Peter Grimes

Benjamin Britten
The Metropolitan Opera

Awhile ago now I saw Peter Grimes at the Met. I chose it because it was one of the more modern offerings of the Met this year and I like to push past the Verdi, Puccini and Wagner offerings every chance I get.

I wasn’t disappointed. The singing was absolutely wonderful, remarkably well done by the tenor Anthony Dean Griffey. The other supporting male parts were also really quite nice.

Seeing Peter Grimes really pushed me to google Benjamin Britten the next morning, which isn’t something I normally do the morning after a show. And, there were some things I didn’t know. Fully trained in the English musical tradition, Britten had longed to be taught by Berg. It’s an interesting mix of those elements which I think come through in his music. Steeped in a Vaughan Williams like sound, but longing for the Berg.

Additionally (where have I been?) I didn’t know how much he had written for tenor, given that his partner, Peter Pears, was a great tenor. Grimes is a great role for a tenor and Griffey was up to the challenge and blessing of the part.

The production was new. The sets were by Scott Pask. I’m a big fan of Pask and I just right now looked at the program to see what other sets I’ve seen that he’s done. I’ve seen many of them, the beautiful set of The Ritz being one of them. Although, the sets in Coast of Utopia, I remember, was a fan favorite even though I didn’t personally see them. This production was nice enough and captured the mood a bit, but it was also dangerously monotonous for an audience. I would have liked more change than we got.

Overall, I’m very glad I saw Peter Grimes. It was as good, on the whole, as anything I’ve seen at the Met. At the end of the day, it comes down to the voices. And, the voices were lovely. It was a great offering and I’d make a special trip to hear Anthony Dean Griffey sing again.