I was there...

‘Peter Grimes’ – English National Opera, Friday 6th October 2023

Gwyn Hughes Jones was indisposed for the performances of ENO’s ‘Peter Grimes’ on Wednesday 4th October and Friday 6th October so these performances were sung by John Findon in his role debut. I attended the performance on Friday 6th October and am happy to report that Mr Findon did the part full justice. He has a powerful, quite dark tenor, which opens up thrillingly at the top of the range but he is also capable of exquisite pianissimo singing, and his very assured technique meant that the considerable demands of Britten’s vocal writing were amply met. Highlights included ‘Now the Great Bear and Pleiades’, admirably controlled in a part of the voice many tenors find uncongenial, the climactic top B flat in the desperate defiance of ‘So be it, and God have mercy upon me!’ after he has struck Ellen Orford, and the fiendishly exposed ‘In dreams I’ve built myself some kindlier home’ where he employed a totally assured mezza voce right up to a top B. A stockily built figure, Mr Findon successfully projected Grimes clumsiness, both physical and social, movingly conveyed his frustration at being unable to win his apprentice’s trust, and his horror when he inadvertently causes the boy’s death. This was a consummate performance and marked a huge step forward in the career of this immensely promising young artist.

A happy knock-on effect of this change of cast was that Adam Sullivan, a tenor from the ENO Chorus, took over Findon’s role as Bob Boles. Here again, the cover proved more than satisfactory. Mr Sullivan slotted into the ensemble to the manner born and impressed both vocally and dramatically.

As on the first night all members of the cast acquitted themselves admirably, notably Simon Bailey’s incisive Balstrode and Elizabeth Llewellyn’s warm voiced and sympathetic Ellen. The ENO Chorus again gave a quite electrifying performance of awesome visceral power and terrifying dramatic focus. But, above all, the evening belonged to John Findon. I was lucky enough to be present at Thomas Allen’s debut as Billy Budd for WNO in 1972 and I left the New Theatre Cardiff profoundly stirred and excited. I left the London Coliseum after Mr Findon’s Grimes in a similar state. Like Max Boyce in a different context, in years to come I shall be proud to say ‘I was there!’