The Royal Theatre, Copenhagen - September 15, 1949Libretto by Eric Crozier and Directed by Basil Coleman
Joan Cross, Gladys Parr, Margaret Ritchie, Otakar Kraus, Roy Ashton, Norman Lumsden, Denis Dowling, Peter Pears, Nancy Evans, Catherine Lawson, Anne Sharp, Elisabeth Parry & Alan Thompson The English Opera Group Chamber Orchestra, Benjamin Britten This live recording is of a performance given by the
English Opera Group, conducted by the composer in
the Theatre Royal, Copenhagen on 15th September
1949. It is a fascinating document, coming, as it does,
only two years after the first performance of the opera
and with no less than eleven members of the original
cast still in the team. The composer’s studio recording
of Albert Herring was not made until 1964, and,
excellent though it is, by then Peter Pears was the only
role-creator still in the cast. All limitation of the sound
quality aside, this is a wonderful survivor and one of
the earliest recorded examples of Britten and the EOG
in performance. “…this Herring features almost entirely original cast members… it's still highly listenable, and illuminating. The first thing one notices is the warmth of Britten's conducting, and indeed the whole performance.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2008 ***** “…the ensemble's experience with, and relish for, this tricky score (all but two were members of the Glyndebourne cast) shines out. Britten conducts with immense vitality and needle-sharp attention to shifting moods, evoking frequent but never distracting laughter from an attentive audience.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2008 | 
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Gramophone Magazine
