Billy Budd

Charismatic, good-hearted, and beloved by his fellow sailors, Billy Budd is pressed into service aboard a British warship during the Napoleonic Wars. His innocence and integrity inspire the crew, but also awaken jealousy and obsession in those around him. Based on Herman Melville’s classic novella, Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd is a gripping drama that explores the moral grey zones between innocence and corruption, justice and mercy, duty and conscience. At its center stands Captain Vere, forced to make an impossible choice that will alter the lives of everyone aboard his ship. Featuring one of opera’s most powerful scores, this searing tale of morality and fate returns to Des Moines Metro Opera in Kristine McIntyre’s acclaimed production ten years after its celebrated premiere.

PERFORMANCES
Saturday, July 10 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, July 15 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, July 18 at 2:00 pm
Tuesday, July 20 at 7:30 pm
Friday, July 23 at 7:30 pm

MUSIC BY
Benjamin Britten

LIBRETTO BY
E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier

PREMIERED
December 1, 1951
Royal Opera House, London

SUNG IN
English (with projected English text)

PREVIOUS PRODUCTIONS
2017