Tippett - King Priam / Nicholas Hytner, Sir Roger Norrington, Kent Opera VHS

Michael Tippett's second opera received its world premiere at the 1962 Coventry Cathedral Festival, just a few days apart from Benjamin Britten's 'War Requiem.' Both composers were committed pacifists, and both works are powerful and eloquent artistic expressions of their sincerely and deeply held convictions. 'King Priam' must be counted among Tippett's finest achievements in any genre, certainly the most thoroughly convincing of his 5 operas: the mythical setting spares us most of the verbal embarrassment of his 'contemporary' libretti, and the fact that the characters are acting out destinies that are in some sense pre-ordained (despite their periodic wrestling with the ethics of 'choice') means that Tippett does not have to face the challenge of portraying characters who grow and change - always his Achilles' heel (sorry) as a musical dramatist... Finally, this is one of the very few operas - Berlioz's 'Les Troyens' is another - that recreates the harsh world of Greek mythology in a completely convincing way.This 1985 video is a wonderful record of the excellent Kent Opera production directed by Nicholas Hytner, who now heads the National Theatre in London, and conducted by Roger Norrington, who likewise has gone on to wide acclaim - ditto scenic designer David Fielding. (By the way, Robin Lough was the 'video director,' NOT the actual stage director.) It is not a stage performance, but a fine studio adaptation, 'opened up' in any number of simple but effective ways. The interactions of the characters are laid out clearly and vividly, and the large cast of soloists is uniformly strong: the indispensible CD version under David Atherton (on Chandos) may have more 'big' names, and have more of a high gloss on it, but both singers and orchestra here are terrific - real ensemble work. Look closely and you'll see some surprising names: Richard Suart, now renowned as a Gilbert & Sullivan 'patter man,' is a forceful Old Man, and that superb pianist Susan Tomes (Florestan Trio, Domus) gives a bravura account of her many challenging solos.The Arts Council of Great Britain (as it was then) effectively pulled the plug on Kent Opera by defunding it; this is a worthy memento of the company's work, and a fine rendition of a great and exciting 20th century opera.

Sir Michael Tippett, who died at age 93 in January 1998 is one of the 20th century's most important opera composers. Always responsible to his public and mindful of contemporary themes, King Priam marked a turning point in his compositional style and is in so many respects his first 'mature' masterpiece. Following on the heels of his first neo-Romantic opera, 'The Midsummer Marriage', King Priam adopts a sparse, angular, incisive, and piquant style to explore various eternal human themes--chief among them, the nature and consequences of choice. Tippett recasts the Iliad, brining to light dramatic and poignant elements not immediately apparent in Homer's original. Told from the Trojan (specifically King Priam's) perspective, Tippett puts a microscope to the heart, mind, and soul--few operas are simultaneously so musically and dramatically inspiring...and the operas that follow, "The Knot Garden", "The Ice Break", and "New Year" continue this tradition. The Kent opera production is not as overwhelmingly faithful and satisfying as the more recent David Atherton/London Sinfonietta recording (which is a masterpiece of artistry in and of itself), but gives the listener an opportunity to own a staged version: to hear and SEE the action. Highly recommended to Tippett fans, opera collectors, and anyone willing to think and be moved.--Justin Laird Weaver <[email protected]>