply would be drowned in most opera houses. The last time I saw the opera in a very interesting production at the New York City Opera, the space and the number of seats simply engulfed the characters; one could not concentrate on the story. How terrific it would be to see THE TURN OF THE SCREW in a theatre with only, say, 1000 seats.

The story is, of course, based on the Henry James novella and it is brilliantly set to music by Britten, with two starring roles for children as well as the soprano who plays their governess. There was a fine movie adapted from the James which starred Deborah Kerr as the children's governess and a more recent one, with Nicole Kidman.

The main reason for buying this CD set is because Ian Bostridge, a true star tenor, is playing the role of "Peter Quint." Bostridge has a gorgeous voice and, in person, he is a handsome, sensual performer. But in this recording, at least, there is not enough of the other-wordly about him, not enough depth of character, not enough acting and, in fact, too much purely beautiful singing.

THE TURN OF THE SCREW is a wonderful musical drama. If you want to investigate it, try the original recording on Decca starring Britten's muse, the incomparable Peter Pears.

Fine recording of a haunting opera.......2002-09-18

I always find Benjamin Britten's chamber opera THE TURN OF THE SCREW to be rather fascinating, as the work, which is based on Henry James' novella, is amenable to different interpretations. "Are Peter Quint and Miss Jessel ghosts, or are they merely figments of the imagination of the Governess?" one may ask. Stage producers can therefore either subscribe to the "hallucination theory or the "apparition school", or indeed a mixture of both. However, with Peter Quint and Miss Jessel actually singing quite a lot in the opera (unlike those mute phantoms in James' literary creation) and apparently communicating actively with the children, it is quite inevitable that the audience may conclude that some supernatural powers are indeed at work in Bly. Anyway, the unrelieved dramatic tension of the plot, the clever musical and structural design of the opera, the vivid characters and the splendid orchestration for a chamber orchestra comprising of virtuoso instrumentalists have rendered this work a masterpiece.

Like the case for the drama, there can be different interpretations for some of the roles, as shown in this new recording of the complete opera by Virgin Classics. Joan Rodgers, in the central role of the Governess, gives a splendid performance. Her voice, young sounding and radiantly lyrical, is perfect for the part. Some may find this Governess not sufficiently desperate when confronted by the worsening scenario. Yet, I believe Rodgers has here chosen an alternative approach that highlights the steely will power of the character. Indeed, one can gradually sense the Governess's increasing determination, and perhaps even obsession, in protecting the children, Miles in particular, which somehow renders her no less a predator vis-a-vis the children than Quint, and therefore equally responsible for the final tragedy. Indeed, when she and Quint sing the same musical lines (but to slightly different texts) immediately after the collapse of Miles, one realises with a shudder that perhaps the Governess and Quint are actually spiritual siblings and, instead of being deadly opponents, are merely the two sides of the same coin, as has been hinted at by Britten's remarkable music for these two pivotal roles.

Quint is here sung by Ian Bostridge, who delivers an object lesson in operatic pronunciation. His is extremely vivid in the Prologue, making every word tell and thereby very successfully sets the stage for the enigma that is to unfold. In the opera proper, this fine tenor, who has garnered so much praise for his lieder singing, infuses every note with meaning, from which one can get more than a glimpse of the sinister nature of the dark character that he is portraying. Quint's eerie melismas at his first vocal entrance are incanted with great musical precision. That said, I found this passage to be not as rhythmically pliant or seductive as it should be, in particular as these vocal melismas are usually regarded as the personification of sweet corruption. Vivian Tierney is a gleaming and vocally rock solid Miss Jessell, who succeeds in conveying much of the character's frustration, even though a more melancholic or mournful delivery of some of her laments may have suited the role even more.

Jane Henschel is a formidable Mrs Grose. While her voice is a trifle too large for the role, and her singing at times sounds a little unwieldy, her characterization (through subtle vocal inflections) is enormously interesting for, unlike the straight-forward and up-right house-keeper that we usually encounter in the part, one cannot be sure this time which side of the fence she is actually sitting on. Quite a dramatically ambiguous, and therefore interesting, portrayal! The children roles of Miles and Flora are often difficult to cast, and here they are taken by Julian Leang and Caroline Wise, whose voices and demeanor suit the characters well. Yet, Leang sometimes sounds a trifle too weak in voice, especially in the final scene where Miles, forced into a tight corner by the two adults, should more appropriately sound like a person at the end of his tether rather than the wayward kid who is merely sulking.

Daniel Harding and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra give a refreshing, texturally transparent and technically most accomplished account of the wonderful score. The instrumentalists all play with diamond precision and their teamwork is exemplary. Their evocation of nature is beautifully handled and there is always a palpable sense of inner tension, which is so important for this work. However, some of the climaxes (such as the duet of Quint and Miss Jessell that opens Act II, the macabre piano-playing scene and the final passacaglia) are somewhat understated (or too cautiously handled) such that some of their musical impact is lost as a result.

Customer Reviews:

Britten's lesser operas?.......2007-05-29

Of course it's all a matter of taste. I find most of Britten's operas first class with no exception. 'Gloriana' is an under-recorded jewel, full of melody and emotion. 'Turn of the Screw' a masterpiece of claustrophobic sense. 'Rape of Lucretia' full of chamber sensibility. And the performances cannot be bettered.
Need I say more? DECCA is paying an enormous service to collectors with these releases, especially those who have a real concern with storage space. They deserve 10 stars, if available.

Britten's lesser operas.......2007-05-13

I loved Britten's Operas 1. So I snatched this item up right away. It's o.k. but not as good as the first collection. Death in Venice was the only opera on these discs that I really cared for. It's every bit as good as the Hickox version so if you already have one there's really no need to buy the other. As for the other operas they're nowhere near as good as Billy Budd, Peter Grimes, or Albert Herring. For those just discovering Britten's operas start out with the first boxed set.

Average customer rating:

A must for hard core britten fans
excellent and terrific opera
Better Than the Composer's Own Recording!

Britten: The Turn of the Screw

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Britten: The Turn Of The Screw / Britten, Pears, Vyvyan, Cross, et al

ASIN: B00009NJ1G
Release Date: 2004-01-20

Tracks:

The Prologue
Theme: Scene 1 - The Journey
Variation I: Scene 2 - The Welcome
Variation II: Scene 3 - The Letter
Variation III: Scene 4 - The Tower
Variation IV: Scene 5 - The Window
Variation V: Scene 6 - The Lesson
Variation VI: Scene 7 - The Lake
Variation VII: Scene 8 - At Night

Tracks:

Variation VIII: Scene 1 - Colloquy And Soliloquy
Variation IX: Scene 2 - The Bells
Variation X: Scene 3 - Miss Jessel
Variation XI: Scene 4 - The Bedroom
Variation XII: Scene 5 - Quint
Variation XIII: Scene 6 - The Piano
Variation XIV: Scene 7 - Flora
Variation XV: Scene 8 - Miles

Customer Reviews:

A must for hard core britten fans.......2005-08-02

The concept of basing each scene of this chamber opera on a set of variations is a fascinating one. But its basically an intellectual excercise. This is one of Britten's most sterile scores. He wrote it quickly and it shows. The piece, based on a famous tale, works in the theater so it has held the stage. The cast of this recording is a group of top notch professionals so it is satisfying on that level. Just don't expect to be swept up in it like one can be with "Peter Grimes."

excellent and terrific opera.......2004-07-08

This is one of the greatest operas of Britten, based on a novella, an amazing ghost story of Henry James. The librettos was written by the composer's close friend Myfanwy Piper, who the librettist of "Death in Venice". The libretto is also very impressive, as like the main story.

This recording is really excellent. Actually, this was released on Collins Classics in 1994. The cast is very succesful. Felicity Lott's Governess, Sam Pay's (treble) Miles and of course Philip Langridge's Quint are excellent. And even so, Steuart Bedford is really a champion on performance of Britten's any works.

This recording is only comparable with Britten's own mono recording made in 1950's. This was made with Peter Pears as Quint role. But this Bedford recording, may be better than Britten's recording, because the composer's record is from 50s and mono, but Bedford's is an excellent stereo record made in 1990's.

This opera scored for a small ensemble, as you know. It calls only six singers and a 13-musicians ensemble. And this opera is a really excellent example of the composer's creating how very impressive and spine-chilling atmosphere with a small ensemble.

This 2-CD set also includes full libretto and detailed synopsis. At this price this is a must have for any Britten and opera admirers.

Highly recommended.

Better Than the Composer's Own Recording!.......2004-06-01

I didn't think I'd ever say this about a Britten opera recording, but we have here a modern performance that surpasses the one Britten conducted and recorded back in the 1950s. In every respect this is superior to the earlier album, with one exception: no one can surpass Peter Pears as the evil Peter Quint. Of course the part was written for him. This is not to say Philip Langridge doesn't do a wonderful job in his own portrayal; I guess I've been so imprinted on the sound of Pears's voice that I had some trouble making the switch. But the rest of the cast is simply superior to the earlier one. And this is particularly true in the case of the little boy, Miles, sung here by Sam Pay; he is sensational and easily outclasses David Hemmings (a not-very-good boy soprano who then grew up to become an actor in movies; remember him in 'Blowup' and as Mordred in 'Camelot'?). Pay's final 'Peter Quint, you devil!' is heart-breaking. Also superior are Felicity Lott as The Governess, Eileen Hulse as Flora, Phyllis Cannan as Mrs Grose, and Nadine Secunde as Miss Jessel. Further, the modern stereo sound replaces a rather harsh monaural recorded sound from the 1950s. This is particularly welcome as regards the orchestral sound; in the original recording the chamber orchestra sounded a bit thin and distant. Here the Aldeburgh Festival Ensemble is recorded in clear and lifelike sound. As well as I thought I knew the score, I heard new things in the orchestra that I hadn't known were there.

Steuart Bedford, of course, is our reigning Britten specialist. He was a long-time colleague of Britten's, has conducted all of his operas over the years, and was entrusted by the ailing Britten with the première of 'Death in Venice.'

This is actually a reissue by Naxos of a 2CD set first published in 1994 by the now-defunct Collins Classics. I'm sorry to say I missed it when it came out but thank goodness Naxos has seen fit to put it out again, as they did Collins's excellent 'Albert Herring' a year or so ago. It, like the recently reissued 'St. Nicholas' cantata, was also conducted by Bedford. One can hope that Bedford's other Collins/Britten CDs, including 'Gloriana,' orchestral music and several song recitals, will be reissued as well.

Tracks:

Prologue - ROHCG/Sir Colin Davis
Act One: Theme: Scene 1: The Journey - Helen Donath
Act One: Interlude: Var I, Scene 2: The Welcome - Michael Ginn/Lillian Watson/Ava June/Helen Donath
Act One: Interlude: Var II, Scene 3: The Letter - Ava June/Helen Donath/Michael Ginn/Lillian Watson
Act One: Interlude: Var III, Scene 4: The Tower - Helen Donath
Act One: Interlude: Var IV, Scene 5: The Window - Michael Ginn/Lillian Watson/Helen Donath/Ava June
Act One: Interlude: Var V, Scene 6: The Lesson - Lillian Watson/Helen Donath/Michael Ginn
Act One: Interlude: Var VI, Scene 7: The Lake - Lillian Watson/Helen Donath/Michael Ginn
Act One: Interlude: Var VII, Scene : At Night - Robert Tear/Michael Ginn/Lillian Watson/Heather Harper/Helen Donath/Ava June

Tracks:

Act Two: Interlude: Var VIII, Scene 1: Colloquy And Soliloquy - Heather Harper/Robert Tear/Helen Donath
Act Two: Interlude: Var IX, Scene 2: The Bells - Michael Ginn/Lillian Watson/Ava June/Helen Donath
Act Two: Interlude: Var X, Scene 3: Miss Jessel - Helen Donath/Heather Harper
Act Two: Interlude: Var XI, Scene 4: The Bedroom - Michael Ginn/Helen Donath/Robert Tear
Act Two: Interlude: Var XII, Scene 5: Quint - Robert Tear
Act Two: Interlude: Var XII, Scene 6: The Piano - Helen Donath/Ava June/Lillian Watson
Act Two: Interlude: Var XIV, Scene 7: Flora - Ava June/Helen Donath/Heather Harper/Lillian Watson
Act Two: Interlude: Var XV, Scene 8: Miles - Helen Donath/Ava June/Michael Ginn/Robert Tear

Customer Reviews:

It is a curious story..........2000-11-26

I first heard The Turn of the Screw in an opera class I was taking, and I instintly fell in love with it. The story is incredable and the music is haunting. For a person just getting into opera this is the opera for you. The plot is easy to follow and sung in english, there are only six people in the opera and the size of the ochestra is small. The Music is unforegettable and it will have you humming the tunes long after you have listened to it. If you like this Opera listen to Bluebeards Castle by Bela Bartok

a must.......2000-11-24

Colin Davies faced a big challenge: recording an opera which we know in the version of its composer. He comes away with flying colours. Particularly in such a difficult piece where a whole musical universe must be created with only 14 instruments!

This version has nothing to envy the original Britten/Pears one. It is downright scary and frightening. All comes together: the libretto, the atmosphere, the music.

Britten: Turn of the Screw (Complete) [Germany]
Average customer rating:
Britten: Turn of the Screw (Complete) [Germany]
Vyvyan , Hemmings , Dyer , Cross , Pears , Mandikian , Britten , and English Opera Group Orchestra
Manufacturer: Meisterwerke
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000AMUM9C
Release Date: 2006-05-08

Tracks:

Prologue
Act 1. Theme: Scene 1. The Journey
Act 1. Interlude: Variation I. Scene 2. The Welcome
Act 1. Interlude: Variation Ii. Scene 3. The Letter
Act 1. Interlude: Variation Iii. Scene 4. The Tower
Act 1. Interlude: Variation Iv. Scene 5. The Window
Act 1. Interlude: Variation V. Scene 6. The Lesson
Act 1. Interlude: Variation Vi. Scene 7. The Lake
Act 1. Interlude: Variation Vii. Scene 8. At Night
Act 2. Interlude: Variation Viii. Scene 1. Colloquy And Soliloquy
Act 2. Interlude: Variation Ix. Scene 2. The Bells
Act 2. Interlude: Variation X. Scene 3. Miss Jessel
Act 2. Interlude: Variation Xi. Scene 4. The Bedroom
Act 2. Interlude: Variation Xii. Scene 5. Quint
Act 2. Interlude: Variation Xiii. Scene 6. The Piano
Act 2. Interlude: Variation Xiv. Scene 7. Flora
Act 2. Interlude: Variation Xv. Scene 8. Miles

Album Description

2 CD digipak of the complete opera composed and conducted by Benjamin Britten. Recorded in 1954. Membran. 2005.

Album Details

2 CD Digipack.

Benjamin Britten: The Turn of the Screw / Stuart Bedford, Aldeburgh Festival Ensemble

Average customer rating:

An outstanding recording of an operatic masterpiece
If you like recititive...you'll love this

Benjamin Britten: The Turn of the Screw / Stuart Bedford, Aldeburgh Festival Ensemble
Felicity Lott , Philip Langridge , Nadine Secunde , Steuart Bedford , and Benjamin Britten
Manufacturer: Collins Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003W1E
Release Date: 1994-05-24

Tracks:

The Prologue
Theme: Scene 1
Var I: Scene 2
Var II: Scene 3
Var III: Scene 4
Var IV: Scene 5
Var V: Scene 6
Var VI: Scene 7
Var VII: Scene 8

Tracks:

Var VIII: Scene 1
Var IX: Scene 2
Var X: Scene 3
Var XI: Scene 4
Var XII: Scene 5
Var XIII: Scene 6
Var XIV: Scene 7
Var XV: Scene 8

Customer Reviews:

An outstanding recording of an operatic masterpiece.......2002-06-18

I'm delighted to see a listing for this recording, because I consider it the best to date of Britten's thrilling, gripping chamber opera. Its unique scoring for 6 high voices (5 of them soprano/treble) and 13 instrumentalists weaves a spell like no other opera. It is stuffed with gorgeous melodies, and musical themes that grab hold in the memory after just one hearing. (The ensemble in which all the voices join at the end of Act I is only one of the memorable scenes -- the Governess gets stunning arias in each act and there are also lovely duets and instrumental interludes.) This recording features razor-sharp conducting by Steuart Bedford and uniformly impressive singing, especially by Felicity Lott, Philip Langridge, and Nadine Secunde. Highest recommendation.

If you like recititive...you'll love this.......2001-06-01

Maybe it's just because I like a defined melody or a theme that can become stuck in your head, but the style of "The Turn of the Screw" wasn't one that fit me. I like a lot of opera, but had a tough time with this one. I was expecting more defined arias and an occasional group number with all six characters singing together, but I didn't get this. From beginning to end...it was mostly recititive. I like to hear this in Italian, but it loses its effect in English. It definately reflects the modern time in which it was composed. While the orchestra is still a normal orchestra, the music was not like Wagner, Mozart, or Verdi. Britten and Piper wrote appropriately for the fifties, but if you are a fan of hard core classical and romantic opera, "The Turn of the Screw" is not for you. The voices are beautiful and the music is great. It is too free flowing for me, but others may really enjoy it.

Average customer rating:

Britten:Turn of the Screw Complete
Pears , Vyvyan , and Hemming
Manufacturer: Msi Music Corp
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0000DEPE3
Release Date: 2002-08-26

Average customer rating:

Britten:Turn of the Screw Complete
Donath , Harper , and Tear
Manufacturer: Msi Music Corp
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0000DEPE4
Release Date: 2002-07-23

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