Educational Media Reviews Online

It's becoming clearer to me every day that the late British composer, Benjamin Britten, was the greatest operatic composer of the second half of the twentieth century. Peter Grimes, Britten's first opera, is still his most popular and frequently performed opera.

A Tale of Tanglewood: "Peter Grimes" Reborn interweaves the story of two separate Peter Grimes productions: the first, its premiere given by students as part of the Tanglewood Festival, conducted by Leonard Bernstein and presented on June 30, 1946; the second, another Tanglewood performance of the same opera presented fifty years later and conducted by Bernstein protégé Seiji Ozawa.

A Tale of Tanglewood: "Peter Grimes" Reborn, documents the rebirth of an operatic masterpiece. Behind-the-scenes rehearsals at Tanglewood, reminiscences by past performers, and live concert excerpts are skillfully woven together in this highly polished professional production. In addition, all aspects of the 1996 production are covered: stage direction, scenic design, musical preparation, and conducting.

Production values were first-rate throughout A Tale of Tanglewood. Editing and image transitions were seamless. The cinematography was varied and interesting. Avoiding confusion, early performance material is shown in black and white, while recent material is in color. Sound quality, although not high fidelity, or stereo, was excellent. The video is very well constructed and builds to a powerful climax where the singers from the premiere are shown emotionally moved by the new production.

A Tale of Tanglewood: "Peter Grimes" Reborn is a valuable historical document chronicling the birth and rebirth of one of the great operas of this century. In my opinion this video should be in every university library with a classical music program. Public libraries will also find this program a welcome addition. Highly Recommended.