Page 598 - Media Coverage Book - 75th Aldeburgh Festival 2024

Britten's Curlew River at Aldeburgh | Photo credit: Marcus Roth

Perhaps the physical demands of the performance informed the choice of footwear – the pilgrims

don trainers with their habits, giving the air of a school play. It's perfect for Britten. Ian Bostridge,
wearing a filthy-looking bright skirt and corduroy jacket, clutches a soiled sleeping bad and a

broken umbrella. In combination with Bostridge's convincing performance, the effect is deeply
unsettling. I have met women who look like this; I suspect the creative team has too. 'Raving and

all alone... Love for my child confuses me,' sings Bostridge. The role would be better titled 'parent'.
Several people have to look away.

The church bell strikes gently, firmly, lightly. This immersive aspect is reminiscent of the
2013 Grimes on the Beach, and no doubt part of the interest for Ad Lib Productions, who are

filming the performance. Thank goodness – this is surely career-defining for Bostridge, who was
eerily Pears-like in his impromptu appearance during the recreation of Rostropovich and Britten's

1961 Cello and piano recital (played by Alban Gerhardt and Steven Osborne). (Pears was the
original Madwoman in 1964).

There was a hint of a Bonsai tree in the shrine where the pilgrims gathered. More serious context
was provided earlier in the festival, when an authentic performance Sumidagawa was given by

Japanese musicians. Their Shōmyō chant at Maggi Hambling's 2003 scallop shell – Aldeburgh's