Peter Grimes

Peter Grimes description

When fisherman Peter Grimes is accused of mistreating his apprentice, his life falls apart.

You live in a close-knit place where everyone knows everyone else's business and judgements can be harsh. What happens when you're accused of something dreadful? Peter Grimes, Benjamin Britten's darkly brooding opera, is back at the ROH, and Deborah Warner's (Billy Budd, Wozzeck) wonderful staging creates the perfect backdrop.

The plot, which showcases a tragic conflict in a small coastal town, tells the tale of a man accused of mistreating his apprentice, who dies at sea under mysterious circumstances. Peter has been found innocent but his community remains hostile. Peter takes on a second apprentice, determined to clear his name. But his grasp of reality starts to erode in the face of all the stress, and the sea's brutality, and when the second apprentice dies, he loses his mind. As it turns out, Peter's only solace is the water.

Allan Clayton, Bryn Terfel and Maria Bengtsson star in this bleak operatic parable of mob mentality laced with paranoia and social stigma. The cast, which may vary, also includes Clive Bayley and Jacques Imbrailo. The Director is Deborah Warner and Music Director of The Royal Opera Jakub Hrůša conducts. Between them, Libretto writer Montagu Slater, Set designer Michael Levine, Costume designer Luis F. Carvalho, Lighting designer Peter Mumford and Choreographer Kim Brandstrup create unusual magic.

Love your opera harsh and unforgiving? Peter Grimes tickets deliver a shocking, powerful story to remember, an all-too-realistic tragedy.

Playing at Royal Opera House

Bow Street, London, WC2E 9DD GB (venue info)

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