What is the poem Peter Grimes about?

Peter Grimes is part of a collection of rural poems published by George Crabbe in 1810 called ‘The Borough’. This poem explores the criminal psyche and Peter’s motive appears to result from a psychopathic need to subject a ‘feeling creature’ ‘to his power’.

Is Peter Grimes a good opera?

Britten’s Peter Grimes premiered in 1945, when the composer was 31. It is considered the great English opera of the 20th century. The central character is an outsider in a small fishing village community filled with many recognisable personalities.

Who wrote the libretto for Peter Grimes?

Montagu Slater
Peter Grimes, Op. 33, is an opera by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Montagu Slater based on the section “Peter Grimes”, in George Crabbe’s long narrative poem The Borough….

Peter Grimes
Opera by Benjamin Britten
The composer in 1968
Librettist Montagu Slater
Premiere 7 June 1945 Sadler’s Wells, London

How old is Peter Grimes?

Peter Grimes is an opera by Benjamin Britten. It was first performed in 1945. It is generally thought to be the most important British opera of the 20th century. It is about a community in a small fishing village in the east of England in the 1820s.

Why did Benjamin Britten composed this piece?

Britten decided that his work would commemorate the dead of both World Wars in a large-scale score for soloists, chorus, chamber ensemble and orchestra. His text interspersed the traditional Requiem Mass with poems by Wilfred Owen.

When was Peter Grimes written?

1945Peter Grimes / Written

Who is balstrode in Peter Grimes?

Retired merchant skipper. One of Grimes’s few friends. He helps Grimes to haul in his boat and prevents Boles from attacking him in the Boar.

What is the name of the woman who Peter Grimes loves?

Ellen Orford provides a counterpoint to the harshness of the environment and town, a schoolmistress spinster who cares for Grimes. He too wishes to marry her if he can make money, but it is essentially a social contract, not a loving one (though as with everything in this opera, there is plenty of ambiguity).

What happened to Peter Grimes?

A boy apprenticed to the fisherman Peter Grimes has died at sea. An inquest is being held to determine the cause of death. After hearing Grimes’s testimony, the coroner, Mr Swallow, finds that the boy died in ‘accidental circumstances’.

Did Benjamin Britten have syphilis?

Britten was gay and was in a relationship with Peter Pears for much of his adult life. Kildea writes that when the composer came down with a case of streptococcal tonsillitis in 1940, he was in fact suffering from secondary syphilis.

Is Benjamin Britten 50p worth anything?

As the coin itself states, the legal Benjamin Britten 50p value is simply 50 pence. However, when sold as a collectible, you may find that a Benjamin Britten 50p worth is not the same as its value in legal tender. The price of a Benjamin Britten 50p on eBay is highly subjective.

What happens at the end of Peter Grimes?

What is the summary of Peter Grimes libretto?

PETER GRIMES Libretto by Montague Slater Swallow Tell the court the story in your own words. (Peter is silent.) You sailed your boat round the coast with the intention of putting in to London.

What song does Peter Grimes play on the 26th Ultimo?

Peter Grimes! (Peter Grimes steps forward from among the crowd.) “The Boy Billy”, on the 26th ultimo. Do you wish to give evidence? (Peter nods.)

Is Peter Grimes the murderer?

For two days I’ve kept my eyes open, For two days I’ve said nothing; Only watched and taken notes, Pieced clue to clue and bit by bit, Reconstructed all the crime. Everything points to Peter Grimes. He is the murderer.

Who played Peter Grimes in the Metropolitan Opera?

In 1967, the Metropolitan Opera mounted a “landmark” production directed by Tyrone Guthrie and starring Jon Vickers in the role of Grimes. In the summer of 2013, the Aldeburgh Festival staged a performance of Peter Grimes in its natural setting on the beach at Aldeburgh with tenor Alan Oke in the title role.

Who wrote the story of Peter Grimes?

Where is Peter Grimes set?

Aldeburgh
Peter Grimes takes place in a supposedly generalised “The Borough, a small fishing town on the East Coast [of England]”, but in reality, it is set specifically in Aldeburgh, a real town that Britten grew up near and later lived by.

What does Britten mean?

the person who leads a musical group.

What is the musical style of Benjamin Britten?

Composer, conductor, and pianist Benjamin Britten was a giant of mid-twentieth-century British music. The creator of War Requiem, one of the most performed pieces of classical music, he wrote an important body of songs for amateurs and, perhaps most importantly, revived modern British opera.

When was Peter Grimes poem written?

Peter Grimes is part of a collection of rural poems Crabbe published in 1810 called The Borough.

When was Peter Grimes composed?

What instruments are used in Peter Grimes?

Instrumentation: 2 flute (both double piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (2nd doubles Eb clarinet), 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, chimes, xylophone, snare drum, tambourine, cymbals, gong, bass drum, harp, strings. Duration: 16 minutes in four movements.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvjbn-AEMaA