#john bridcut

[verdiprati]

Last call for Janet Baker documentary on iPlayer

If you have (or can obtain) access to the BBC TV iPlayer, I strongly recommend watching “Janet Baker: In Her Own Words” before it disappears (23 hours from now, as of the time I’m writing this post). The documentary is very well made.

[atimetherewas]

Britten's Endgame

last night, I watched John Bridcut’s new film, Britten’s Endgame, on BBC 4 and all I can say is if you are able to watch it, I highly suggest it.

okay that’s not all I can say about it. the film, which examines the last years of Britten's life, including the writing of Death in Venice, seems very personal. maybe not for Bridcut (maybe so) but personal in the sense that this is more than just about Britten's music or maybe even his life. i think this can be seen in the many interviews with those who were around Britten in the 60s and 70s. their responses to listening to certain pieces like Phaedra, the Third String Quartet and, yes, Death in Venice -- closeups of profiles of their faces in the moment of listening, watching their visages become transfixed and transfigured upon hearing certain notes, certain chords -- it translates into something else, something more than listening, something personal.

and yes, okay, i'm a big softie, and yes i'm a Britten scholar but i found myself at the end in tears, incredibly moved. and of course, i've spent the last few months thinking and writing about Britten and lateness so this film spoke to a lot that had been on my mind.

so catch it if you can, it's on BBC iPlayer for the next week.