Peter Grimes BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913 – 1976) coc.ca/Explore Table of Contents Welcome .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Opera 101 ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Attending the Opera ................................................................................................................................... 5 Characters and Synopsis .......................................................................................................................... 7 Genesis of the Opera .................................................................................................................................. 9 Listening Guide ............................................................................................................................................ 12 What to Look for .......................................................................................................................................... 16 COC Spotlight: Alan Moffat .................................................................................................................... 18 Active Learning ............................................................................................................................................ 20 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................... 21 Credits .............................................................................................................................................................. 22 Cover: Stuart Skelton as Peter Grimes. Above: Susan Gritton (centre) as Ellen Orford. Both from Peter Grimes (Opera Australia, 2009). Photos: Branco Gaica 2 Canadian Opera Company 2013/2014 coc.ca Peter Grimes Study Guide Welcome Peter Grimes is an opera of great feeling, which depicts and presents a gripping psychological drama about an the life of an alienated fisherman and the seaside village individual ostracized by his community and in conflict with he struggles to inhabit. Unveiled right after the moral the collective. catastrophe of World War II, this opera earned Britten his reputation. Though the opera does not deal directly The work abounds with thought-provoking themes and with the effects of war, it’s clear that the composer was topics, including social ostracism; the nature of innocence reacting in a complex way to what a seismic event like and guilt; the possibilities of justice; the harsh realities of WWII revealed about the state of humanity. Peter Grimes life as a fisherman; living within an ever-changing society; is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest operas of the and, challenges in family and group dynamics. 20th century. Dealing with themes ranging from the intimate ties With Peter Grimes, Britten held up a mirror to English life between us, to our unnerving capacity for cruelty, Peter as no other composer has before or since. Its evocative Grimes is an evening of mature drama appropriate for music personifies the power and loneliness of the ocean, older students in either high school or post-secondary studies. STUDENT DRESS REHEARSALS 2013/2014 $15 INDIVIDUAL STUDENT RUSH TICKETS* La Bohème Puccini Hercules Handel Tuesday, October 1, 2013 Thursday, April 3, 2014 TEACHER DISCOUNTS: 50% OFF ADULT TICKETS! Peter Grimes Britten Roberto Devereux Donizetti Wednesday, October 2, 2013 Monday, April 21, 2014 Teachers can purchase a limit of two (2) adult tickets per Così fan tutte Mozart Don Quichotte Massenet opera season in select seating Thursday, January 16, 2014 Wednesday, May 7, 2014 sections for half price. An OCT membership card must be shown when purchasing/ Un ballo in maschera Verdi *In-person sales only. Age and purchasing restrictions apply. All dress rehearsals take picking up the tickets. Thursday, January 30, 2014 place at 7:30 p.m. and are approximately three hours with one or two intermissions. Visit coc.ca/Explore for details. Visit coc.ca/Explore for details and purchasing restrictions. Canadian Opera Company 2013/2014 coc.ca Peter Grimes Study Guide 3 Opera 101 WHAT IS OPERA? The term “opera” comes from the Italian word for “work” or “piece,” and is usually applied to the What are the differences between operas, musicals and European tradition of grand opera. Opera is a form plays? of storytelling which incorporates music, drama and design. Traditionally operas are through-sung, meaning they are sung from beginning to end with no dialogue in between. Though its origins date back to ancient Greece, Singers must have powerful voices in order to be heard over the form of opera we are familiar with today the orchestra (the ensemble of instrumental musicians that started in the late 16th century in Florence, accompanies the dramatic action on stage during an opera). Italy. Count Giovanni de’ Bardi was a patron and Remember: opera singers don’t use microphones! host to a group of intellectuals, poets, artists, scientists and humanists including Giulio Caccini Musicals are a combination of dialogue and sung pieces and (composer) and Vincenzo Galilei (father to the often include choreographed numbers. The singers often astronomer and scientist, Galileo Galilei, who use microphones and are accompanied by a pit band which was most famous for his improvements to the includes more modern instruments like a drum kit, guitar and telescope). These individuals explored trends electronic instruments. in the arts, focusing on music and drama in particular. They were unified in their belief that Plays are primarily spoken works of theatre with minimal the arts had become over-embellished and that singing or music. returning to the transparency of the music of the ancient Greeks, which incorporated both speech There are always exceptions to the rule: though Les and song, and a chorus to further the plot and Misérables is through-sung it is still classified as a piece of provide commentary on the action, would present musical theatre because of its style of music. By the same a more pure, natural and powerful way to tell token, some operas, like Mozart’s The Magic Flute, have stories and express emotions. spoken dialogue in addition to singing. The first opera, Dafne, about a nymph who fled from Apollo and was subsequently transformed by the gods into a laurel tree, was composed by Jacopo Peri in 1597. From then on, the early operas recreated Greek tragedies with mythological themes. During the 17th and 18th centuries, topics expanded to include stories about royalty, What does opera feel like? and everyday or common people. Some operas Take five minutes out of the school day were of a serious nature (called opera seria) and and instead of using regular voices to converse, some light-hearted (called opera buffa). Since ask the class to commit to singing everything. Make then, operas have been written on a wide variety an agreement with the students that it’s not about of topics such as cultural clashes (Madama judging people’s voices but about freeing our natural Butterfly), comedic farce (The Barber of Seville), sounds. Make up the melodies on the spot and don’t politicians on foreign visits (Nixon in China), the worry about singing “correctly.” Did the musical lines celebration of Canadian heroes (Louis Riel), and help express or emphasize certain emotions? children’s stories (The Little Prince), to name a If so, how? few. The COC presents works in the western European tradition but musical equivalents to European opera can be found in Japan, at the Peking Opera in China, and in Africa where it is called Epic Storytelling. 4 Canadian Opera Company 2013/2014 coc.ca Peter Grimes Study Guide Attending the Opera: Make the most of your opera experience WELCOME TO THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Photo: Sam Javanrouh So you’re headed to the opera, and there are a few tonight’s performance, drop by the welcome desk (just questions on your mind. Here are some tips on how to get inside the main doors) to ask a member of the COC staff, the most out of your opera experience. who are full of useful information not only about tonight’s opera, but also about COC programs in general. A pre- First, there’s the question of what to wear. People wear performance chat takes place in the Richard Bradshaw all sorts of things to the opera – jeans, dress pants, Amphitheatre (Ring 3) about 45 minutes before the show. cocktail dresses, suits, etc. The important thing is to be These chats, given by members of our COC Volunteer comfortable. Wear something that makes you feel good, Speakers Bureau, offer valuable insight into the opera and whether it be jeans or your nicest tie. But skip that the specific production that you’ll be seeing. spritz of perfume or cologne before you go out; the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is scent-free. Before the opera starts, take the opportunity to explore Many fellow patrons and performers are allergic to strong the lobby, known as the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City scents. Room. Stop by concessions and order a beverage for intermission or purchase a snack. Browse the Opera Shop Once you’re dressed, it’s important to arrive on time for and pick up a memento of your experience at the opera. the show. Late patrons cannot be admitted to the theatre, (Note: the Opera Shop is not