tracks

Billy Budd Opera In Four Acts Music By Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) Libretto By E.M. Forster And Eric Crozier After The Story By Herman Melville
Prologue: I am an old man ...
Act I
Pull, My Bantams! Pull, My Sparrow-Legs! *
Boat Ahoy! Guard Boat! Indomitable!
Billy Budd, King Of The Birds!
I Heard, Your Honour! Yes! I Heard.
Come Along, Kid! *
That's The One To Study If You Want To Dodge Punishment.
Officers And Men Of The Indomitable, I Greet You!
Act II
Boy! My Compliments To Mr. Redburn And Mr. Flint ...
Ay, At Spithead The Men May Have Had Their Grievances . . .
Orchestral Interlude; Blow Her Away! Blow Her To Hilo, Riley!
Here Lads! Here! Come Here! Remember This One? *
Handsomely Done, My Lad.
Come Here. Remember Your Promise.
Billy! Hist, Billy Budd! *
Dansker Old Friend, Glad To See You.
Act III
I Don’t Like The Look Of The Mist, Mister Redburn.
Deck Ahoy! Enemy Sail On Starboard Bow!
There You Are Again, Master-at-Arms.
Orchestral Interlude; Claggart, John Claggart, Beware!
[You Must] Forget All That For The Moment. *
The Mists Have Cleared.
Orchestral Interlude; William Budd, You Are Accused. . .
I Accept Their Verdict.
Act IV
Look! Through The Port Comes The Moonshine Astray!
Orchestral Interlude; “According To The Articles Of War ...”
Epilogue: We Committed His Body To The Deep.
4:41

notes

World Premiere Performance, December 1, 1951
[Original 4-Act version]

? & © 1993 VAI Audio
Made in U.S.A.

CD 1: 60:22; CD 2: 47:00; CD3: 42:54
TT: 153:23

12-page booklet includes cast list, tracklist, details of omissions (see below) and notes on recording.

First issue of a non-commercial archive recording of a major Britten work on CD (p.5). This "off-the-air" recording is of "variable technical quality" (p.4). Tracks marked in tracklist by asterisks omit brief sections of music, as is noted on back cover insert. Booklet (p.4) contains both sung text of missing passages and musical references "to the original edition of the vocal score" (Hawkes & Son, 1951).

Quotations from Britten's letters © 1993 The Trustees of the Britten-Pears Foundation
Quotations from Peter Pears's letters © 1993 The Executors of Sir Peter Pears
Notes © 1993 Philip Reed

Front cover: Theodor Uppman as Billy Budd, photo by Angus McBean
Back cover: Peter Pears as Captain Vere, photo by Roger Wood,
courtesy of Roger Gross

Front cover: "Printed in Canada" inside small ellipse; legend "Never before available!" at lower right.

credits

Baritone Vocals [Mr Redburn] – - Hervey Alan
Baritone Vocals [Billy Budd] – - Theodor Uppman
Baritone Vocals [Donald] – - Bryan Drake
Baritone Vocals [Novice's Friend] – - John Cameron
Bass Vocals [Bosun] – - Ronald Lewis
Bass Vocals [Claggart] – - Frederick Dalberg
Bass Vocals [Dansker] – - Inia Te Wiata
Bass Vocals [First Mate] – - Rhydderch Davies
Bass Vocals [Mr Ratcliffe] – - Michael Langdon
Bass Vocals [Second Mate] – - Hubert Littlewood
Bass-Baritone Vocals [Mr Flint] – - Geraint Evans
Chorus – - Chorus Of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Composed By, Conductor – - Benjamin Britten
Libretto By – - E. M. Forster , - Eric Crozier (2)
Liner Notes – - Philip Reed (3)
Mastered By – - Doug Pomeroy
Orchestra – - Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Photography By [Peter Pears as Captain Vere] – - Roger Wood (2)
Photography By [Theodor Uppman as Billy Budd] – - Angus McBean
Producer [CD] – - Allan Altman
Tenor Vocals [Arthur Jones] – - Alan Hobson
Tenor Vocals [Captain Vere] – - Peter Pears
Tenor Vocals [Maintop] – - Emlyn Jones (3)
Tenor Vocals [Novice] – - Wiiliam McAlpine
Tenor Vocals [Red Whiskers] – - Anthony Marlowe
Tenor Vocals [Squeak] – - David Tree
Treble Vocals [Midshipmen] – - Brian Ettridge , - Colin Waller (3) , - Kenneth Nash (5) , - Peter Spencer (10)
Voice Actor [Cabin Boy] – - Peter Flynn

companies

Phonographic Copyright VAI Audio
Copyright VAI Audio

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