Brett Dean: Hamlet
Allan Clayton (Hamlet), Sarah Connolly (Gertrude), Barbara Hannigan (Ophelia), Rod Gilfry (Claudius), Kim Begley (Polonius), John Tomlinson (Ghost/Grave-Digger), Jacques Imbrailo (Horatio), David Butt Philip (Laertes)
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Chorus, Vladimir Jurowski
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2018, DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2018
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International Opera Awards, 2019, Nominated - Complete Opera Recording
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Gramophone Awards, 2019, Winner - Contemporary
Dean’s score succeeds through rampant imagination and simple wisdom…[Clayton’s] portrayal of Hamlet’s decline would be noteworthy even without singing that is full of expressive meaning and...
Brett Dean: Hamlet
Allan Clayton (Hamlet), Sarah Connolly (Gertrude), Barbara Hannigan (Ophelia), Rod Gilfry (Claudius), Kim Begley (Polonius), John Tomlinson (Ghost/Grave-Digger), Jacques Imbrailo (Horatio), David Butt Philip (Laertes)
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Chorus, Vladimir Jurowski
Purchase product
Other available formats
Awards:
-
Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2018, DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
-
Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2018
-
International Opera Awards, 2019, Nominated - Complete Opera Recording
-
Gramophone Awards, 2019, Winner - Contemporary
Dean’s score succeeds through rampant imagination and simple wisdom…[Clayton’s] portrayal of Hamlet’s decline would be noteworthy even without singing that is full of expressive meaning and...
About
The world premiere recording of Brett Dean’s new opera based on Shakespeare’s best-known tragedy: To be, or not to be. This 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 colourful, 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.
‘‘With a reverent but mischievous take on the text and a superb cast led by tenor Allan Clayton, this world premiere production rises to the challenge set by Shakespeare’s great play’’(The Guardian ****)
‘‘Brilliant music, rapturously received Dean’s music offers great brilliance.’’ (The Daily Telegraph ****)
Subtitles: EN/FR/DE/ KO
Contents and tracklist
- Allan Clayton (Hamlet), Sarah Connolly (Gertrude), Barbara Hannigan (Ophelia), Rod Gilfry (Claudius), Kim Begley (Polonius), John Tomlinson (Ghost of Old Hamlet/Grave-Digger), Jacques Imbrailo (Horatio), David Butt Philip (Laertes), Rupert Enticknap (Rosencrantz), Christopher Lowrey (Guildenstern)
- London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Glyndebourne Chorus
- Vladimir Jurowski, Neil Armfield (director)
Spotlight on this release
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Nicholas Collon on Hans Zender
8th Apr 2026
The British conductor discusses recording and performing Zender's 'composed interpretation' of Schubert's Winterreise with Aurora Orchestra and Allan Clayton, and explains why he believes that this version of the piece has much to offer to seasoned Schubertians and newcomers like.
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Allan Clayton on Brett Dean's Hamlet
26th Jul 2018
Following on from our interview with the composer earlier this week, Katherine talks to the English tenor about bringing this new incarnation of Shakespeare's 'sweet prince' to life.
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Brett Dean on Hamlet
23rd Jul 2018
The Australian composer talks to Katherine about the genesis of his acclaimed 2017 Shakespearean opera, filmed at Glyndebourne last summer and now available on DVD and Blu-ray from Opus Arte.
Awards and reviews
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Gramophone MagazineAwards Issue 2018DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
-
Presto Recordings of the YearFinalist 2018
-
International Opera Awards2019Nominated - Complete Opera Recording
Awards Issue 2018
Dean’s score succeeds through rampant imagination and simple wisdom…[Clayton’s] portrayal of Hamlet’s decline would be noteworthy even without singing that is full of expressive meaning and always imbued with stringent beauty even in rage…Armfield’s production looks regally beautiful to begin with and is filled with reaction to details in the score.
January 2019
A superb presentation of Brett Dean’s outstanding 2017 Glyndebourne ‘hit’.
March 2019
What emerges is an opera in which drama has almost absolute primacy: the music seems designed mainly to heighten the drama, and the delivery of the text owes more to intense declamation than to song…Assembled here are singers of quite extraordinary calibre. Allan Clayton’s Hamlet, his warm, empathetic tenor in glorious form, is a powerful, eloquent portrayal of a young man on the edge of madness.
