Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Benjamin Britten has emerged as one of the most important English composers of the 20th century, and one of the period's most important operatic composers. “Peter Grimes,” which quickly entered the repertoire of opera companies worldwide, was a turning point in Britten's career and marked his ascension to international prominence. “Peter Grimes” offers an ambivalent portrait of a reclusive fisherman and his strained interactions with his neighbors (complicated by the deaths of two apprentices under his tutelage).

The opening movement, "Dawn: Lento e tranquillo," is taken from an optimistic point in the otherwise dark work, where Peter Grimes has just been found innocent in the death of his first apprentice: in many ways it represents a hopefulness for Grimes's future. Like waves breaking upon the shore, the music returns again and again to the opening theme in the flute and strings, and alternates with a progressively menacing lower brass part that foretells of future tragedy. "Sunday morning: Allegro spiritoso" depicts a bustling scene where the townsfolk are preparing to go to church while two characters relax by the shore. The third interlude, "Moonlight: Andante comodo e rubato," is the most contemplative of the set and again reveals Britten's fascination with repeated melodies and contrasting ideas. Saving the most dramatic contrast for last, the storm movement crashes into the calmness achieved by the third interlude. The timpani and the brass section take center stage, representing the archetypical and violent uprising of nature-a torrent during which Grimes's boat is lost at sea.

Recorded live in Orchestra Hall October 19, 2024 with conductor Tabita Berglund

00:00 – I. "Dawn: Lento e tranquillo"

03:49 – II. "Sunday morning: Allegro spiritoso"

07:53 – III. "Moonlight: Andante comodo e rubato"

12:30 – IV. “Storm: Presto con fuoco”

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