Benjamin Britten not his own in which Britten was a somewhat dazzled accomplice". The American public liked it, but the critics did not, and it fell into neglect until interest revived near the end of the composer's life. Britten's subsequent operas range from large-scale works written for full-strength opera companies, to chamber operas for performance by small touring opera ensembles or in churches and schools. In the large-scale category are "Peter Grimes" (1945), "Billy Budd" (1951), "Gloriana" (1953), "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1960) and "Death in Venice" (1973). Of the remaining operas, "The Rape of Lucretia" (1946), "Albert Herring" (1947), "The Little
Violet (opera) November 2005 at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, directed by Tess Gibbs and conducted by Clive Timms. Scruton is better known as a writer and philosopher, and is largely self-taught as a composer. "Violet" is the second of Scruton's two operas – it was preceded by the one-act "The Minister" (1998). According to The Times' critic Hilary Finch, Scruton's first opera was influenced by Benjamin Britten, whereas according to a review by David Conway, "Violet" is influenced by Janáček, a composer Scruton is known to admire. The score includes a number of references to music of other