The Turn of the Screw is a 20th-century English chamber opera composed by Benjamin Britten with a libretto by Myfanwy Piper, "wife of the artist John Piper, who had been a friend of the composer since 1935 and had provided designs for several of the operas". The libretto is based on the novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. The opera was commissioned by the Venice Biennale and given its world premiere on 14 September 1954, at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice. The original recording was made during that year, with the composer conducting.
| Librettist | Myfanwy Piper (Myfanwy Piper is wife of the artist John Piper, who had been a friend of the composer since 1935 and had provided designs for several of the operas".The libretto is based on the novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.) |
| Date of composition | 1954 (30 March - September 1954) |
| Premiered | 1954, September 14th (Teatro La Fenice) in Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy |
| Dedicated to | 'This opera was written for and is affectionately dedicated to those members of the English Opera Group who took part in the first performance' |
| Type | Opera |
| Catalogue | BTC 1049 |
| Approx. duration | 101 minutes |
| Spoken language | English |
| Instruments |
Voice (Tenor)
- Prologue
Voice (Soprano) - Governess Voice (Treble) - Miles Voice (Soprano) - Flora Voice (Soprano) - Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper Voice (Soprano) - Miss Jessel, the former governess Voice (Tenor) - Peter Quint, the former manservant |
| In listings |
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Famous Works
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| Autotranslations beta |
Benjamin Britten: The Turn of the Screw, BTC 1049 Benjamin Britten: The Turn of the Screw, BTC 1049 Benjamin Britten: The Turn of the Screw, BTC 1049 |