Breaking: Munich delays Peter Grimes

The Bavarian State Opera has cancelled the first two performannce of a new production that was intended to challenge Vienna’s recent ownership of a British opera.

The reason, boringly, is Covid ‘and the resulting staff shortages in the technical and artistic departments’ but the disappointment will be great. The production is by Stefan Herheim, the conductor is the experience Edward Gardner.

The three main singers are Stuart Skelton (pictured) as Grimes, with Rachel Willis-Sorensen as Ellen and Iain Paterson as Balstrode.

Skelton can be expected to offer a much grittier alternative to Jonas Kaufmann’s Vienna potrayal.

The first performance will now take place on March 6, broadcast live on the Staatsoper website.