****SYNOPSIS****
THE TURN OF THE SCREW, Benjamin Britten’s final chamber opera, was written in only four months in 1954 and is performed in English. The opera is based on the novel of the same name by Henry James, whom is said to have been a friend of Britten. The opera is a ghastly tale of good versus evil and includes appearances by “supernatural” characters. One of the more interesting aspects of the opera is how the music relates to the ghosts themselves. A twelve-note “Screw” theme is heard between scenes, and strange and out of the ordinary intervals are played to represent certain characters as they are on stage.
The Prologue relates a story written long ago by a woman once employed as a governess, hired by the guardian-uncle of two orphaned children.
Act I - Act II
