• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

Michelle's blog

Food allergy and food intolerance, freefrom foods, electrosensitivity, this and that...

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • FreeFrom Food Awards
  • Foods Matter
  • Walks & Gardens
  • Salon Music
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • FreeFrom Food Awards
  • Foods Matter
  • Walks & Gardens
  • Salon Music

Grimes on the Beach

20/06/2013 //  by Michelle Berridale Johnson//  2 Comments

For those who do not already know, this year is the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Britten, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. Britten lived for most of his life near Aldeburgh, on the Suffolk coast, where, in 1948, he started a music festival which is still very much running, indeed world famous, today. Although he wrote music for many disciplines, his operas and choral works, many based on well known literary works (Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Turn of the Screw, The War Requiem) are probably his best known and best loved works – none more so than Peter Grimes inspired by George Crabbe’s poem about a a fisherman, in Aldeburgh, three of whose apprentices die in mysterious circumstances.

Britten’s music is extraordinarily atmospheric. In Peter Grimes the North Sea pounding on the Suffolk coast forms the backdrop to the oppressive and scary tale as the townsfolk gradually turn against Peter Grimes and finally drive him out to sea to a watery death rather than face retribution for the deaths of his apprentices. So, in one way it seems a no-brainer to stage the opera on the actual beach where the action took place. But staging a full blown opera on a beach?….. Especially a North Sea beach where the wind howls and all too often the rain pours down. So inspired, but also incredibly brave of the Aldeburgh Festival to celebrate Britten’s hundredth anniversay by doing just that – staging a performance of Peter Grimes on the beach at Aldeburgh.

And, amazingly – it worked! For starters, it didn’t rain! Yes, the wind howled, whipping the towns folks’ washing nearly off the lines as they hung it up in Act 1, and the audience shivered in their parkas and scarves and blankets on the temporary seating rigged on the beach – but only in sympathy with Peter Grimes and the real life cast battling through the nor’easter up there on the wonderful wooden boat and jetty stage – as seen here in the BBC’s image of the dress rehearsal.

bbc Grimes on the BeachAnd as the sun sank, the darkness that wrapped the stage merely reflected the growing darkness of the tale and of the music. No, before you ask, it was not a live orchestra – the orchestral score had been recorded a week earlier as orchestral instruments seriously do not like sand and sea water and would probably have gone on strike – but the singing was totally live. Discreetly mic’ed in the case of the soloists but just singing out in the case of the chorus of townsfolk who play such a vital role in the tale – all even more discreetly conducted by Steuart Bedford hidden in a small wooden shelter at the front of the stage.

Grimes on the Beach

The critics, like the audiences, were universally, bowled over. See here for Andrew Clements in the Guardian, or here for Michael Church in the Independent or here for Hugo Shirley in the Daily Telegraph. And so they should be. Not just by the individual and chorus performances but by the Leslie Travers’ wonderful set, Lucy Carter’s evocative lighting and Tim Albery’s perfectly pitched direction.

There was another performance last night and one more on Friday, weather permitting – but I cannot believe that they will not revive it next year. If they do, and if you can, go! To quote Michael Church:

Opera-house productions of Peter Grimes will come and go, but for me – and probably for everyone else at this extraordinary spectacle – none will hold a candle to what we witnessed under a black sky, in a biting wind, by the water’s edge.

I absolutely agree….

Category: MusicTag: Aldeburgh Festival, Benjamin Britten, Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream, Britten's War Requiem, Grimes on the Beach, Leslie Travers set design, Lucy Carter lighting design, Peter Grimes, Steuart Bedford conductor, Tim Albery director, Turn of the Screw

Previous Post: « FreeFrom in Europe – and Freiburg
Next Post: Food allergy and bullying »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jeemboh

    20/06/2013 at 13:50

    Its hard to know how Ben would have reacted to this concept had he been around to participate in it. Despite being one of the most original musical minds of the twentieth or any other century he had a conservative streak, particularly when it came to technology. On the other hand he was a man of the theatre who enjoyed success however it was achieved, so in the end he would have loved it.

    Lets hope they do it again next year. I’ll be first in line for tickets.

  2. Michelle

    20/06/2013 at 14:42

    I cannot believe that he would not have approved. Whatever the minor musical shortcomings which resulted from the only partially live performance, even he would have been bowled over by the gripping theatricality of the piece!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Colliding with a new reality – the hazards of low vision
  • Call for adult allergy sufferers
  • The vegan/allergy labelling issue
  • A gluten free Christmas just could be delicious – not a penance!
  • A food fad won’t kill you – an allergy will

Search this blog

ARCHIVES

Blogroll

  • Allergy Insight
  • Better brains, naturally
  • For Ever FreeFrom
  • Free From (gluten)
  • Freefrom Food Awards
  • Gluten-free Mrs D
  • Natural Health Worldwide
  • Pure Health Clinic
  • Skins Matter
  • The Helminthic Therapy Wiki
  • Truly Gluten Free
  • What Allergy?

TOPICS

A food fad won’t kill you – an allergy will

There has been a predictable outcry in the allergy world this week’s in response to Rachel Johnson’s piece in Thursday’s Evening Standard on ‘dietary requirements’ and food fads. Being charitable, I am assuming that she has never suffered from or lived with someone with a food allergy. However, I do have some sympathy with her …

Bioplastics – a solution or part of the problem?

Everyday Plastic is a social enterprise group using accessible learning and publicity campaigns to reduce the amount of plastics used daily in our society. It was founded by its current director Daniel Webb who, having moved to Margate in Kent in 2016, was horrified to discover that there were no plastic recycling options on offer.  …

FreeFrom Christmas Awards – the Winners

Since they were launched two years ago the FreeFrom Christmas Awards have been a great success. And how lucky are ‘freefrom-ers’ these days!  From Advent calendars to gifts, party food to Christmas dinner, there is no longer any need for them to miss out. Indeed, the whole family can happily eat freefrom and never know …

Do not extradite Julian Assange to the US

Julian Assange is being sought by the current US administration for publishing US government documents which exposed war crimes and human rights abuses. The politically motivated charges represent an unprecedented attack on press freedom and the public’s right to know – seeking to criminalise basic journalistic activity. Assange is facing a 175-year sentence for publishing …

What to believe – applying critical thought

For the average citizen evaluating the claims made for cure all – or even improve all – health products and procedures has always been difficult. Not only is it an area in which we have minimal expertise but most of us have a vested interest in finding a miracle intervention that will solve our health …

Could wireless monitoring devices be killing racehorses?

Regular readers may remember that back in August last year I alerted you to a posting on Arthur Firstenberg’s Cellphone Task Force site about phone masts and bird flu. Could there be a connection between the fact that the two wildlife sites in Holland and Northern France which had suffered catastrophic bird flu deaths were …

Site Footer

Copyright © 2025 · Michelle's Blog · Michelle Berridale Johnson · Site design by DigitalJen·