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John Gay: The Beggar's Opera ReviewBenjamin Britten's "realisation" of John Gay's enduring ballad opera, made for the newly formed English Opera Group, had its premiere on 24 May 1948; this remarkable CD presents a substantial portion of a broadcast of 22 September in the same year, apparently with the "1st cast" intact. So even if it were not a wonderful performance - which it is - it would be of tremendous historical significance.The neglected step-child among Britten's operas, in his hands "The Beggar's Opera" really becomes an opera, rather than a play with interpolated popular songs of the early 18th century. The harmonic and orchestral invention is as strong as in the contemporaneous "Rape of Lucretia" and "Albert Herring," and the way Britten links long stretches made up of short tunes is (no surprise) ingenious and often brilliant. Unlike the discreet Britten/Imogen Holst edition of Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas," this isn't just an "arrangement," but a provocative and enjoyable modern re-imagining that is closer in spirit to Brecht & Weill ("Threepenny Opera") than to Frederick Austin's prettily genteel, and famously successful, 1920 version of Gay.
The only complete recording of the Britten came in 1993 (Argo), with Steuart Bedford leading an excellent orchestra and an experienced cast of singer-actors - Philip Langridge outstanding as Macheath. Some questionable dialogue choices aside - rather too much rewriting for my taste - it's an enjoyable 2 CD set in modern sound that lets us hear Britten's fantastic instrumental invention (for 12 players) in all its glory.
But in some ways, both musical & dramatic, this 1948 broadcast makes a stronger case for Britten's work. Although it's a studio performance, not a stage one - an advantage it terms of the sound - the singers have all had several months' experience of touring the show, and give generally lively, assured and even vivid performances, notably Peter Pears (Macheath) & Otakar Kraus (Lockit); Nancy Evans (Polly) is especially affecting in the later, anguished portions of her role. Then, too, it's possible to catch glimpses of original stage director Tyrone Guthrie's influence, especially in the active vocal participation of the "audience" of beggars. Above all, there's the composer leading a superb orchestra in an ideal reading: tempi beautifully chosen, flexible but not indulgent for the singers, and with genuine rhythmic vitality.
This studio version is abridged: musically only slightly - 7 songs and 1 "melodrama" are gone - and verbally a great deal, with narration substituting for dialogue in many places. Also, much (not all) of the dialogue appears to have been handed over to a team of actors - all of Polly, Lucy & Macheath's lines, unless my ears deceive me - and tho the "matching" is done pretty well, it means this can only be a partial record of the singers' performances & of Guthrie's work (his most provocative innovation, making the Beggar/"author" of the piece a woman, has been jettisoned entirely). Also, there are a few missing notes here and there, especially at the start of numbers (including the Overture), and the dialogue has been further shortened in order to fit it all onto one CD, making for some abrupt jumps into numbers. (By the way, the booklet gets the Act One/Two division wrong; Britten's Act One incorporates the "tavern" scene at the start of Gay's Two.) On the other hand, after a slightly rough start, the sound settles down into something quite listenable, with the solo voices excellently present and clear.
So let's count our blessings & be glad this has been preserved for all to hear: essential for Britten fans, "Beggar's Opera" fans, and quite possibly of great interest to others.John Gay: The Beggar's Opera Overview
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