Britten's operas are firmly established in the international repertoire: according to Operabase, they are performed worldwide more than those of any other composer born in the 20th century, and only Puccini and Richard Strauss come ahead of him if the list is extended to all operas composed after 1900. Britten went to various sources for his stories from the Bible to Japanese noh plays. This is a collection of twelve of the source stories. All but one are the original texts; the one exception is A Midsummer Night’s Dream which the reader took from Charles Lamb’s telling of the story. Some operas are omitted because no public domain texts could be found for their sources. Summary by Wikipedia and David Wales.
Part 1 The Little Sweep. William Blake, The Chimney Sweeper in Songs Of Innocence and Songs Of ExperiencePart 2 Noye's Fludde. Bible, Book of Genesis, Chapters 6-10Part 3 The Burning Fiery Furnace. Bible, Book of Daniel, Chapters 1-3Part 4 The Prodigal Son. Bible, Book of Luke, 15.11-32Part 5 The Golden Vanity. Traditional English BalladPart 6 A Midsummer Night's Dream. Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream as told by Charles Lamb in Tales Of ShakespearePart 7 Peter Grimes. George Crabbe, The Borough, Letter 22 Peter GrimesPart 8 Albert Herring. Guy de Maupassant short story, Madame Husson's RosierPart 9 Owen Wingrave. Henry James, Owen Wingrave, Section 1Part 10 Owen Wingrave. Henry James, Owen Wingrave, Section 2Part 11 Owen Wingrave. Henry James, Owen Wingrave, Section 3Part 12 Owen Wingrave. Henry James, Owen Wingrave, Section 4Part 13 The Rape of Lucretia. Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece, Section 1Part 14 The Rape of Lucretia. Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece, Section 2Part 15 The Rape of Lucretia. Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece, Section 3Part 16 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Beginning and Chapters 1-2Part 17 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Chapters 3-4Part 18 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Chapters 5-6Part 19 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Chapters 7-8Part 20 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Chapters 9-10Part 21 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Chapters 11-12Part 22 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Chapters 13-14Part 23 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Chapters 15-16Part 24 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Chapters 17-18Part 25 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Chapters 19-20Part 26 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Chapters 21-22Part 27 The Turn of the Screw. Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, Chapters 23-24Part 28 Death In Venice. Thomas Mann, Death in Venice (Der Tod in Venedig), Chapter 1Part 29 Death In Venice. Thomas Mann, Death in Venice (Der Tod in Venedig), Chapter 2Part 30 Death In Venice. Thomas Mann, Death in Venice (Der Tod in Venedig), Chapter 3Part 31 Death In Venice. Thomas Mann, Death in Venice (Der Tod in Venedig), Chapter 4Part 32 Death In Venice. Thomas Mann, Death in Venice (Der Tod in Venedig), Chapter 5
Benjamin Britten: Source Stories of Twelve Operas - Various - Description and brief content, listen free online on the e-library site at Knigi-Audio.com/en/
