What did Benjamin Britten, one of the central figures of 20th-century British classical music, want to tell us through the satire Albert Herring? Come find out when Pacific Opera Victoria performs Herring, one of Britten’s greatest pieces.
Here’s how the quirky story starts: the town of Loxford needs a Queen of the May, but autocratic lady Billows and her housekeeper like none of the candidates. After having considerable debate, Billows appoints a King of the May: Albert Hert Herring, surely the sweetest, most confused hero in opera.
Robert Holliston, the principal coach of Albert Herring, says the opera is appealing because it’s a comedy and has a happy ending. And the cast of characters is very entertaining.
“The characters, which we can all relate to, are set in a little village,” he says. “It has the internal politics we find in a village, and types of people we find, and we can identify with them.”
Some of those entertaining characters include a vicar, a mayor, and the aforementioned lady Billows, who comes from the height of the aristocracy and likes to tell people what to do. But underneath the laughter lies something else.
“Any comedy has poignant underpinnings,” says Holliston. “It’s not just funny, but also quite touching.”
Holliston says that audiences also like the fact that it’s in English.
“Most operas we know and love are in foreign languages,” he says. “For those of us who live in an English-speaking world, it is kind of nice to have some masterpieces being put on that are in English. Audiences will appreciate the humor and appreciate being able to identify with the characters, and they will appreciate the music.”
In addition, the story of this opera can give audiences some motivational lessons about their lives. Holliston says Albert Herring tells people it’s possible to thwart those in power and to get what you want out of life by “being yourself, finding yourself, and squeezing every drop of juice out of life,” he says. “It’s very inspirational.”
Albert Herring
February 7, 9, 15, 17
Royal Theatre
rmts.bc.ca