Billy Budd (opera)

Billy Budd is an opera by Benjamin Britten. It was first performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 1 December 1951. It is based on the short novel Billy Budd by Herman Melville. The libretto for the opera was written by E.M.Forster and Eric Crozier.

Britten originally wanted the part of Billy Budd to be sung by Geraint Evans, but Evans found that the notes were too high for his voice, so he sang a different role, and the role of Billy Budd was sung by Theodor Uppman. The first performance was a great success.

In the original version the opera had four acts, but in 1960 Britten made some changes to the opera, making the story fit into two acts. Not everybody agrees about which version is the better one.

Famous baritones who have sung the role of Billy Budd include Thomas Allen, Simon Keenlyside, Richard Stilwell, and Thomas Hampson. There are no women in the opera at all.