Peter Grimes - Opera - Season 22/23 Programming - Opéra national de Paris

  • New

    Opera

    Peter Grimes

    Benjamin Britten

    Palais Garnier - from 26 January to 24 February 2023

    Patrick Taberna / Agence VU'

  • [INTERVIEW] Deborah Warner about PETER GRIMES [INTERVIEW] Deborah Warner about PETER GRIMES

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Peter Grimes

Palais Garnier - from 26 January to 24 February 2023

Opera

Peter Grimes

Benjamin Britten

Palais Garnier - from 26 January to 24 February 2023

3h25 with 2 intervals

Language : English

Surtitle : French / English

  • Pre‑opening for the young : 23 Jan. 2023

    Opening night : 26 Jan. 2023

About

In few words:

When Benjamin Britten produced his first opera, Peter Grimes, for the reopening of Sadler’s Wells in London in 1945, its success was both immediate and resounding. Drawing inspiration from a poem by George Crabbe, the British composer did more than simply set to music the text by his compatriot: this work signalled a renaissance in English opera, which had all but disappeared since the death of Purcell. Whilst Britten’s superb orchestral interludes and accomplished lyricism confer upon the work a classical quality, its subject is thoroughly disturbing. Who is this Suffolk fisherman, Peter Grimes, whose apprentice drowns at sea; the butt of the villagers’ hostility? A murderer or an innocent man? A child‑killer or the victim of prejudice? An anti‑hero or a poet? These are some of the questions that make this character one of the most fascinating in the operatic repertoire. Invited to the Paris Opera for the first time and a fine connoisseur of Britten, Deborah Warner preserves all the mystery of this complex work, whilst emphasising the conflict between the group and the individual – a particularly burning issue.

Characters

Peter Grimes: Fisherman
John: Peter Grimes’ young apprentice
Ellen Orford: Village schoolteacher, widowed and kind with Grimes
Captain Balstrode: Retired merchant seaman
Auntie: Landlady of “The Boar”
Bob Boles: Fisherman and Methodist minister
Swallow: Lawyer
Mrs. Sedley: Widow of a retired East India Company factor
Ned Keene: Apothecary and healer
Hobson: A valet
Reverend Adams: The parish rector  

  • Opening
  • First part 55 mn
  • Intermission 30 mn
  • Second part 50 mn
  • Intermission 20 mn
  • Third part 40 mn
  • End

Media coverage

  • Opera as we dream it: intelligent, subtle, sensitive, beautiful and moving.

    Les Échos
  • Let’s not be afraid of superlatives: here is one of the most accomplished opera productions, not of the season, but of the decade. Go and see it!

    Les Échos
  • One of the most moving operas of the 20th century, magnified by Deborah Warner's sober production, Allan Clayton's intense interpretation in the title role and a first-rate cast: a performance not to be missed at the Paris Opera.

    Les Échos
  • Created with triumph at the Teatro Real in Madrid last season, Deborah Warner’s production comes to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in 2022, before being presented in Paris and Rome in the next seasons.

    Vincent Guillemin / ResMusica
  • Britten’s fascinating opera, long absent from the Paris Opera, is finally on the bill at the Palais Garnier, in an enticing production by gifted English director Deborah Warner.

    Les Échos

Performances

Book your tickets today with the Season Pass

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Advantages

Full

Book your tickets today with the Season Pass

Available in audiodescription

Advantages

Full

Whether you’re a member of Arop or not, the friends of the Opera can reserve seats for you on all performance dates, including those not yet open for sale and those announced as sold out.

Audio clips

Peter Grimes (saison 22/23) - Ensembles

Peter Grimes (saison 22/23)

Peter Grimes (saison 22/23)

Peter Grimes (saison 22/23)

Backstage

  • Peter Grimes, a lone man

    Video

    Peter Grimes, a lone man

  • Podcast Peter Grimes

    Podcast

    Podcast Peter Grimes

  • Draw-me Peter Grimes

    Video

    Draw-me Peter Grimes

© Vincent Pontet / OnP

Peter Grimes, a lone man

07’

Video

Peter Grimes, a lone man

Interview with Allan Clayton

By Marion Mirande, Thida Thongsoume

In Deborah Warner's strikingly realistic production, British tenor Allan Clayton portrays with deep sensitivity the solitude and scars of social exclusion that characterise the title role of Britten's opera.

© Javier del Real / Teatro Real

Podcast Peter Grimes

Podcast

Podcast Peter Grimes

"Dance! Sing! 7 minutes at the Paris Opera" - by France Musique

By Jean-Baptiste Urbain

"Dance! Sing! 7 minutes at the Paris Opera" offers original incursions into the season thanks to broadcasts produced by France Musique and the Paris Opera.

For each opera or ballet production, Charlotte Landru-Chandès (opera) and Jean-Baptiste Urbain (dance), present the works and artists you are going to discover when you attend performances in our theatres.

© Matthieu Pajot

Draw-me Peter Grimes

01’

Video

Draw-me Peter Grimes

Understand the plot in 1 minute

By Matthieu Pajot

Who is this Suffolk fisherman, Peter Grimes, whose apprentice drowns at sea; the butt of the villagers’ hostility? A murderer or an innocent man? A child‑killer or the victim of prejudice? An anti‑hero or a poet? These are some of the questions that make this character one of the most fascinating in the operatic repertoire.   

On-site Services

  • Cloakrooms

    Free cloakrooms are at your disposal. The comprehensive list of prohibited items is available here.

  • Bars

    Reservation of drinks and light refreshments for the intervals is possible online up to 24 hours prior to your visit, or at the bars before each performance.

  • Restaurant

    CoCo is open every day from 12:00 pm to 2:00 am. More information on coco-paris.com or at +33 1 42 68 86 80 (reservations).

  • Last-minute tickets

    €10 for seats with a limited view of the stage and special reduced rates are available. 

    LEARN MORE.

  • Parking

    You can park your car at the Q-Park Edouard VII. It is located at Rue Bruno Coquatrix 75009 Paris (in front of 23 Rue de Caumartin).

    BOOK YOUR PARKING PLACE.

Media and technical partners

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