“I have a confession to make about Britten’s opera Billy Budd: I don’t like it very much. I struggle with its listless pace; its largely flat characters; the way its libretto, by E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier, prefers telling us what people are thinking rather than showing it.” That’s your London correspondent Zachary Woolfe in the New York Times.
Closet drama
I have a confession to make about Britten’s opera Billy Budd: I don’t like it very much.”
By La Cieca La Cieca
James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.
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