A VERY FINE RECORDING!

The sound is fine and the performance is excellent . Great to hear other performers rather than the originals. Solti is a surprise and as with the performance of Midsummer nights dream his tempi are certainly a bit faster ,but for Billy it seems to have increased the already tension on board the Indomitable.Definately recommended. Ian

Other reviewers here have praised this performance and I have nothing to add to their comments because I agree with all of them. This is an exciting broadcast recording of an opera I have come to think of as Britten's greatest. Robert Kerns sings beautifully as Billy, Richard Lewis is a first-rate Vere, and Forbes Robinson contributes a terrifying portrayal of frustrated evil as Claggart. The supporting cast down to the last man is superb. Solti should have conducted Britten's music more often. The sound is excellent, the radio announcer adding to the proceedings (although his speaking over the music to set the scenes may annoy some listeners). If you love Britten or this opera in particular, you must hear this!

Too few examples exist of Georg Solti conducting Benjamin Britten's music and this "Billy Budd" is a revelation. Solti leads with tremendous intensity and snap (the opera's climax will fairly make your hair stand on end) but finds room for repose and breadth when those qualities should be paramount. Robert Kerns is a perfectly good Billy, American accent aside, even if one would rather have Peter Glossop in the part. Richard Lewis' Vere equals or surpasses that of Peter Pears, while Forbes Robinson's quietly disturbing Claggart insinuates the character's homoerotic motivations. The large supporting cast, led by Inia Te Wiata's pensive Dansker, is a showcase of fine British singing. (The orchestral execution is not quite on the same level.) I rather liked the brief, scene-setting comments of the BBC narrator, which heighten the mood, IMO.

Solti was the surprise, his dealing with this opera showed a warmth for the characters of Vere and Billy that I would never have thought possible from him.The cast is certainly one of the finest ever at the Garden and shows how strong British and Commonwealth singers were at the time.

Wow ! I saw this and have been waiting for a copy for years Many Many thanks

I too saw this, my first Billy Budd, and was bowled over. It is historically important too as this series of performance were the first of the definitive two act edition of the opera – which then went on to conquer the world.