Another Debut for Kunde

Tenor Gregory Kunde is thrilled to be debuting another Britten role this season.

This fall, Vienna will present Billy Budd, Britten’s sixth stage work and his second “grand” opera (after Peter Grimes). Written while Britten was living in Craig House in Aldeburgh, the opera is based on Melville’s novella of the same title. The story concerns Billy, a young and naive sailor, whose tragedy is to lash out at the wrong moment accidentally killing the cruel Master-At-Arms John Claggart. The forthright and frank commander Captain Vere has to make the decision to either spare Billy, or abide by naval law and have the boy hanged. His decision to adhere to the law haunts him for the rest of his life; the opera is told in flashback, by a much older Vere reflecting on the incident many years later.

Kunde will play the complex character of Captain Vere and is looking forward to the challenge.

“The music of Britten is, of course, one challenge. But I always try to remain very much aware of the origins of the character… in this case, as defined by Melville in his novel. According to Melville, and also based on the music Britten has carefully crafted for the Captain, it’s clear that he suffers every day, living with his decision to condemn Billy. It’s also clear that Britten wants us to see and hear - through the music, the orchestrations, the harmony and dissonance, and the drama - the conflict between the Captain’s inner self and the role that society forces him to play. He is torn by his immersion to duty as a leader of many and his understanding of Billy’s innocence. He is a tragic figure, who allows his intuition and conscience to be overruled by law and societal expectations. So, to capture these characteristics of Vere and his personal demons is another kind of challenge.”

With more than 100 roles to his credit, Kunde continues to seek out interesting roles in the dramatic tenor repertory. Last year saw the tenor make his debut in the role of Eleazar in Halevy’s La Juive, in the award-winning production of Stefano Poda at the Teatro Regio Torino. And in 2022-23, Kunde debuted his Florestan in Nice’s new production of Fidelio, Bacchus in Dresden’s Ariadne, and Luigi in Rome’s new production of Il Tabarro.

Performances of Billy Budd featuring Gregory Kunde as Captain Vere opens on October 30 and continues on November 3, 7, 10 at the Vienna State Opera.