Curlew River: A Parable for Church Performance (1964) Benjamin Britten. Adaptation of NOH play
The play begins and ends with the hooded monks entering and exiting on the stone "river" Noh Theater combines with the mystery play in this production by Benjamin Britten, a follow up to his adaptation of the Indonesian gamelan music, after visting Bali, heard in performance by the SF Symphony, conducted by MTT. This opera "Curlew River" is incredibly moving. An introductory note: " Clear as a sky without a cloud/may be a mother's mind,/But darker than a starless night/With not one gleam, not one gleam, not one, /No gleam to show the way ." -- William Plomer, Curlew River (after Jruo Motomasa) This "visionary" production directed by Netia Jones, UK, stars tenor Ian Bostridge, and won acclaim in its world premiere at London's Barbican last fall. Jones says, " Curlew River is an extraordinary and unique thing...."Benjamin Britten, returning from travels in the Far East..reimagined a noh theater production he had seen...