Opera and ‘Peter Grimes’

Extract

The chief merit of Benjamin Britten's ‘Peter Grimes’ seems to me that it sets an example once again of what this odd, complex and very exciting form of art called opera really means. It is an odd form because the blend of realism and illusion, inherent in every theatrical production, is adulterated by the irrealistic ingredient of music; it is complex because it is a synthesis of heterogeneous kinds of arts; but it is a very exciting experience to observe music becoming an all-important element in life, even if only on the stage. It would be erroneous to believe that one can make an opera by just setting music to a play. Opera is not a drama plus music. The additional medium entirely changes the conditions and laws of the drama. It penetrates every detail of the scene and imbues with a new element the words, the acting, the decors and the entire dramatic context. Music is apt to increase both the strength and subtlety of dramatic expression by superimposing its own dynamic and flexibility on the logic of the words and the set picture of the scene. This should be borne in mind even during the conception of the libretto which must leave space for the infiltration of music.