Albert Herring - Albert Herring

Librettist Eric Crozier suggested that Benjamin Britten set Guy de Maupassant's short story 'Le Rosier de Madame Husson' (Madame Husson's Rose Bush) to music.  The result was the comic chamber opera Albert Herring, which premiered in 1947. When it was programmed at the Glyndebourne Festival, it received a frosty response from its founder, John Christie, and the audience. Consequently, Britten decided to stage Albert Herring the following year at his own festival in Aldeburgh with the English Opera Group that he had founded.

In this work, Britten uses great subtlety and accuracy to depict the characters' roles and feelings. The orchestral interludes that punctuate the opera skilfully provide transitions between scenes and realistically capture their atmosphere. The opera is great fun as Britten mixes styles — baroque, sentimental, religious and grotesque — and multiplies lyrical references with nods to composers such as Rossini, Shostakovich, Purcell, Strauss and Wagner. There are even parodies of operettas and American musicals.

Summary of the opera Albert Herring

Set in a small town in eastern England in 1920, the opera tells the story of Albert Herring, who is elected May King of the village. Albert rebels against the moralism and narrow conventions of the village notables that threaten to stifle him.

Act 1

In Lady Billows' drawing room, a committee of local dignitaries — the vicar, Mr Gedge (baritone); the mayor, Mr Upfold (tenor); the schoolmistress, Miss Wordsworth (soprano); and Superintendent Budd (bass) — are gathered to choose the town's May Queen, a symbol of virginity. The young village girls are closely observed by the governess, Florence Pike (contralto), who does not believe them to be chaste. As a last resort, the committee appoints a May King and awards the prize to Albert Herring, who is considered irreproachable by all.

In Mrs Herring's grocery shop, Sid, the butcher's boy, mocks Albert's virtues. Nancy (mezzo-soprano), the baker's daughter, asks him out on a date, while Albert (tenor) is troubled by their happiness. Lady Billows and the committee arrive to present Albert with the £25 prize in gold coins. Albert hesitates at first, refusing to dress up in a white costume and a crown of orange blossom. His mother then obtains his consent with a spanking and sends him to bed.

Act 2

A table is set up in the vicarage garden. Sid mockingly pours rum into Albert's glass of lemonade. After a ridiculous welcome ceremony, Albert is presented with a bouquet and his prize. His thanks are punctuated by hiccups due to the rum's effects. That evening, he returns home drunk and surprises Sid and Nancy, who are happily together. Feeling that he has missed out on life, he leaves the village, determined to make up for lost time.

Act 3

The next day, everyone assumes that Albert has died. Nancy blames Sid for getting the poor man drunk, while the rest of the village gathers to offer their condolences and sing a funeral song. Suddenly, Albert reappears, dishevelled and tipsy after his debauched escapade. The assembled crowd is shocked by the return of the prodigal son, who has finally broken free from his mother's control. Only Sid, Nancy, and the children, who have come to sample the fruit in the shop window, are delighted to welcome the happy runaway home.