Prom 60: Glyndebourne's Billy Budd silences the Albert Hall

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 29 August 2013

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Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 27 August 2013

Britten, Billy Budd (semi-staged performance)

Jacques Imbrailo, Billy Budd

Mark Padmore, Captain Vere

Brindley Sherratt, John Claggart

Stephen Gadd, Mr Redburn

David Soar, Mr Flint

Darren Jeffery, Lieutenant Ratcliffe

Alasdair Elliott, Red Whiskers

Jeremy White, Dansker

John Moore, Donald

Peter Gijsbertsen, Novice

Colin Judson, Squeak

Richard Mosley-Evans, Bosun

Glyndebourne Festival Opera

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Sir Andrew Davis, Conductor

A deli-cious revival of Rossini’s Il turco in Italia at Glyndebourne

Dominic Lowe, 23rd May

Mariame Clément’s production of Rossini's meta comedy is tightly revived with some excellent singing. Come for the writing tips, stay for the cured meats.

****1

Glyndebourne’s first Tosca: vocally strong but imperfect

David Karlin, 21st May

Ted Huffman brings some interesting ideas to his first Glyndebourne production. Excellent singing is let down by indifferent physical acting.

***11

Glyndebourne revives Michieletto’s Kátya Kabanová

Mark Valencia, 3rd August

Damiano Michieletto’s production of Janáček’s opera breaks a key tenet of high-concept opera: where it should reveal, it obfuscates.

***11

All the world’s a jest: Falstaff returns to Glyndebourne

Mark Pullinger, 23rd July

Richard Jones' 2009 production returns to Glyndebourne after a long absence, but the 1940s comedy scrubs up fresh.

***11

A strong new Figaro opens at Glyndebourne

Dominic Lowe, 29th June

Mariame Clément is a popular director at Glyndebourne, and her new production of Figaro shows her trademark approach to hardhitting comedy.

****1

Glyndebourne's Saul still packs a punch 10 years on

Nick Boston, 8th June

Returning from the original run, Christopher Purves and Iestyn Davies were joined by a strong cast and chorus for a revival of Barrie Kosky's striking production.

*****

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Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres is a Bristol-based film composer and classical electronic artist. Alexandra's passion in scoring and as a performer lie in the duality between the classical and electronica worlds, moving picture and her love for the piano. Her music has been described by The White Room Magazine as “majestic, at times monumental…the force and vastness of nature”.