{"product_id":"britten-the-rape-of-lucretia-3","title":"Britten: The Rape of Lucretia","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eBRITTEN \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eThe Rape of Lucretia \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003ePaul Daniel, cond; Sarah Connolly (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eLucretia\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Christopher Maltman (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eTarquinius\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); John Mark Ainsley (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eMale Chorus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Orla Boylan (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eFemale Chorus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Clive Bayley (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eCollatinus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Leigh Melrose (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eJunius\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Catherine Wyn-Rogers (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eBianca\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Mary Nelson (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eLucia\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); O of the English Natl Op \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eOPUS ARTE 7135 (Blu-ray: 120:00) Live: Aldeburgh 6\/2001 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePremiered at Glyndebourne in July of 1946, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eThe Rape of Lucretia \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewas Britten’s first stage work after \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ePeter Grimes, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand the first he called a “chamber opera.” It was composed for just eight singers and a chamber ensemble of 12 instrumentalists, but a good performance of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eLucretia \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003epacks at least as much of an emotional wallop as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ePeter Grimes \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eor \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eBilly Budd, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand this performance is indeed a good one. A mood of dread and tense expectation is established in the opening scene for the Roman generals—Collatinus, Junius, and the depraved Tarquinius—that hardly lets up for the entire work. Four of the singes are truly top-notch: John Mark Ainsley and Orla Boylan as the Male and Female Chorus, Sarah Connolly in the title role, and Christopher Maltman (officially a “Barihunk,” who gets to take his shirt off for the rape scene) portraying Tarquinius. The other singers also cover their roles quite effectively. For example, the peaceful oasis in act I, scene 2, where the servants Bianca and Lucia wordlessly accompany the Female Chorus, is especially lovely. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs is frequently the case for this artist, stage director David McVicar questions, clarifies, and reconsiders. In a brief “Extra Feature,” McVicar explains that he actively rebelled against Britten’s specific instructions that the Male and Female Chorus should comment on the action, but not participate in it. Here, the two interact on stage with the other six singers, which makes the production considerably more theatrical and much less stylized. One reason, McVicar offers, is that Lucretia’s relationship with the Female Chorus can counter the typical “objectification” of the character—we can more easily understand her as something other than a sexual target. Lucretia’s costume is almost frumpish; she’s no fancier in her dress than her servants. She sports a plain, short hairstyle and wears very little jewelry. This wife of a powerful Roman general is certainly no temptress. This effort to de-glamorize the character may further confuse the already confused matter as to why Lucretia feels any sense of blame for her violation, why she won’t accept her husband’s absolution and kills herself. McVicar doesn’t seem to have much trouble with the opera’s “Christian” epilog, which was added (perhaps, it’s been said, at the urging of Peter Pears) to soften the harsh tragedy of Lucretia’s death by invoking the suffering and sacrifice of Christ. The director reminds us that the work was introduced just following World War II, when the world was attempting to come to grips with the senseless horror of the Holocaust. But a listener certainly won’t feel warm and fuzzy after the final blackout: This production maintains plenty of the moral ambiguity inherent to the score and libretto. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn keeping with the modest musical forces employed, Yannis Thavoris’s set and costume design is simple, attempting no profound commentary of its own. The recorded sound is good, with excellent detail to reveal Britten’s imaginative use of the small orchestra. Subtitle choices are English, French, German, Japanese, and Korean. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: Andrew Quint \u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Opus Arte","offers":[{"title":"DVD","offer_id":49608073412888,"sku":"809478011231","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/2498097_c86a7497-91bd-4e27-82b0-1a6cbb63d015.jpg?v=1777684731","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/britten-the-rape-of-lucretia-3","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}