I love the 1995 ENO performance so as someone who admires Jon Vickers greatly I seeked this Peter Grimes from 1981. And I thought it was excellent. Musically it is spot on, this production is perhaps more brutal than the 1995 production which I loved and the music is brilliant and played and conducted just as well and as vividly. The performances are great. The choral work is wonderful, and I personally find it more animated than the ENO performance. Of the cast, Heather Harper and Norman Bailey come off best, and while I admire Vickers and found his acting and singing outstanding(as always) here, making him more tortured and quite terrifying too, I do think he is more suited to more heavier roles like Otello, Tristan, Florestan, Don Jose and Canio. Overall, this is excellent. 9/10 Bethany Cox
