PETER GRIMES Britten – Polish National Opera

Peter Grimes lives from fishing. Raw and recluse, he finds himself at odds with the local community who accuse him of brutality towards his young apprentices and blames him for the death of one of them. A few friends stand up for him - Ellen Orford, a widow whom he wants to marry, Balstrode a retired sea captain, and an apothecary Ned Keene - but Grimes remains a mysterious figure. What really happened to his missing apprentice, and was he involved? Aldeburgh, a small fishing village in Suffolk on the east coast of England, is where composer Benjamin Britten was born and spent most of his life. Aldeburgh was also where poet George Crabbe lived and worked, writing in 1820 a poem The Borough whose story, about a violent recluse ostracised by the Aldeburgh fishing community, captivated the young Britten. Peter Grimes premiered in Sadler’s Wells theatre London in 1945 to ecstatic reviews. Polish National Opera’s new production is staged by its artistic director Mariusz Treliński, who has done much to promote Britten’s music in Poland, including a staging of Billy Budd. Michał Klauza conducts a fine cast which includes the tenor Peter Wedd, who plays the complex protagonist, alongside soprano Cornelia Beskow as the empathetic Ellen Orford and baritone Krzysztof Szumański as the retired captain Balstrode, whose condemnation seals Grimes’s fate. Full performance streamed on OperaVision from 28 July 2023 at 19:00 CET to 28 January 2024: CAST Peter Grimes Peter Wedd Ellen Orford Cornelia Beskow Balstrode Krzysztof Szumański Auntie Wanda Franek Niece 1 Aleksandra Łaska Niece 2 Maria Stasiak Boles Mateusz Zajdel Swallow Dariusz Machej Mrs Sedley Jadwiga Postrożna The Rev Horace Adams Aleksander Kunach Ned Keene Szymon Komasa Hobson Lukas Jakobski John, a boy Oskar Grzegorzewski Dancers and Mimes Mayu Gralińska-Sakai Katarzyna Hołtra-Kleiber Monika Jarosińska Hanna Szurgot Monika Daukszo Katarzyna Koziorz Krzysztof Czerny Michał Ciećka Damian Zawadzki Paweł Kozłowski Orchestra Polish National Opera Orchestra Chorus Polish National Opera Chorus Music Benjamin Britten Text Montagu Slater Conductor Michał Klauza Director Mariusz Treliński Dramaturgy Marcin Cecko Sets Boris Kudlička Costumes Marek Adamski Choreography Jacek Przybyłowicz Lighting Marc Heinz Video Bartek Macias Photography Michał Dąbal Make-up Waldemar Pokromski Chorus Master Mirosław Janowski Film directors Marcin Dunin-Borkowski Ewa Krasucka Sound director Emilian Rymarowicz OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision. WEBSITE: FACEBOOK: TWITTER: INSTAGRAM: TIKTOK: @operavision