National Opera Company, Peter Grimes

[PERFORMANCE INTRODUCTION] Is he a murderer, or a victim driven into a human hunt? The death of a boy in a remote village—a masterpiece of thriller opera The National Opera Company presents Benjamin Britten's opera "Peter Grimes" as the second production of its 2026 regular season. This three-act work was inspired by George Crabbe's poetry collection "The Borough" and has stood as a masterpiece representing contemporary English opera since its British premiere in 1945. The death of a boy in an isolated fishing village and the endless suspicions surrounding it reveal the issue of human alienation and the process of being driven to death through a human hunt. British pianist and conductor Alexander Joel takes the baton, bringing forth Britten's characteristically tense, rugged seascapes and chilling tension. Director Julien Chavaz, who garnered attention for his restrained aesthetics and delicacy in "Dead City" in 2024, participates in realizing a closed community and the portrait of humanity collapsing within it as a tense stage production. [SYNOPSIS] "People will pin the blame on me. Everything I testify to from now on is the truth." A remote fishing village. Fisherman Peter Grimes stands trial in connection with the death of his apprentice boy, but is released due to lack of clear evidence. Despite the judge's recommendation not to hire another boy, he persistently takes on a new apprentice, driven by his obsessive desire to one day gain the villagers' acceptance. On a stormy night, the boy falls to his death from a cliff, and this incident triggers the villagers to pursue Peter. Ellen and Captain Balstrode find Peter, but amid isolation, guilt, and collective hostility, Peter's mind rapidly deteriorates. In the end, unable to distinguish who he is or what he did wrong, he chooses a final end as if becoming one with the sea.