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 Enchanted Pig (opera) a highly skilful pasticheur, and Britten, Sondheim, and Bartok are among the more respectable sources of his inspiration here. What Dove must take full credit for is the creation of vocal lines which allow the text to communicate." A new production was undertaken by Hampstead Garden Opera in November 2017 which was rated "hugely enjoyable" by "The Stage". Notes Sources The Enchanted Pig (opera) The Enchanted Pig is a chamber opera with music by Jonathan Dove to a libretto by Alasdair Middleton. It is based on themes from traditional fairy tales, namely "The Enchanted Pig" and "The Brown Bear of