Britten's Peter Grimes Is April 29, 2023, Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: Britten's Peter Grimes is the April 29, 2023, Saturday matinee radio broadcast, airing as 18th of the 2022-2023 season's 24 Saturday radio broadcasts.

Nicholas Carter conducted all eight performances of the first revival of John Doyle's 2007-2008 production of Britten's Peter Grimes; Nicole Car sang schoolmistress Ellen Orford in the first three and sixth through eighth performances; the seventh, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, airs as the Saturday matinee radio broadcast April 29, 2023: Askonas Holt @AskonasHolt, via Twitter Oct. 16, 2022

Britten's Peter Grimes is the April 22, 2023, Saturday matinee radio broadcast, airing at 1:00 p.m., Eastern Time, as the 18th of the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's lineup of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

Twentieth-century composer, conductor and pianist Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (Nov. 22,1913 -Dec. 4, 1976) set his musical score for Peter Grimes to an English libretto by Charles Montagu Slater (Sep. 23,1902-Dec. 19, 1956). The English playwright, poet and novelist sourced his libretto from "Peter Grimes," letter number XXII (22), in The Borough, a narrative poem composed in heroic couplets and comprising 24 letters published in 1810 by English clergyman, poet and surgeon George Crabbe (Dec. 24, 1754-Feb. 3, 1832).

Britten's Peter Grimes premiered Thursday, June 7, 1945, at Sadler's Wells Theatre, located in Clerkenwell, southwestern London Borough of Islington, central London, South East England. Peter Grimes, which premiered in the fifth of the theatre's six buildings, numbered as the only one of Britten's 16 operas (13 operas, 3 musical dramas) with a Sadler's Wells premiere.

The Metropolitan Opera premiere of Britten's Peter Grimes took place Thursday, Feb. 12, 1948, at the opera company's first opera house, located at 1411 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan's Garment District. Peter Grimes received six performances in the 1947-1948 season.

The 2022-2023 Met Opera season's staging of Britten's Peter Grimes marks the first revival of the new production debuted in the 2007-2008 season by John Doyle. The Scottish musical, play and opera stage director made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008, with his new production, which took place in the opera company's 65th performance of Peter Grimes.

The first revival received eight performances in the 2022-2023 season. The first revival opened as a Sunday matinee, Oct. 16, 2022, at 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The second through eighth, closing performances were offered Saturday, Oct. 22, at 8:00 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee, Oct. 29, at 1:00 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8:00 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday matinee, Nov. 12, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. The Saturday matinee radio broadcast of April 29, 2023, airs the seventh performance, Nov. 9.

Nicholas Carter conducted all performances of Peter Grimes in the 2022-2023 season. The Australian conductor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, May 13, 2022, in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Hamlet by contemporary Australian composer, violist and conductor Brett Dean (born Oct. 23, 1961).

Allan Clayton sang the title role of Peter Grimes, whose first apprentice's death at sea and second apprentice's subsequent disappearance during a storm trouble the fisherman's neighbors. The British tenor made his Met Opera debut Friday, May 13, 2022, in the title role in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Dean's Hamlet.

Nicole Car appeared in the first three and sixth through eighth performances, including the seventh, which airs as the Saturday matinee radio broadcast April 29. She sang Ellen Orford, a schoolmistress whom Peter Grimes hits despite her attempts to help him. The Australian operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Tuesday, Sep. 25, 2018, as Mimì in the opera company's 1,321st performance of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Nicole Car shared the role with Laura Wilde, who sang Ellen Orford in the fourth and fifth performances. The American soprano's appearances Saturday, Oct. 29, and Wednesday, Nov. 2, as Ellen marked her Metropolitan Opera debut.

Adam Plachetka sang Balstrode, the retired sea captain who advises Peter Grimes to leave the village and who, after ascertaining that the fisherman's second apprentice has fallen down a cliff, tells him to sail away. The Czech bass-baritone made his Metropolitan Opera debut Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, as Masetto in Met Opera’s 539rd performance of Don Giovanni by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

John Doyle's production team comprised Scott Pask, set designer; Ann Hould-Ward, costume designer; and Peter Mumford, lighting designer. American scenic and costume designer Scott Pask and American costume designer Ann Hould-Ward had made their Met Opera debuts Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008, during the debut of John Doyle's new production of Peter Grimes in the opera company's 65th performance of the turbulent opera. English costume, lighting and set designer Peter Mumford had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Sep. 25, 2006, during Italian film, opera and television director/producer Anthony Minghella's (Jan. 6, 1954-March 18, 2008) new production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly in the opera company's 800th performance of Puccini's Japan-themed opera.

S. Katy Tucker was credited as the projection designer for the first revival of John Doyle's production of Britten's Peter Grimes. The American projection designer had made her Met Opera debut Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014, in the opera company's 11th performance of Prince Igor by Georgian-Russian Romantic composer Alexander Borodin (Nov. 12, 1833-Feb. 27, 1887).

J. Knighten Smit was credited as the first revival's stage director. First credit as stage director for the American Met Opera revival director occurred Monday, March 17, 2003, for the first revival of Elijah Moshinsky's new 2000-2001 production of Nabucco by 19th-century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901), according to the MetOpera Database (the Metropolitan Opera Archives Database) entry for the opera company's 24th Nabucco performance.

The 2022-2023 Met Opera season's lineup of Saturday matinee broadcasts continues with the May 6, 2023, airing of Puccini’s La Bohème at 1:00 p.m. The matinee performance numbers as the 19th of the season's 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

(left to right) Adam Plachetka as retired sea captain Balstrode, Allan Clayton as unpopular fisherman Peter Grimes and Nicole Car as sympathetic schoolmistress Ellen Orford in the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's first revival of John Doyle's 2007-2008 production of Britten's Peter Grimes; revival stage direction by J. Knighten Smit, projection design by S. Katy Tucker, sets by Scott Pask, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting by Peter Mumford: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter Oct. 28, 2022

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Nicholas Carter conducted all eight performances of the first revival of John Doyle's 2007-2008 production of Britten's Peter Grimes; Nicole Car sang schoolmistress Ellen Orford in the first three and sixth through eighth performances; the seventh, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, airs as the Saturday matinee radio broadcast April 29, 2023: Askonas Holt @AskonasHolt, via Twitter Oct. 16, 2022, @ https://twitter.com/AskonasHolt/status/1581584530749632512

(left to right) Adam Plachetka as retired sea captain Balstrode, Allan Clayton as unpopular fisherman Peter Grimes and Nicole Car as sympathetic schoolmistress Ellen Orford in the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's first revival of John Doyle's 2007-2008 production of Britten's Peter Grimes; revival stage direction by J. Knighten Smit, projection design by S. Katy Tucker, sets by Scott Pask, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting by Peter Mumford: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter Oct. 28, 2022, @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1586123155428577286

For further information:

Askonas Holt @AskonasHolt. "@NicoleCar_Opera returns to @MetOpera tonight as Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes conducted by Nicholas Carter. Read more: http://ow.ly/cX3Q50La2B9." Twitter. Oct. 16, 2022.
Available via Twitter @ https://twitter.com/AskonasHolt/status/1581584530749632512

Crabbe, George. "Letter XXII The Poor of the Borough; Peter Grimes." Pages 246-250. The life and poetical works of the Rev. George Crabbe; edited by his son; complete in one volume, with portrait and vignette. "The Borough," pages 171-259. London: John Murray, 1847.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/lifepoeticalwork00crab/page/246/mode/1up

"Debuts: Anthony Minghella, Carolyn Choa, Han Feng, Peter Mumford, Blind Summit Theatre, Keith Miller, Mark Down, Nick Barnes, Finn Caldwell, Hsin Ping Chang, Tom Yang." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351555 New Production Madama Butterfly {799} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/25/2006.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351555

"Debuts: Dmitri Tcherniakov, Elena Zaitseva, Itzik Galili, S. Katy Tucker, Sergey Semishkur, Oksana Dyka, Kiri Deonarine, Mikhail Vekua." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355301 New Production Prince Igor {11} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/06/2014.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355301

"Debuts: James Gaffigan, Nicole Car, Etienne Dupuis." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356999 La Bohème {1321} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/25/2018, Metropolitan Opera Radio Sirius XM channel 75 Broadcast live. (Debuts: James Gaffigan, Nicole Car, Etienne Dupuis Broadcast). Metropolitan Opera House. September 25, 2018 Broadcast.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356999

"Debuts: John Doyle, Scott Pask, Ann Hould-Ward, Leah Partridge, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Logan William Erickson." MetOperaDatabase > [Met Performance] CID: 352389 New Production Peter Grimes {65} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/28/2008.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352389

"Debuts: Nicholas Carter, Allan Clayton, Jacques Imbrailo, Justin Austin, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Christopher Lowrey, Manase Latu, Justin Austin, Monica Dewey, Ashley Milanese, Tesia Kwarteng, Megan Moore, John Matthew Myers, Benjamin Sieverding, Wm. Clay Thompson, Neil Armfield, Ralph Myers, Denni Sayers." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357646 North American Premiere Hamlet {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 05/13/2022, Broadcast. (Opening Night {1} Peter Gelb General Manager Debuts: Nicholas Carter, Allan Clayton, Jacques Imbrailo, Justin Austin, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Christopher Lowrey, Manase Latu, Justin Austin, Monica Dewey, Ashley Milanese, Tesia Kwarteng, Megan Moore, John Matthew Myers, Benjamin Sieverding, Wm. Clay Thompson, Neil Armfield, Ralph Myers, Denni Sayers Broadcast). Metropolitan Opera. May 13, 2022. Opening Night {1} Peter Gelb General Manager North American Premiere.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357646

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera's 2022-2023 Season Has 24 Saturday Matinee Opera Broadcasts." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/11/met-operas-2022-2023-season-has-24.html

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Britten’s Peter Grimes is back on stage tomorrow, Oct 29, at 1PM! Tenor @fatboyclayton headlines the first-rate cast in John Doyle’s chilling production, conducted by Nicholas Carter. On stage through November 12: http://bit.ly/3aY33Hc. Richard Termine / Met Opera." Twitter. Oct. 28, 2022.
Available via Twitter @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1586123155428577286

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Peter Grimes." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 147040 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Peter Grimes {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/12/1948. (Metropolitan Opera Premiere)(Reviews). Metropolitan Opera House. February 12, 1948. Metropolitan Opera Premiere.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=147040

"New Production: Peter Grimes." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352389 New Production Peter Grimes {65} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/28/2008., Sirius Broadcast live Streamed at metopera.org. (Debuts: John Doyle, Scott Pask, Ann Hould-Ward, Leah Partridge, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Logan William Erickson Broadcast/Streamed Review). Metropolitan Opera House. February 28, 2008. Broadcast/Streamed. New Production.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352389