The Turn of the Screw (opera) The Turn of the Screw (opera) The Turn of the Screw is a 20th-century English chamber opera composed by Benjamin Britten with a libretto by Myfanwy Piper, "wife of the artist John Piper, who had been a friend of the composer since 1935 and had provided designs for several of the operas". The libretto is based on the novella "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James. The opera was commissioned by the Venice Biennale and given its world premiere on 14 September 1954, at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice. The original recording was made during that year, with the
The Turn of the Screw Pape. In October 1898 the novella appeared with the short story "Covering End" in a volume titled "The Two Magics", published by Macmillan in New York City and by Heinemann in London. James revised "The Turn of the Screw" ten years later for his "New York Edition". In "The Collier's Weekly Version of The Turn of the Screw" (2010), the tale is presented in its original serial form with a detailed analysis of the changes James made over the years. Among many other revisions, James changed the children's ages. "The Turn of the Screw" has been the subject of numerous