Radio Broadcast: Britten's
Peter Grimes
Saturday, November 19, 2011 at Noon on Classical 91.7FM (
www.classical917.org) and WFMT Network (
WFMT.com)
Approximate Run Time: 3 hours, 11 minutes including 2 intermissions
Sung in English
The mysterious death of an apprentice ignites the town’s suspicions against the fisherman Peter Grimes (Anthony Dean Griffey). School-mistress Ellen Orford (Katie Van Kooten) is his only ally. Peter Grimes
brings to the stage the human struggle of the individual versus the
masses against the backdrop of the raging sea. Directed by Tony Award
nominee Neil Armfield (Exit the King –
Broadway 2009), this HGO co-production of Britten's masterpiece garnered
enthusiastic accolades at its Australian premiere. Houston Grand Opera
Music Director Patrick Summers conducts.
A co-production of Opera Australia, Houston Grand Opera, West Australian Opera and Perth International Arts Festival.
Premier Guarantor
Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc.
Guarantors
Mr. John G. Turner and Mr. Jerry G. Fischer
Grand Underwriters
Mr. and Mrs. J. Landis Martin
photos by Felix Sanchez
Recorded live at the Wortham Theater Center, Fall 2010
Houston Grand Opera broadcasts its operas nationally via the WFMT Radio Network. In Houston, Classical 91.7FM (www.classical917.org)
airs these programs on Saturday afternoons starting at noon. If you
find yourself outside the Houston area, please check your local radio
listings or visit WFMT.com to find a radio station near you that carries the broadcast.
Houston Grand Opera broadcasts are made possible by major grants from
the Wortham Foundation and from the Ford Foundation Endowment Fund for
Electronic Media, through the Houston Grand Opera Endowment. Recording
for broadcast is made possible through the facilities of Classical
91.7FM; Houston Grand Opera’s Recording Engineer is Marlan Barry.
Programming is at the discretion of member stations and is subject to change.
Synopsis
An English fishing village
Prologue
During a coroner’s inquest at the town hall, the lawyer Swallow
questions the fisherman, Peter Grimes, about the death of his apprentice
during a storm at sea. Though the room is crowded with villagers
hostile to Grimes, Swallow accepts the man’s explanation of the event
and rules that the boy died accidentally. He warns Grimes not to take on
another apprentice unless he lives with a woman who can care for the
boy. When the hall empties, Ellen Orford, the schoolmistress asks Grimes
to have courage and promises to help him find a better life.
Act I
The apothecary Ned Keene tells Grimes that he has found him a new
apprentice at the workhouse and Ellen Orford offers to go and fetch him,
in spite of the villagers’ hostile comments. Grimes is left alone with
Captain Balstrode, one of his few friends, who tries to convince him to
leave the village. The fisherman explains that first he has to make
enough money to open a store and marry Ellen.
That night, as a storm rages, the villagers gather at Auntie’s tavern.
When Grimes enters, there is an uncomfortable silence. Ellen arrives
with the new apprentice, John, and Grimes immediately takes the boy back
into the storm and to his hut.
Act II
On Sunday morning, as Ellen and John are watching the villagers go to
church, she discovers a bruise on the young boy’s neck. Grimes comes to
take John fishing. Ignoring Ellen’s concerns, he hits her and drags the
child off. The villagers, who have witnessed this brutality, decide to
confront the fisherman, and an angry mob heads off to Grimes’ hut.
At his hut, Grimes hears the mob approaching and rushes out the back
door. The boy slips and falls down the cliff and Grimes escapes. The
villagers find the hut empty and orderly and decide that they have
misjudged Grimes. Captain Balstrode looks over the cliff and knows
better.
Act III
A dance is under way in the town hall. Captain Balstrode arrives with
Ellen. Grimes’ fishing boat is back and Balstrode has found John’s wet
jersey, but no Grimes and no John. Once again, the crowd sets off on a
manhunt.
Grimes, deranged and raving, hears the villagers shouting his name in
the distance. Ellen asks Grimes to come home, but Balstrode tells him to
sail out and take his own life. He helps Grimes launch the boat, and
then leads Ellen away. As dawn breaks, the villagers return to their
daily chores. Swallow tells them that the coast guard has reported a
sinking boat, but no one listens to him.
Patrick Summers discusses Peter Grimes (mp3)
"I can't remember an evening in a theater more gripping than Houston Grand Opera's Peter Grimes.
Saturday night's performance, at the Wortham Center, had red-hot
singing, characters vividly realized, and electrifying choral singing
and orchestral playing. " - Scott Cantrell for The Dallas Morning News
Click here to read the article
"I’ve seen hundreds of opera performances at many of world’s great opera houses, and HGO’s Peter Grimes is most definitely in the top 10 of my experience." - Culture Map
Click here to read the article
"HGO's Peter Grimes probes outcast's conflicts" - Houston Chronicle
Click here to read the article
"Christopher Purves used to be a rock star. At 32 he discarded that to become an opera singer, and a successful one at that." - Houston Press
Click here to read the article
"A better Grimes would be hard to find... Neil Armfield's production is a triumph for its dramatic focus" - Sydney Morning Herald
"The most compelling piece of drama seen in Sydney all year—in any theater, bar none" - Opera magazine
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