{"id":12154,"date":"2014-06-03T12:27:52","date_gmt":"2014-06-03T12:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eoisabi.org\/?p=12154"},"modified":"2016-08-03T17:31:04","modified_gmt":"2016-08-03T17:31:04","slug":"peter-grimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/englishroam.com\/?p=12154","title":{"rendered":"Peter Grimes [B Britten]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"P_Grimes\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u02c6<\/a><\/p>\n

Peter Grimes<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0is an\u00a0opera\u00a0by\u00a0Benjamin Britten<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong> (1913-1976), with a\u00a0libretto\u00a0adapted by\u00a0Montagu Slater\u00a0from the\u00a0Peter Grimes\u00a0<\/em>section of\u00a0George Crabbe’s poem\u00a0The Borough<\/em>. The \u00abborough\u00bb of the opera is a fictional village which shares some similarities with Crabbe’s, and later Britten’s, own home\u00a0Aldeburgh, on England’s east coast, around 1830.<\/p>\n

It was first performed at\u00a0Sadler’s Wells\u00a0in London on 7 June 1945, conducted by\u00a0Reginald Goodall\u00a0and was the first of Britten’s operas to be a critical and popular success. It is still widely performed, both in the UK and internationally, and is considered part of the standard repertoire.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 \u00a0Click for\u00a0libretto<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u21d1<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u00a0Characters:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter Grimes:\u00a0<\/strong>A fisherman, a solitary figure, who finds it impossible to integrate with the society about him. Ellen Orford:<\/strong>\u00a0A widowed schoolmistress who loves Peter. Captain Balstrode:\u00a0<\/strong>A retired sea captain, one of the kindliest inhabitants of The Borough. Mrs Sedley:\u00a0<\/strong>Lonely, gossipy and addicted to laudanum. Ned Keene:\u00a0<\/strong>An apothecary, who provides Mrs Sedley with her laudanum. Auntie:<\/strong>\u00a0Landlady of the Boar Inn. One of the more tolerant members of The Borough. Auntie\u2019s Nieces:<\/strong>\u00a0Young girls who work as high-class prostitutes in The Borough. John:<\/strong>\u00a0Peter Grimes\u2019s new apprentice, accidentally killed by his master.<\/p>\n

\u2663 \u00a0Synopsis \u21d4 highlights<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/h5>\n

\u2022 \u00a0Prologue<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter Grimes is questioned at an inquest over the death of his\u00a0apprentice. The townsfolk, all present, make it clear they think Grimes is 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.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Act 1<\/strong><\/h6>\n

The chorus, who constitute \u00abthe Borough\u00bb, 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 (named John) from the workhouse. Nobody will volunteer to fetch the boy, until Ellen (whom Grimes wishes to marry) offers.<\/p>\n

When Ellen brings the apprentice to Grimes at the pub that evening, Grimes immediately sets off to his hut, despite the fact that the Borough is weathering a terrible storm.<\/p>\n