Dean: Hamlet (DVD) – Allan Clayton

Composer: Brett Dean
Artists: Allan Clayton, Barbara Hannigan, Sarah Connolly, Rod Gilfry, Kim Begley, John Tomlinson, David Butt Philip, Jacques Imbrailo, The Glyndebourne Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski
Director: Neil Armfield
Video Format: NTSC
Sound Format: Dolby Digital / DTS Digital Surround
Region: All Regions
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, German, Korean
Number of Discs: 1
Studio: Opus Arte
Blu-Ray Release Date: July 27, 2018
Run Time: 164 minutes; 21 minutes bonus material

GRAMOPHONE CLASSICAL MUSIC AWARDS 2019 CATEGORY WINNER - CONTEMPORARY

This release is the world premiere recording of Brett Dean’s new opera based on Shakespeare’s best-known tragedy. “To be, or not to be” is Hamlet’s dilemma, and the essence of Shakespeare’s most famous and arguably greatest work, given new life in operatic form in this original Glyndebourne commission. 

Thoughts of murder and revenge drive Hamlet when he learns that it was his uncle Claudius who killed his father, the King of Denmark, then seized his father’s crown and wife. But Hamlet’s vengeance vies with the question: is suicide a morally valid deed in an unbearably painful world? Dean’s colorful, energetic, witty, and richly lyrical music expertly captures the modernity of Shakespeare’s timeless tale, while also exploiting the traditional operatic elements of arias, ensembles, and choruses. Matthew Jocelyn’s inspired libretto is pure Shakespeare, adhering to the Bard’s narrative thread but abridging, reconfiguring, and interweaving it into motifs that highlight the main dramatic themes: death, madness, the impossibility of certainty, and the complexities of action. 

“World Premiere of the Year,” 2018 International Opera Awards, London.

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