Citizendia

Operas by Benjamin Britten

Paul Bunyan (1941)
Peter Grimes (1945)
The Rape of Lucretia (1946)
Albert Herring (1947)
Billy Budd (1951)
Gloriana (1953)
The Turn of the Screw (1954)
Noye's Fludde (1958)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960)
Curlew River (1964)
The Burning Fiery Furnace (1966)
The Prodigal Son (1968)
Owen Wingrave (1971)
Death in Venice (1973)

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Peter Grimes is an opera by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto adapted by Montagu Slater from the Peter Grimes section of George Crabbe's poem The Borough. Edward Benjamin Britten Baron Britten, OM CH (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976 was an English Composer, conductor, Paul Bunyan is a "choral operetta" composed by Benjamin Britten with book and lyrics by W For Shakespeare 's poem see The Rape of Lucrece The Rape of Lucretia (Op Albert Herring is a comic Chamber opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten, his Opus 39 Billy Budd is an Opera by Benjamin Britten, first performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 1 December Gloriana is an Opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English Libretto by William Plomer, based on Elizabeth and The Turn of the Screw is a 20th century English Chamber opera composed by Benjamin Britten with a libretto by Myfanwy Piper, based Noye's Fludde ( Noah 's Flood) is a late 16th century Mystery play from the Chester Mystery Cycle. A Midsummer Night's Dream is an Opera with music by Benjamin Britten and set to a libretto adapted by the composer and Peter Pears from Curlew River &mdash A Parable for Church Performance (Op 71 is the first of three Church Parables by Benjamin Britten. The Burning Fiery Furnace is one of the three Parables for Church Performances composed by Benjamin Britten, dating from 1966, and is his Opus The Prodigal Son is an Opera by Benjamin Britten with a Libretto by William Plomer. Owen Wingrave is an Opera for television in two acts with music by Benjamin Britten, his Opus 85 and a libretto by Myfanwy Piper, after a short Death in Venice is an Opera in two acts by Benjamin Britten, his last Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Edward Benjamin Britten Baron Britten, OM CH (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976 was an English Composer, conductor, A libretto is the text used in an extended Musical work such as an Opera, Operetta, Masque, sacred or secular Oratorio and Charles Montagu Slater ( 23 September, 1902 &ndash 19 December, 1956) was an English Poet, novelist, Playwright George Crabbe ( 24 December 1754 - 3 February 1832) was an English Poet and naturalist. A Poem by George Crabbe published in 1810. Written in Heroic couplets, the poem is arranged as a series of 24 letters covering various aspects of borough The Borough of the opera is a fictional village which shares some similarities with Crabbe's, and later Britten's, own home Aldeburgh, on England's east coast, around 1830. Aldeburgh ( IPA /ˈɔlbrə/ is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England; it is located on the Alde river at 52° 9' North 1° 36' East

It was first performed at Sadler's Wells in London on June 7, 1945, conducted by Reginald Goodall and was the first of Britten's operas to be a critical and popular success. Sadler's Wells Theatre is the name of six theatres that have been built since 1683 at a site on Rosebery Avenue Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Sir Reginald Goodall (born Lincoln, England, 13 July, 1901; died 5 May 1990) was an English conductor, noted It is still widely performed, both in the UK and internationally, and is considered part of the standard repertoire. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In addition, the "Four Sea Interludes" were published separately and are frequently performed as an orchestral suite.

Contents

Roles

RoleVoice typePremiere Cast, June 7, 1945
(Conductor: Reginald Goodall)
Peter Grimes, a fishermantenorPeter Pears
Ellen Orford, a widow, Borough schoolmistresssopranoJoan Cross
Auntie, landlady of The BoarcontraltoEdith Coates
Niece 1sopranoBlanche Turner
Niece 2sopranoMinnia Bower
Balstrode, retired merchant skipperbaritoneRoderick Jones
Mrs. Sir Reginald Goodall (born Lincoln, England, 13 July, 1901; died 5 May 1990) was an English conductor, noted The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears (pronounced /piːrz/ "PEERS" Farnham, 22 June 1910 &ndash Aldeburgh, 3 April 1986 This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Joan Cross ( September 7, 1900 in London - December 12, 1993) was a British Soprano, closely associated with the operas This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. (Nabob) Sedley, a rentier widowmezzo-sopranoValetta Iacopi
Swallow, a lawyerbassOwen Brannigan
Ned Keene, apothecary and quackbaritoneEdmund Donlevy
Bob Boles, fisherman and MethodisttenorMorgan Jones
Rev. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Owen Brannigan ( 10 March, 1908 – 9 May, 1973) was an English Bass-baritone. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice Morgan Jones may refer to Morgan Jones (broadcaster, Welsh television presenter Morgan Jones (Welsh politician (1885&ndash1939 Horace Adams, the rectortenorTom Culbert
Hobson, the carrierbassFrank Vaughan
John, Grimes' apprenticesilent roleLeonard Thompson

History

Britten and his partner Peter Pears read the poem by Crabbe and were struck by it. The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice Frank J “Frankie” Vaughn (also spelled Vaughan (February 18 1902 in St Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears (pronounced /piːrz/ "PEERS" Farnham, 22 June 1910 &ndash Aldeburgh, 3 April 1986 They both had a strong hand in drafting the story, and in this process the character of Grimes became far more complex. Rather than being the clear-cut villain he is in Crabbe's version, he became a victim of both cruel fate and society, while retaining darker aspects in his character. [1] It is left to the audience to decide which version is more true, and to see how clear-cut or ambiguous the various characters are. [2]

Pears was certainly the intended Peter Grimes,[3] and it is likely that Britten wrote the role of Ellen Orford for Joan Cross. Joan Cross ( September 7, 1900 in London - December 12, 1993) was a British Soprano, closely associated with the operas The work has been called "a powerful allegory of homosexual oppression," [4] and one of "the true operatic masterpieces of the 20th century,"[3] but the composer's own contemporary (1948) summation of the work was simpler:

"a subject very close to my heart—the struggle of the individual against the masses. Violence against LGBT people queer identifying and the same-sex attracted are actions which may occur either at the hands of The more vicious the society, the more vicious the individual. "[5]

Though in the original version of the libretto Grimes' relations with the boys were clearly pederastic, Pears persuaded Slater to cut out most of the pederasty from the final version. Pederasty or paederasty refers to an erotic relationship sexually expressed or not between an adolescent boy and an adult male outside his immediate family [6] The opera was commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundations and is "dedicated to the memory of Natalie Koussevitzky", wife of the Russian-born American conductor Sergei Koussevitzky. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes -->Dr Its American premiere was given in 1946 at Tanglewood by Koussevitzky's pupil, Leonard Bernstein. Tanglewood is an estate and Music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge Massachusetts and is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes

In 1967, the Metropolitan Opera mounted a "landmark" production directed by Tyrone Guthrie and starring Jon Vickers in the role of Grimes. The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. See also John Vickers, a British economist Jon S Vickers CC, D [3]

Synopsis

Prologue

Peter Grimes is questioned at an inquest over the death of his apprentice. Apprenticeship is a system of Training a new generation of practitioners of a skill The townsfolk, all present, make it clear they think Grimes guilty and deserving of punishment. Although the coroner, Mr. Swallow, determines the boy's death to be accidental and clears Grimes without a proper trial, he advises Grimes not to get another apprentice. As the court is cleared, Ellen Orford, the schoolmistress, attempts to comfort Grimes as he rages against what he sees as the Borough community's unwillingness to give him a true second chance.

Act 1

The chorus, who constitute "the Borough," sing of their weary daily round and their relationship with the sea and the seasons. Grimes claims to be in desperate need of help to fish, and his friend, the apothecary Ned Keene, finds him a new apprentice from the workhouse. Nobody will volunteer to fetch the boy, until Ellen (whom Grimes wishes to marry) offers.

When Ellen brings the apprentice to Grimes at the pub that evening, he immediately sets off to his hut, despite the fact that the Borough is weathering an ominous storm.

Act 2

On Sunday morning while most of the Borough is at church, Ellen talks with John, the apprentice. She is horrified when she finds a bruise on his neck. When she confronts Grimes about it, he brusquely claims that it was an accident. Growing agitated at her mounting concern and interference, he strikes her and runs off with the boy. This did not go unseen: first Keene, Auntie, and Bob Boles, then the chorus generally evolve into a mob to investigate Grimes's hut. As the men march off, Ellen, Auntie, and the nieces sing sadly of the relationship of women with men.

At the hut, Grimes accuses the ever silent John of "telling stories" then becomes lost in his memories of the dead apprentice, reliving the boy's death of thirst. When he hears the mob of villagers approaching he quickly comes back to reality and gets ready to set out to sea: he tells John to be careful climbing down to his boat, but to no avail: the boy falls to his death. When the mob reaches the hut Grimes is gone, and they find nothing out of order, so disperse.

Act 3

Nighttime in the Borough. While a dance is going on, Mrs. Sedley tries to convince the authorities that Grimes is a murderer, but to no avail. Ellen and Captain Balstrode confide in each other: Grimes has returned after many days at sea, and Balstrode has discovered a jersey washed ashore: a jersey that Ellen recognizes as one she had knitted for John. Mrs. Sedley overhears this, and with the knowledge that Grimes has returned, she is able to instigate another mob. Singing "Him who despises us we'll destroy," the villagers go off in search of Grimes.

While the chorus can be heard searching for him, Grimes appears onstage, singing a long monologue: John's death has seemingly pushed Grimes, already dangerously unstable, over the edge. Ellen and Balstrode find him, and the old captain encourages Grimes to take his boat out to sea and sink it. Grimes leaves. The next morning, the Borough begins its day anew. There is a report from the coast guard of a ship sinking off the coast. This is dismissed by Auntie as "one of these rumours. "

Selected recordings

YearCast:
Peter Grimes,
Ellen Orford,
Balstrode, Auntie		Conductor,
Opera House and Orchestra		Label
1948Peter Pears,
Joan Cross		Reginald Goodall,
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Orchestra and BBC Theatre Chorus		Audio CD: EMI Classics 64727 (excerpts)
1958Peter Pears,
Claire Watson,
James Pease,
Jean Watson		Benjamin Britten,
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Orchestra and Chorus		Audio CD: Decca 414577 (reissued 1990, 2001, 2006)
1978Jon Vickers,
Heather Harper,
Jonathon Summers,
Elizabeth Bainbridge		Colin Davis,
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Orchestra and Chorus		Audio CD: Phillips 462847 (reissued 1999)
1981Jon Vickers,
Heather Harper,
Norman Bailey,
Elizabeth Bainbridge		Colin Davis,
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Orchestra and Chorus		DVD Video: Kultur 2255 (released 2003)
1992Anthony Rolfe-Johnson,
Felicity Lott,
Thomas Allen,
Patricia Payne		Bernard Haitink,
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Orchestra and Chorus		Audio CD: EMI Classics: 5483222 (reissued 2003, EMI Classics: 915620)
1994Philip Langridge,
Janice Watson,
Alan Opie,
Ann Howard		David Atherton,
English National Opera Orchestra and Chorus		DVD Video: Kultur 2902
1995Philip Langridge,
Janice Cairns,
Alan Opie,
Ameral Gunson		Richard Hickox,
City of London Sinfonia and London Symphony Orchestra Chorus		Audio CD: Chandos 9447
2004Glenn Winslade,
Janice Watson,
Anthony Michaels-Moore,
Jill Grove		Colin Davis,
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus		Audio CD: LSO Live 54 [7]
2005Christopher Ventris,
Emily Magee,
Alfred Muff,
Liliana Nikiteanu		Franz Welser-Möst,
Orchester und Chor der Oper Zürich		DVD Video: EMI Classics 00971

Notes

  1. ^ Geoffrey Wheatcroft, "The lesson of Peter Grimes". The Guardian, 6 August 2000.
  2. ^ Stephen Johnson, Review of Peter Grimes in Birmingham. The Guardian, 3 March 2001.
  3. ^ a b c Anthony Tommasini, "The Outsider in Their Midst: Britten’s Tale of the Haunted Misfit," New York Times, March 1, 2008.
  4. ^ Philip Brett and Elizabeth Wood, "Lesbian and Gay Music". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell, editors. London: Macmillan, 2001.
  5. ^ "Opera's New Face", Time, 16 February 1948.
  6. ^ James Fenton, "How Grimes became grim," The Guardian, July 3, 2004
  7. ^ Andrew Clements, "Britten: Peter Grimes: Winslade/ Watson/ Michaels-Moore/ Wyn-Rogers/ Grove/ Rutherford/ Lemalu/ London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra/ Davis". The Guardian, 9 July 2004.

Sources

External links

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