We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Britten - England's most prominent opera composer - with a Swedish premiere of his heart-rending drama Billy Budd from 1952, one of Britten's few operas for a symphony orchestra. It is a tale of a human's right to rebel, and psychological power struggles within a male-dominated heirarchy – Billy Budd only has roles for men.
In the original libretto, Billy Budd takes place on a ship. Handsome young sailor Billy arouses everyone's sympathies – as well as desire in some cases – and is falsely accused of mutiny. He is in a weak position, partly because of his stammer which makes it hard for him to express himself when agitated. He cannot adequately defend himself, and is sentenced to death.
Director Richard Jones has set the story in an English boarding school, with its tendency for bullying and underlying homophobia. The production comes from the Frankfurt Opera, where it was highly acclaimed. Richard Jones' Assistant Director Katharina Thoma will be responsible for our production. As in Frankfurt, Billy Budd will be played by one of the most dazzling international opera stars – baritone and Court Singer (Hovsångare) Peter Mattei, who is returning to our opera house after an absence of 13 years. The upright Captain Vere's role (originally written for Britten's life partner, tenor Peter Pears) will be played by Mathias Zachariassen. Billy's nemesis, Master-at-arms John Claggart, is interpreted alternately by bass Clive Bayley from the original production and The Göteborg Opera's own Mats Almgren. Experienced Britten conductor, Jan Latham-Koenig, most recently made a special appearance with us in Thaïs.
