Benjamin Britten coast close to Britten's homeland, awakened in him such longings for England that he knew he must return. He also knew that he must write an opera based on Crabbe's poem about the fisherman Peter Grimes. Before Britten left the US, Koussevitzky, always generous in encouraging new talent, offered him a $1,000 commission to write the opera. Britten and Pears returned to England in April 1942. During the long transatlantic sea crossing Britten completed the choral works "A Ceremony of Carols" and "Hymn to St Cecilia". The latter was his last large-scale collaboration with Auden. Britten had grown away from
The Corridor (opera) (1991) and "The Minotaur" (2008), premiered at the Royal Opera House in London. The world premiere of "The Corridor" on 12 June 2009 inaugurated the new Benjamin Britten Studio at Aldeburgh and was paired with the premiere of "Semper Dowland, semper dolens", Birtwistle's setting of John Dowland's "Lachrimæ, or Seaven Teares". Both works were commissioned by the Aldeburgh Festival and the Southbank Centre. The premiere production was directed by Peter Gill with Ryan Wigglesworth conducting the London Sinfonietta. Elizabeth Atherton sang the role of Woman (Eurydice); Mark Padmore was Man (Orpheus). The following month, the production and original cast toured