Peter Grimes or ambiguous the various characters are. Pears was certainly the intended Peter Grimes, and it is likely that Britten wrote the role of Ellen Orford for Joan Cross. The work has been called "a powerful allegory of homosexual oppression", and one of "the true operatic masterpieces of the 20th century", but the composer's own contemporary (1948) summation of the work was simpler: a subject very close to my heart — the struggle of the individual against the masses. The more vicious the society, the more vicious the individual. Though as the writing of the libretto progressed, certain versions showed Grimes'
Tilly Grimes Tilly Grimes Tilly Grimes is a British costume designer for theatre, opera, and film. She works between London, Dublin and New York. She is a guest artist / guest designer at The Juilliard School, New York University, Fordham University, University of Rochester (School of Art & Sciences), The Curtis Institute and Trinity College Dublin. She is co-artistic director of London/Parisian Theatre Company "SavageCharm". Grimes received her Master of Line Arts (MFA) from the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has taught at Brown University directing the MFA program. She began her stage costume design career in 2007