Talk:Peter Pears

message: A couple of times, people have deleted descriptions of Pears' roles in Britten's operas as including pedophilia or violence toward young men. Well, this page needs more detail and better sources, but there is considerable critical writing about the fact that the common theme of the destruction of innocence (violent, sexual, or both) runs through most of the roles Britten wrote for Pears (in which Pears often took a hand in shaping the libretto). This is amply documented in the biography by Humphrey Carpenter, the critical study by Peter Evans, and other books.
It's true that the discussion of Pears' career needs to be better referenced. However, there is no reason to repeatedly bowdlerize the article of reference to the dark subject matter of Britten's and Pears' collaboration--it's not OR or a smear on their characters, it's the critical consensus.
Dybryd 08:09, 6 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Themes of Pears roles' in Britten's operas

message: I have again deleted the references to pedophilia. First there is no evidence that Pears had a hand in the libretto of Death in Venice or Turn of the Screw. If you know of any evidence then please cite it exactly with page references. Secondly I think it is simplistic to describe Quint or   Aschenbach as pedophiles. Both these characters are drawn with great subtelty and complexity. There may be a case to assert that Quint abuses Miles but the sexual side is more hinted at than explicit and your bald assertions may mislead those who do not know the work to have a quite distorted view of the work. Quint exercises enormous power over those in the house. Surely turn of the screw is as much about power and responisbility as anything else. To characterise pedophilia simply as an exercise of power or to characterise any exercise of power as ultimately abusive is absurdly reductionist. Thirdly I have difficulty in seeing the pedophilia in Death in Venice. Pedophilia is more properly a description of abusive relationships between an adult and a child (and usually we are considering prepubescent children.) In death in Venice such a relationship does not exist. I think that maybe the Visconti has a lot to answer for! 
To characterise the corruption of innocence as being the same as pedophilia is also reductionist. In pedophilia innocence ( aloaded term anyway ) may be corrupted but it is not the same. Surely you would not characterise Billy Budd's relationship with Claggart as pedophilic? 
The assertions that you make need to be expressed with greater nuance. I consider that the proper place for comments about the roles in Britten's operas should be on the relevant page deleaing with Britten's operas not here where it adds little and confuses the neophyte.
: You're right that it's sloppy to put stuff in without references. Dybryd 19:57, 6 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Removal of assertions about two of Pear's roles  

message: This article was automatically  assessed because at least one article was rated and this bot brought all the other ratings up to at least that level. BetacommandBot 01:58, 28 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  WikiProject class rating

message: This is such a short list.  Pears premiered many other tenor roles, such as the Spring Symphony, War Requiem, and Cantata Academica.  Is there a criterion for "written specifically" beyond Pears' premiering the role? Also male chorus in Rape of Lucretia!
C. Cerf (talk) 21:20, 12 October 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Roles written specifically for Pears 

message: Tim Riley's done a great job in working through this article. The only lingering question I have at the end is whether we should state the known reasons why Pears went with Britten to the US: e.g. was there a professional reason? Not having Headington's biography, I don't know whether this sheds more light on this issue. Alfietucker (talk) 21:39, 16 October 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: In fact PP been there before as a member of a small choral group, but in the scheme of things it didn't seem to me to merit mention. As to the trip with BB, Pears was, as he acknowledged, there as Britten's "esquire". BB had been offered a job writing a Hollywood score (aborted), but PP had no work lined up before they went. Tim riley (talk) 21:52, 16 October 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Ok, I've tweaked the copy to reflect this - as it was, it left me wondering whether there was another reason why Pears went with Britten, since according to the article they did not consummate their relationship until they were in the States (or at least that's how it reads). Alfietucker (talk) 22:04, 16 October 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Why did Pears go to the US? 

message: This article is broad in its coverage, has an adequte WP:LEAD section and generally good prose.  It is well referenced and has illustrations. I have assessed it at B-class. -- Ssilvers (talk) 05:43, 6 December 2013 (UTC)
thread_title: Assessment