Opera night: Billy Budd - Benjamin Britten

E. M. Forster first encountered Billy Budd in 1926, near the start of the "Melville Revival." Some twenty years later, he embarked on a collaboration with Benjamin Britten and Eric Crozier, adapting Melville's novella for the opera stage. The result is one of the most successful operas of the 20th century, psychologically and philosophically compelling, set to a masterful score.

Presented as a flashback of Captain Vere, the drama takes place aboard a British warship in 1797. Forster saw the story primarily as an exploration of evil and repressed desire, writing that "Evil is labeled and personified" in the character of Claggart, as it clashes with Goodness "alloyed by H.M.'s suppressed homosex" in the character of Billy Budd.

His "approach, rooted very much in Freudian psychology... becomes the theme of Britten's opera" and "set the tone for a good deal of later criticism" (Stephen Matterson).

This meetup will consist of a live viewing, accompanied by discussion and analysis.

About the production:

• In English with English closed caption
• Runtime: 2h 38m
• Written by: Benjamin Britten
• Libretto by: E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier
• Music by: London Symphony Orchestra
• Recorded: BBC-TV 1966, black & white

Billy Budd:

• YouTube

Supplemental:

• Sea-changes: Melville - Forster - Britten The story of Billy Budd and its operatic adaptation
• Synopsis

This meetup is part of the series The Risorgimento.