# Benjamin Britten's Curlew River at Zellerbach Hall Auditorium, November 15, 2014

[CalPerformances](http://calperformances.org/performances/2014-15/special-events/britten-curlew-river.php) presents **Benjamin Britten's _Curlew River_: A Parable for Church Performance** featuring [Britten Sinfonia](http://www.brittensinfonia.com/)  
2014-11-15  
[Zellerbach Hall Auditorium](http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/)  
[U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA  ](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=U.C.+Berkeley,+Bancroft+Way+at+Telegraph+Ave,+Berkeley,+CA++&hl=en)  
2:00 PM, Saturday, November 15, 2014

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Benjamin Britten's _Curlew River_: A Parable for Church Performance, (1964)  
after the 15th century play _Sumidagawa_, by Jürö Motomasa

{{:2014:2014-11:20141115-1514-08.jpg?400|the Abbot entreats the Madwoman to pray for the soul of her dead son}}

## One Set

[1:50 PM seated; pungent "church" incense fills the air]  
[2:03 PM lights down, announcements]

01. [2:06 PM] Te lúcis ante términum
02. [2:13 PM] I am the ferryman
03. [2:m PM] I come from the Westland
04. [2:m PM] But first may I ask you
05. [2:m PM] Clear as a sky without a cloud
06. [2:m PM] Near the Black Mountains there I dwelt
07. [2:m PM] A thousand leagues may sunder
08. [2:m PM] Ignorant man!
09. [2:m PM] I beg your pardon, living in this famous place
10. [2:m PM] Curlew River, smoothly flowing
11. [2:m PM] Today is an important day
12. [2:m PM] Look! While you were listening to my story
13. [2:m PM] Ferryman, tell me, when did it happen
14. [2:m PM] Hoping, I wander'd on
15. [2:m PM] He whose life was full of promise
16. [3:m PM] The moon has risen
17. [3:m PM] Go your way in peace, mother
18. [3:14 PM] Good souls, we have shown you here  
[show ends 3:17 PM; all off at 3:20 PM after a few minutes for applause and bows]


## Performers

### the Cast

[Cast](http://www.brittensinfonia.com/concerts/events/view/curlew-river)

* [Ian Bostridge](https://www.facebook.com/IanBostridge) as _Madwoman_: tenor vox;
* [Neal Davies](http://www.askonasholt.co.uk/artists/singers/baritone-bass-baritone/neal-davies) as _Traveller_: bass-baritone vox;
* [Mark Stone](http://www.markstone.info/) as _Ferryman_: bass-baritone vox;
* [Jeremy White](http://www.operauk.com/jeremy-white-bass/) as _Abbot_ (narrator): baritone vox;  
   

* Jeroen Breneman: acolyte/altar servant;
* Sivan Faruqui: acolyte/altar servant;
* Louis Pecceu: acolyte/altar servant;
* David Schneidinger: _Spirit of the Boy_;  
   

* **Britten Sinfonia Voices**: chorus of eight pilgrims (three tenors, three baritones, two basses).

### Britten Sinfonia

[Britten Sinfonia](http://www.brittensinfonia.com/)

* Scott Bywater: percussion;
* Clare Finnimore: viola;
* Martin Fitzpatrick: organ, music director;
* Karen Jones: flute;
* Ben Russell: contrabass;
* Richard Wainwright: horn;
* Hugh Webb: harp.

### Britten Sinfonia Voices

[Britten Sinfonia Voices](http://www.brittensinfonia.com/about-us/britten-sinfonia-voices/)

* Andrew Dickinson: tenor vox;
* [Eamonn Dougan](http://www.brittensinfonia.com/about-us/player/eamonn-dougan): baritone vox, conductor, chorus director;
* Gabriel Gottlieb: baritone vox;
* Thomas Herford: tenor vox;
* Oliver Hunt: bass vox;
* Louis Hurst: bass vox;
* Daniel Joy: tenor vox;
* Thomas Kennedy: baritone vox;
* Douglas Nairne: baritone vox.

### Soloists from the Pacific Boychoir Academy

* not identified, but there were three child actors in today's performance.

### Production Credits

[Production Credits](http://www.brittensinfonia.com/concerts/events/view/curlew-river)

* Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): composer;
* William Plomer (1903-1973): librettist;
* Netia Jones: director, designer, video, costumes;
* Lightmap: video, projection;
* Ian Scott: lighting designer;
* Rachel Shipp: production manager.

after the Noh play _Sumidagawa_ by Jürö Motomasa (1395-1431).

## Notes

This play proffers such a dark, grey emotional landscape, it's hard for me to imagine Britten's motivation for its creation. I suppose it comes down to "different strokes for different folks" -- I can appreciate the artistry of the work, and his genius in writing such beautiful melodies in support of a heart-breaking story -- but it's not really the sort of thing that I want to experience all that often. I'd rather walk on the sunny side than to wallow in misery and despair, and while I have empathy for those who suffer such slings and arrows from the cruelties of fate, I'm sorry to admit that I'm not drawn to seek out the wounded and offer my succor -- it's just not in my nature. Which brings me back around to this work. Perhaps I'm over reading the significance of the opening and closing sections of the performance, but I don't really see how it reveals the glory of God for a woman to search the country for a year only to find that her lost child was kidnapped and died while being taken to a life of slavery. 

On a more prosaic note, I'd like to complain about the omission of the libretto from the pdf placed [online](http://calperformances.org/learn/program_notes/2014/pn_curlew-river.pdf) by CalPerformances -- certainly it couldn't have cost any more money to share that version of the document instead of the shorter one made available instead? Moreover, having made the effort to publish the libretto in the paper program, how the heck am I supposed to enjoy it when the performance takes place with the audience in total darkness? I realize that the darkness makes for better dramaturgy, and as a listener, I generally prefer watching from darkness, but when the text is presented as important enough to read, shouldn't that be taken into consideration by the production folks? Ah well, enough whining for tonight -- I'm still glad that I attended, it was an _interesting_ experience!

Georgia Rowe posted a nice [preview article](http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_26908031/benjamin-brittens-haunting-curlew-river-comes-berkeley) for the San Jose Mercury News

{{tag>music Britten_Sinfonia Britten_Sinfonia_Voices Ian_Bostridge Zellerbach_Hall_Auditorium Jeroen_Breneman Neal_Davies Sivan_Faruqui Louis_Pecceu David_Schneidinger Mark_Stone Jeremy_White Scott_Bywater Eamonn_Dougan Clare_Finnimore Martin_Fitzpatrick Karen_Jones Ben_Russell Richard_Wainwright Hugh_Webb Andrew_Dickinson Gabriel_Gottlieb Thomas_Herford Oliver_Hunt Louis_Hurst Daniel_Joy Thomas_Kennedy Douglas_Nairne Benjamin_Britten William_Plomer Netia_Jones Lightmap Ian_Scott Rachel_Shipp}}

[[2014-11-14|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2014|Up to the 2014 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2014#November_events|Up to the 2014 event list!]] ☸ [[2014-11-16_1|On to the next event!]]