This fall, alongside Puccini's romantic La Bohème, the Canadian Opera Company presents Benjamin Britten's powerful opera, Peter Grimes. Starring legendary tenor Ben Heppner in the title role, and Ensemble Studio graduate soprano Ileana Montalbetti as Ellen Orford, this production marks the first COC performance of Peter Grimes in a decade, and the first staging of the opera at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. 

The story of Peter Grimes is based on the "Peter Grimes" section of George Crabbe's epic poem The Borough (to honour the man who gave birth to the character, Britten wrote Crabbe in as a silent character in the opera) and the opera deals with village life, persecution and hope. In 2013, the opera is experiencing a surge of interest due to the 100th anniversary of Britten's birth, most notably an interesting staging at the Aldeburgh Festival (where Crabbe was born and Britten lived) with Peter Grimes staged outside on the beach. 

To better understand Britten's seminal work, watch our Peter Grimes Anatomy of an Opera video below.

 

Peter Grimes runs from October 5 to 26 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Learn more about the production and buy tickets here.

Photo credits: Nicholas Bakopoulos-Cooke as John and Stuart Skelton as Peter Grimes in the Opera Australia production of Peter Grimes, 2009. Photo: Branco Gaica