Crowell Library: Britten’s Billy Budd

SAN MARINO, Calif. - Dec. 18, 2013 - PRLog -- A powerful tale of innocence and betrayal on the high seas based on Herman Melville’s classic American novella, Billy Budd tells the story of a young sailor whose unwitting actions compel his captain to make a fateful decision.  At the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, baritone Liam Bonner will lead an all male cast as Billy Budd, with tenor Richard Croft as Captain Vere.  The presentation is part of the celebration of the Benjamin Britten centenary. Paul Griffiths of the Los Angeles Times has said of Britten:

“Here was a composer who produced almost a hundred major works, 11 of them full-length operas, and who ranged in his central concerns all the way from pacifism ("War Requiem") to the pleasures of childhood, who enjoyed writing not only for international virtuosos (Rostropovich in his cello suites) but also for the choral groups of his hometown, and who could respond in his operas to the social comedy of an English village ("Albert Herring") or the stark tragedy of a Japanese Noh play ("Curlew River").”*

If you can’t make it to the Music Center or you’d like to broaden your understanding of Britten and his music, come to Crowell Library on January 19, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. for this special LA Opera Talk.  Community Educator LARRY VERDUGO, who presented our LA Opera Program on Britten’s Turn of the Screw back in 2011, will reveal some fascinating facts in a multi-media presentation in the Library’s Barth Community Room.  The program is free and open to all opera aficionados and first timers.

Opera is not just magnificent music, dance and theater with astounding sets on a beautiful stage; opera can sweep you away to foreign lands, take you back in time, dazzle you with pageantry and bring history to life. It is literature, social studies, cultural diversity, multiple languages and most of all, it is exciting! Come explore the world of opera which has something for everyone.

Mark this date on the social calendar as Crowell Library celebrates LA Opera’s 2013/2014 season.  Light refreshments will be served.

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For more information, visit our website www.CrowellPublicLibrary.org

*http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/08/entertainment/la-ca-et-cm-benjamin-britten-100-20130310