Project Opera Peter Grimes at the Zürich Opera House

This year my English class and our teacher, Mrs Ruhm, have made an extraordinary experience. Over the course of a few weeks in May we had the unique opportunity to enter the magical world that is opera. With tours of the opera house, scene and orchestral rehearsals, a workshop and a performance, we not only had fun, but have learned a great deal as well.

The opera we were privileged enough to delve into was Peter Grimes, a modern English opera written by Benjamin Britten in 1945. It’s about a lonely, unlucky fisherman who is driven to suicide by a narrow-minded society. We were honoured to see the fantastic Emily Magee quite up close at a rehearsal. Her flawless, velvety voice struck us dumb, and hearing the difference between her way of just marking and then singing full out was breath-taking. When Roger Lämmli, Opernhaus Zürich’s head of public relations, came to our school to teach us acting and singing, I did not fathom it would get any better. But the cherry on top of a fabulous cake was going to the opera house and getting to see and hear the performance myself. One word comes to my mind: magical.
Unfortunately I was ill the night of the concert, so the experience was a bit different for me. With my eyes burning I couldn’t keep them open. So I didn’t watch but I felt the opera. Sitting there, up in the pews with my eyes closed, I wasn’t simply an observer, watching a story unfold before my eyes. I was a character – bursting with laughter when something absurd occurred, weeping with the town when yet another apprentice sailor boy died, falling with the drunken men every time the storm shook the tavern. I lived the story with them.

My favourite moments came when the orchestra swelled, sweeping the entire ensemble with it, and the music roared through the auditorium, sending chills up my spine and goose bumps down my arms. It was in those moments that I finally understood what it is that makes many adults so entranced by the opera. After what I have experienced, I cannot blame them. I feel as though a spell has been cast over me as well.

What I shall take away from this incident is the joy I feel, knowing my school made it all possible. I find it wonderful that people my age, who wouldn’t generally have the chance to come into contact with opera, are given that exact chance. I only wish for others to jump at such an opening if they get one, as my class did. It really was special, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Impressions:

1. I was impressed by the pianist who played during the rehearsals and managed to play the whole orchestra's part on his own. (Marie Flohr)

2. I was surprised and delighted to see small ounces of humor in the tragedy of the story. (Laura Shaw)

3. In my opinion, the singer who had the role of Peter Grimes was impressive, standing on the shaking platform, singing and acting simultaneously. (Laura Kacl)

4. It was a strange experience, but a good one. (Seline Schmid)

5. I was impressed by the assistant director who spoke several languages fluently. (Sara Dietrich)

6. What really impressed me was that the voices, instruments and the acting always have to be absolutely precise; otherwise it sounds terrible. Unlike in movies you cannot play the scene over and over again until it's right or just add background music by computer. (Queenie Lu)

7. It was a wonderful experience which shouldn't have ended. (Annina Sigg)

8. It has impressed me how everybody knew exactly at which bar of the score they were and how they immediately found the right notes. (Lara)

9. I was very impressed how they sang their opera roles and how all the voices and instruments were written down. (Maureen)

10. It was fascinating to see “behind the scenes” and to meet the actors/singers. They were really relaxed and open-minded and you could even chat with them. I enjoyed the tour through the Opera House most, especially the cellar with all the costumes and props, it was great! (Jessica)

11. I enjoyed most the rehearsal, when they still worked on details and nothing was clear and fixed yet. (Zoé)

12. It was amazing to participate in this project, because many of us have never had such a chance. I liked the stage director; it was interesting to see how he put all his his feelings, concentration and energy ino this opera. (Khaleda)

13. What has impressed me most was that they knew exactly when, what and how they were supposed to sing and that they could concentrate for such a long time. (Henrike)

14. The scene, when Peter Grimes has his nightmare and the dead boy floats by was very impressive and the atmosphere was quite scary. But really it was all due to special effects. (Minea)

15. The music and song ebbed and swelled in a way that took hold of my emotions, shooting them to the stars then dragging them to the depths of the earth – I wish all music did that. (Kaylena)