Benjamin Britten - Four Sea Interludes from 'Peter Grimes'

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), England / Angleterre

- Four Sea Interludes from "Peter Grimes", Op. 33a
I. Dawn
II. Sunday Morning
III. Moonlight
IV. Storm

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Järvi
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[Wavygravydressedinnavy]

I’m currently sitting in the White Lion Hotel in Aldeburgh, looking out of my window and looking at the beach while listening to these interludes. Life doesn’t get much better than this.

I was Privileged to Tour with Ben and Peter in 1965 and 1966 with Fiery Furnace and Curlew River; So Inspirational; Such a Privilege; I Cannot express how much it has influenced my life. Bless them both.

[susans.]

Why does Youtube put adverts in the middle of sublime pieces like this??? A crime against art!

[butcherofbaghdad]

Best British Composer. This makes my cry.

[cynthiamclaglen]

I remember hearing this wonderful music by Benjamin Britten, in Eastern Scotland in a special place built just for orchestral music like this. It was so exciting, especially the Storm. My cousin Thelma Marjoribanks took me. Part of Peter Grimes is hauntingly beautiful near the end. I first heard this music a child on old fashioned records using a wind up gramophone. My sister & I used to dance to them. Rachmninov, Beethovan, Debussy, Ravel, Bach etc, and also lots of Jazz and ethnic African music. We were very lucky. It went into our memories for ever and our range of enjoyment is very wide. My mother was a concert pianist and she played on her piano many types of music. It is so important to let children listen to every kind of music. I also love film music. Cynthia McLaglen

[yanneldor]

An absolutely genius piece and genius performance.

[stewartgellatly]

This is the most ethereal piece of music. There is nothing else quite like it.

[sabinalundahl]

Theese Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes means so much to me. My dear beloved grandfather was going to introduce me this opera Peter Grimes yhe summer 1990. But he died in cancer and I had to get to know this music by my self. I LOVE my grandfather!!Thank you for giving me this gift, the classical music! Thank you for posting The Four Sea Interludes! Sabina

[markmccarty]

Clearly one of the iconic pieces of the twentieth century.

[chelSEY]

As I write this I am sitting in my room overlooking Aldeburgh beach in February.  It is dusk and the sea is very calm and mild.  I visited the grave of Britten at the Church of St Peter and St Paul this afternoon.  It is a beautiful old church and BB's grave is very well-preserved.  These Sea Interludes are so original,  evocative and bewitching that I had to visit Aldeburgh to experience the setting that inspired them.  My favourite is Moonlight, which evokes the sea and the beach here so powerfully.  These Interludes are pure magic.

[Adeodatus]

For anyone who hasn't stood on a deserted beach on the east coast of England on a cold, calm October morning - you only have to listen to the First Interlude. It communicates the experience perfectly.

[monique]

I was so entralled by these sea scenes that I made my French pupils work on them -- use the adequate vocabulary to convey what they were hearing. The mystery, the quietly rolling waves. Wonderful feelings. Beautiful orchestration and harmonies. Years later, still stirred by this and by Britten's music as a whole __ all of it!

[DavidWeirful]

Aldeburgh Beach was where I practised walking again for the first time after my knee operation..It was hard and pebbly, but lovely. I can feel the pebbles and my elation, both in this spare, light music

[eliyasara]

I'm not from England, I'm actually from Australia, but I've never felt like this is really my home, even though I was born here and have never been to England. England holds such a fond place in my heart. I swear in another life I lived the Devonshire or the New Forest on a far, or possibly in a Cornish village above the cliffs. This music holds such a place in my heart. It is inexplicable.

[davidjames]

Such a terrible yet fluid beauty how on earth did this man do this, a unique contribution to the repertoire of English Classical music..

[lawandmusic]

Was fortunate enough to perform the opera on Britten's 100th birthday at Carnegie Hall with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Always loved these interludes but getting to know the complete opera and hearing them in context has been an extraordinary experience. A masterpiece that grows in stature with each hearing.

[amieandapiano]

My cousin attends the school in his namesake and says she has had the opportunity to play on the very same piano that Britten himself composed on - just a humble upright in the middle of one of the practice rooms. I wish I could visit to see for myself - maybe after the pandemic? Beautiful town, stunning beaches and area.

[genedryer-bivins]

These pieces work wonderfully well as a set for concert performances, but heard in context in the opera they are nothing less than electrifying. This is a very good performance.

[gilljames]

I can't believe I found this.  It was my favourite at school and I haven't heard it since.... Its beautiful... Thank you

[neilbriscoewhite]

Used to visit Aldeburgh as a UEA music student in the seventies. It's a magical place. I have walked these shores and this music is wonderfully evocative - and in my own case - now aged 60 - quite nostalgic. Britten's orchestration is masterful. Thanks for posting.