“Billy Budd”, opera, Op. 50 (1950-51)

The original version has four acts. Britten revised it into two acts in 1960.

An opera in four acts, op. 50
Text: E.M. Forster (1897-1970) and Eric Crozier (1914-1994), adapted from the story of...Read more

The original version has four acts. Britten revised it into two acts in 1960.

An opera in four acts, op. 50
Text: E.M. Forster (1897-1970) and Eric Crozier (1914-1994), adapted from the story of Herman Melville (1819-1891) (German translation by Alfred H. Unger)
Revised: September 1960; reduced to two acts
First performance: 1 Dec 1951, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London (Benjamin Britten – conductor, Douglas Robinson - chorus master, Peter Pears - Captain Vere, Theodor Uppman - Billy Budd)
Duration: 152.0`
Commissioned: The Arts Council of Great Britain, for the Festival of Britain, 1951
Dedication: To George and Marion, December 1951

4 acts version (1951):
Prologue
Act I (duration: 35)
Scene 1: The main deck and quarter-deck of HMS Indomitable
(Deleted scene from original four act version)
Act II (duration: 45)
Scene 1: The Captains cabin
Scene 2: The berth-deck
Act III (duration: 46)
Scene 1: The main deck and quarter-deck
Scene 2: The Captains cabin
Act IV (duration: 26)
Scene 1: A bay of the upper gun-deck
Scene 2: The main deck and quarter-deck
Epilogue

2 act version (1960):
Prologue
Act I
Scene 1: The main deck and quarter-deck of HMS Indomitable
Scene 2: The Captains cabin
Scene 3: The berth-deck
Act II
Scene 1: The main deck and quarter-deck
Scene 2: The Captain`s cabin
Scene 3: A bay of the upper gun-deck
Scene 4: The main deck and quarter-deck
Epilogue

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