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Opera

Peter Grimes

Benjamin Britten

  • Marin Blažević
    Director-dramaturge
  • Theater Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany
    2023
  • Lutz Edelhoff, Marin Blažević
    Photos

As the drama / opera develops we are witnessing a gradual transformation of the irritated townsfolk into a violent, bloodcurdling mob, as well as Peter’s transformation from an obsessed soul into a furious man, from deranged into a destroyed person. The (self)destructiveness of his hubris makes Peter Grimes an authentic tragic hero, even though we can never be certain about his initial – tragic or simply criminal? – culpability and flaw, his hamartia. (…) In this staging of “Peter Grimes” we attempted to depict its world, unfold its narrative and present its characters in a way that would not be reductive. Our “Peter Grimes” is not reduced to a specific space and time, whether original according to the libretto or transposed into other historical or actual locations and period (indicated or clearly defined). We deliberately avoided a distinct ideological interpretation and characterization. Instead, we wanted to create a universal, almost mythical and symbolical scene, where dramaturgical constituents of this opera – its narrative, events and action, its dramatis personae – will progress and collapse through a vehement and sentimental, brutal and occasionally ritualized musical and histrionic performance. The performance of our “Peter Grimes” does not (or – should not) evolve without irony, occasionally simply humorous, then instantly altered into a deeply and painfully tragic pathos.

This opera tells a story about a progressive hatred against an individual that aberrates from the norms and patterns of behavior that have to be maintained in order to preserve a relative stability of the community. And then, just when it seems that the townsfolk can return to their daily routine, once they finally eliminated a distractive and destructive force embodied in the erratic character and actions of a single human creature named Peter Grimes, the force of nature – the Sea – turns its tide against the Borough. There and then our staging of “Peter Grimes” takes the liberty to suggest a different denouement from the one offered by Britten…

Peter Grimes [5]