Peter Grimes

Opera by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Montagu Slater after George Crabbe’s poem “The Borough”
World premiere in Sadler’s Wells on June 7, 1945
Premiere in the Estonian National Opera on May 28, 2027

Approx. running time:
Recommended age:

Stephen Barlow is the director of the acclaimed 2026 production of “The Phantom of the Opera” premiered on Unibet Arena.

Stage Director: Stephen Barlow (Australia)
Music Director and Conductor: Arvo Volmer
Designer: Yannis Thavoris (England)
Lighting Designer: Jake Wiltshire (England)
Chief Chorus Master: Heli Jürgenson

“Peter Grimes” is considered one of the cornerstones of 20th-century English music theatre and showcases Britten’s brilliant ability to explore the depths of human emotion and societal conflict. In the psychological thriller “Peter Grimes,” Britten gives a voice to a man who does not fit into a community that has no tolerance for differences. Who is Peter Grimes? A murderer? A hapless victim of a small community’s prejudice and the all-powerful sea? A poet?

In a close-knit coastal community, fisherman Peter Grimes is acquitted of murdering his young apprentice. But although the court has pronounced him innocent, the local inhabitants continue to judge him. With only the local teacher Ellen Orford by his side, Peter Grimes finds himself haunted by rumours and suspicion, struggling with inner demons and the enmity of the local community.

The opera’s music paints hauntingly vivid images of the sea’s power, human emotion, love, and fear.