Aldeburgh Studies in Music is a new series published jointly by Boydell & Brewer and the Britten-Pears Library, Aldeburgh. It will focus on musical topics reflecting the distinctive musical life and heritage of Aldeburgh, primarily addressingscholars and students. The present volume is based on a selection of papers presented during a study course devoted to Gloriana held at the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies in 1991.
Glorianahas been a source of controversy since its première as part of the Coronation celebrations in 1953. It was planned as a national opera of broad appeal by its authors, Benjamin Britten and William Plomer, but, despite wide coverage in the media, the opera failed to establish itself in the repertoire until a new production in 1966 revealed it to be a powerful and stageworthy work. In recent years it has attracted an increasing amount of scholarly attention.
This volume offers essays by ROBERT HEWISON, PHILIP REED, ANTONIA MALLOY, DONALD MITCHELL and PETER EVANS which explore the opera's cultural background, the early stages of its creative evolution, the first critical responses, and various aspects of the work itself: these are supplemented by a list of source materials for the opera and the works derived from it, and an extensive bibliography.
Opera North's recent revival of `Gloriana' has without question restored this neglected masterpiece to its place in Britten's operatic output. Far from being a triumphalist work in tune with the Coronation celebrations of 1953, `Gloriana' showed an ageing Elizabeth torn between love and duty, Essex and her crown; the subtle message of the sovereign's mystical marriage to the people eluded the first night audience.