Britten Thematic Catalogue

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BTC1011 ALBERT HERRING

A comic opera in three acts, op. 39
Period of composition: Dec 1946 - Apr 1947
First performance: 20 Jun 1947 >>
Type of performance: Staged performance
Location: Glyndebourne, Sussex
Performance details:

Joan Cross Lady Billows, Gladys Parr Florence Pike, Margaret Ritchie Miss Wordsworth, William Parsons Mr Gedge, Roy Ashton Mr Upfold, Norman Lumsden Superintendant Budd, Frederick Sharp Sid, Peter Pears Albert Herring Nancy Evans Nancy, Betsy de la Porte Mrs Herring, Lesley Duff Emmie, Annie Sharp Cis, David Spenser Harry, EOG Orchestra

Frederick Ashton prod, John Piper design, Benjamin Britten cond

Genre: Stage work
Text: Eric Crozier (1914-1994), freely adapted from a short story by Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893)
Performing forces:

Cast and orchestra

Cast: Lady Billows sop, Florence Pike contr, Miss Wordsworth sop, Mr Gedge bar, Mr Upfold ten, Superintendent Budd bass, Sid bar, Albert Herring ten, Nancy mez, Mrs Herring mez, Emmie sop, Cis sop, Harry trbl

Orchestra: fl (=picc and alto fl), ob, cl in B flat (=bass cl), bn - hn - perc (timp, sd, td, bd, trgl, cymb, castanets, tamb, gong, bells in F, B flat, D, block, whip, wb) - harp, pf - string quintet (2 vn, va, vc, db)

Duration: 137'

Act I: 53 mins;

Act II: 56 mins;

Act III: 28 mins

Dedication: 'Dedicated to E.M. Forster, in admiration'

Edwin Morgan Forster. OM, CH (1879-1970), English novelist, short-story writer, essayist and librettist of Billy Budd, op. 50.

Movements

  • Act I >>
    notes:

    Scene 1 (The breakfast room in Lady Billows' house, Loxford.)

    Interlude

    Scene 2 (Mrs Herring's greengrocery shop.)

    • Scene 1 >>
      notes:

      Scene 1 (The breakfast room in Lady Billows' house, Loxford.)

    • Scene 2 >>
      notes:

      Scene 2 (Mrs Herring's greengrocery shop.)

  • Act II >>
    notes:

    Scene 1 (The scene is inside a marquee set up in the Vicarage garden.)

    Scene 2 (Inside the shop, later that evening.)

  • Act III >>
    notes:

    [Scene] (Mrs Herring's greengrocery shop. The afternoon of May the second.)

    Threnody

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