Benjamin Britten found the story for his future masterpiece in a short posthumous novel by Herman Melville: the deeply moving Billy Budd, staged this season at the Lyon Opera by Richard Brunel.
The story takes place during the revolutionary conflicts of the late 18th century, in the claustrophobic setting of a warship constantly on alert for enemy attacks. Sedition, mutiny, and the spread of new ideas were also among the most dangerous threats.
At the heart of this storm stands Billy, a sailor unlike any other — innocent in spirit, but legally guilty. A figure of beauty, devotion, and gentleness, he is trapped in the infernal machinery of a rigid, brutal society, as a victim of terrible injustice.
This is a story of guilt, loneliness, and exclusion, told entirely through male voices — including baritone-bass Derek Welton, acclaimed for Elijah in 2023.
Under the baton of Finnegan Downie Dear, Britten’s music fully inhabits this confrontation between good and evil, portraying a harsh world and a radiant soul. This torrent of vocal and orchestral inventiveness reflects a universe both full of humanity and unspeakably cruel.