Benjamin: Written on Skin (complete opera recorded in 2013) BLU-RAY
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GEORGE BENJAMIN
Benjamin: Written on Skin (complete opera recorded in 2013) BLU-RAY
Royal Opera House / Christopher Purves, Barbara Hannigan, Bejun Mehta, Victoria Simmonds / George Benjamin (cond)
[ Opus Arte Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc ]
Release Date: Wednesday 20 August 2014
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Suitable for General Audiences
Text: Martin Crimp
When Written on Skin had its premiere at the 2012 Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, conducted by George Benjamin himself, it received a standing ovation. The opera's arrival at Covent Garden in 2013 was eagerly anticipated, and provided audiences with the opportunity to experience the work of two of Britain's greatest living artists. Benjamin previously collaborated with playwright Martin Crimp on Into the Little Hill, a magical retelling of the Pied Piper fairytale, and for this new work they joined forces with acclaimed stage director Katie Mitchell. For all three, the production marked their main-stage debut at the Royal Opera House.
The tale, inspired by a medieval legend, tells of an ill-fated troubadour, drawn into a liaison with an innocent maiden. But they are observed by the jealous eye of her protector, who wreaks a shocking revenge on the young couple.
Written on Skin draws on a 12th-century Occitan legend about the troubadour Guillaume de Cabestanh.
Extra features: Interview with George Benjamin, Introduction to Written on Skin and a Cast gallery.
Running time: 89 minutes
Subtitles EN/FR/DE/JA
Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS
"Filming and sound are both excellent, as one now expects from this source. Benjamin's score ranges from passages of exquisite iridescence, revealing his debt to Debussy and Ravel, to climaxes that explode with an orchestral violence new to his work. Nothing less would suit the opera's bloodthirsty climax (had Benjamin and Crimp been watching Titus Andronicus the night before?). The cast is excellent, especially Barbara Hannigan as the wife, combining vocal trapeze-work with a thoroughly modern dramatic intensity, and Christopher Purves in the Golaud-like role of the husband, forever searching for, and denying to himself, the truth. A new opera that will surely repay repeated viewings." GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE AWARD WINNER 2014 - Contemporary
"This is an outstanding release in every way...Benjamin's extraordinary music is breathtaking in its lightly worn compositional virtuosity...The cast is sensational...Hannigan deserves all the superlatives in the dictionary...make no mistake: this is a true masterpiece."
(BBC Music Five Stars)
"Benjamin's contribution is the most consistently impressive facet...Mehta makes much of the Boy's enigmatic presence without ever becoming a cipher for the vulnerabilties of others...The DVD conveys much of the claustrophobic power of this production...Make no mistake, this is an opera certain to endure." (International Record Review)
