A metaphysical battle between good and evil fought out aboard a British man-o'-war, Britten's richly orchestrated all-male opera was originally commissioned for the 1951 Festival of Britain and is considered to be one of the composer's finest works.

Starring Benedict Nelson (a 'standout' Demetrius in 2011's A Midsummer Night's Dream) as Billy, Matthew Rose as Claggart, the malevolent master-at-arms, and Toby Spence (2010's 'world class' Faust) as Vere, the morally conflicted captain, this new staging reunites the award-winning director-conductor partnership of David Alden and Edward Gardner from 2009's Peter Grimes.