EVENINGS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC - BAHRAIN - |
PROGRAMME FOR 25 OCTOBER 2000 |
PETER GRIMES OPERA BY BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913-76) |
Opera with prologue and three acts Libretto: Montague Slater Premiere: 7 June 1945 in London |
CAST (In order of appearance) Hobson, a carrier and village constable Swallow, a lawyer and coroner of the Borough Peter Grimes, a fisherman Mrs Sedley, a rentier widow of an East India company's factor Ellen Orford, a widow, schoolmistress of the Borough Auntie, landlady of the Boar Inn Bob Boles, a fisherman and Methodist Balstrode, a retired merchant skipper The Two Nieces, "main attractions" of the Boar Inn Ned Keene, apothecary and quack The Rev. Horace Adams, the Rector |
- John Tomlinson - Forbes Robinson - Jon Vickers - Patricia Payne - Heather Harper - Elizabeth Bainbridge - John Dobson - Norman Bailey - Marilyn Hill Smith & Anne Pashley - Philip Gelling - John Lanigan |
Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden conducted by COLIN DAVIS Recorded on 30 June 1981 at Covent Garden Producer: Elijah Moshinsky |
THE STORY The scene is set in the Borough, a small fishing town in England (most probably Aldeburgh), around 1830 PROLOGUE The vollagers are assembled in the Borough's Moot Hall for an inquest on Peter Grimes's apprentice, who has died at sea. Hobson calls Grimes, who is questioned by Swallow, acting as coroner. Grimes explains the circumstances of the death and of his return with the boy's body (there is a brie intervention from Mrs Sedley, one of the leading gossips, and the mutterings of the villagers are heard, silenced by Hobson). Swallow advises Grimes to manage without a boy apprentice in future and returns a verdict that death was due to accidental circumstances. Grimes, suspected of treating the boy brutally, asks to be confronted by his accusers, but Hobson clears the court and Grimes is left alone with the schoolmistress, Ellen Orford, who gently tries to console him. ACT 1 As dawn rises, the Borough's men and women set to work preparing the nets. A fisherman calls to Auntie, landlady of the Boar Inn, who beckons some of them to the inn despite the protestations of Bob Boles, a Methodist. The retired skipper, Balstrode, comments on the approach of a storm. The rector and Mrs Sedley pass, greeted by Auntie's two "nieces", to whom the apothecary Keene calls out jocularly. Swallow too, passes by. From a distance, Grimes's voice is heard asking for help. At first nobody moves, but then Keene and Balstrode haul at the capstan for him while Boles talks to Auntie of Grimes's sinfulness. Keene tells Grimes that he has obtained an apprentice for him, and asks Hobson to fetch the boy in his cart. Hobson at first refuses, to the approval of the people assembled, but when Ellen Orford offers to look after the boy on the journey, he agrees, and they depart. After asking Keene for a supply of the laudanum to which she is addicted, Mrs Sedley goes off. Balstrode draws attention to the gathering storm, and he, Keene, Auntie, the "nieces", Boles and the chorus sing of its approach and the rising of the tide. The fisher-folk fasten their boats and go into the Boar Inn for shelter leaving Balstrode and Grimes alone. Balstrode advises Grimes to leave the Borough, but despite the malice of the people, Grimes finds the ties too strong. As the winds become fiercer, he describes to Balstrode the scene of the boy's death, and goes on to tell of his dreams of becoming wealthy, marrying Ellen and winning the Borough's respect. Balstrode leaves Grimes as the storm breaks. The scene changes to the interior of the Boar Inn. Mrs Sedley is there, waiting for Keene. Balstrode, then Boles and other fishermen arrive, struggling with the door in the fierce wind as they enter. The "nieces" come down, frightened, from their bedroom. More people enter with news of the storm's ravages. Boles, unaccustomed to drink, beomes tipsy - he behaves importunately to one of the "nieces" and is dealt with by Balstrode. Keene and others come in (Keene mentioning a landslide on the cliff near Grimes's hut), soon followed by Grimes. Mrs Sedley faints, and the others mutter 'talk of the devil', in a general unease. To the puzzlement of the others, Grimes philosophises: 'Now the Great Bear and Pleiades where earthe moves are drawing up the clouds of human grief.' To break the tension Balstrode calls for a song. Keene obliges, and soon all around are singing a round: 'Old Joe has gone fishing.' Its liveliness is shattered when Ellen Orford, Hobson and the new apprentice enter, soaked and storm-beaten. Auntie tries to make them warm and comfortable, but Grimes is in a hury to be off. Ellen Orford hands the boy over and, to the disapproval of all but her, Grimes takes him off into the howling storm. ACT 2 It is Sunday morning. Villagers are moving towards the church as the bell sounds, and Ellen Orford comes in with the boy. She decides to stay on the beach rather than go to church, and sits knitting and talking to the boy as the voices of the congregation and the Rector are heard from the church. She suddenly sees that the boy's clothing is torn and that his neck is bruised. The suspicion that Grimes is ill-treating the boy is not lost on Mrs Sedley, who is passing. Grimes enters excitedly. He has seen a large shoal and wants the apprentice to come, despite Ellen Orford's reminder that it is the boy's day of rest. She reproaches Grimes, wondering whether they were right to plan a future together. Grimes cannot suppress his fury - he strikes her and goes off with the boy, seen by Auntie, Keene and Boles. Keene observes that 'Grimes is at his exercise', and as the people leave the church (among them Balstrode, who tries to calm the angry Boles and Mrs Sedley) they join in the angry buzz of conversation about Grimes 'at his exercise'. Swallow, the Rector and others join in. Eventually Boles starts haranguing the crowd against the apprentice system, against Grimes and against Ellen Orford ('She helped him in his cruel games'). Ellen Orford explains that she and Grimes planned to care for the boy's welfare but the crowd is in a jeering and angry mood, and Auntie leads Ellen Orford off. The Rector proposes a deputation of the village men to Grimes's hut, to find out the truth about Grimes's suspected cruelties once and for all. Led by Hobson, beating his drum, and watched by the women, they go off. Ellen Orford, Auntie and the "nieces" ponder upon the bitterness of woman's lot. The scene changes to Grimes's hut. Grimes enters, pushing the boy before him. He throws the boy's sea clothes to him and shouts at the sobbing lad to prepare himslef quickly. Seeing the sea seething with fish, he again dreams of a less troubled future with Ellen Orford, then recalls the last apprentice. Sounds of the approaching procession are heard. Realising that the villagers are coming, he thinks the boy has been talking and becomes angry, telling him to hurry and get ready to go down by the cliff. Grimes warns his apprentice to take care. The boy goes first - he slips, and, screaming, falls down the cliff to his death. Grimes goes out. The villagers, led by the Rector, Swallow and Keene, enter the hut. They are surprised to find it empty and well-kept. Swallow says there seems to be no cause for alarm, and that they should no longer interfere. They all go, except Balstrode, who looks around the hut, sees the precipice outside, and follows the route Grimes took down the cliff. ACT 3 From the beach, in the evening, the distant sound of a Barn Dance is heard from the Moot Hall. Swallow comes out of the hall, tipsily bantering with the two "nieces". Keene follows a little later and is accosted by Mrs Sedley - she tells him that Grimes and his apprentice have no been seen for two days and she feels sure Grimes has killed the boy. He takes little notice and soon eludes her. The Rector and others come out of the Moot Hall - the time has arrived for the older people to leave the festivities and go home to bed. Mrs Sedley broods on the situation, concealing herself when Ellen Orford and Balstrode pass by. They are talking of Grimes - his boat is in but they have not seen him, though they have found the boy's embroidered jersey by the sea. They go off, full of foreboding, hoping they can help Grimes. As they disappear, Mrs Sedley runs off to the Boar Inn, asking for Swallow. Auntie tries to send her away, but Swallow hears the commotion and comes out. Mrs Sedley tells him that Grimes is back and he promptly orders Hobson, as village constable, to organise a search for him. The people, angry and suspicious, assemble, crying: 'Peter Grimes! Peter Grimes!' Some hours later, Grimes enters, weary and half-demented. There is a thick fog - in the distance the cries of the villagers are still audible. Grimes's thoughts are a jumble as he recalls the fate of the apprentices (he repeats the coroner's verdict of 'accidental circumstances') and other events which have driven him to his present crisis. Thevoices grow nearer. Ellen Orford and Balstrode arrive. She wants to lead Grimes home, but Balstrode tells him [spoken] to take his boat out to sea and sink it. He helps Grimes to put out, then leads Ellen Orford away. For a moment the beach is deserted. Then, as another day dawns, the people come out to start their work. Swallow reports to some fishermen that a boat has been seen sinking out at sea beyond the reach of help. The other villagers come out too. They sing of the inexorable tides, for the life of the Borough in joy and sorrow is governed by the sea. (The story is extracted from 'The Wordsworh Book of Opera - Arthur Jacobs and Stanley Sadie') |
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