What is The Turn of the Screw?
Q: What is The Turn of the Screw?
A: The Turn of the Screw is an opera by Benjamin Britten based on a story by Henry James.
Q: What kind of opera is The Turn of the Screw?
A: The Turn of the Screw is a chamber opera, which means it is an opera for a small number of characters and a very small orchestra.
Q: When was The Turn of the Screw first performed?
A: The opera was first performed on September 14, 1954, at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice.
Q: Who wrote the libretto for The Turn of the Screw?
A: The libretto, or the words of the opera, were written by Myfanwy Piper.
Q: How is the music in The Turn of the Screw structured?
A: The opera is divided into two acts and a prologue, and is further divided into sixteen scenes. Before each scene starts, we hear a variation on the 'Screw' theme, which is based on twelve notes in the octave.
Q: How many players are in the orchestra for The Turn of the Screw?
A: There are only 13 players in the orchestra for The Turn of the Screw.
Q: Where was the first performance of The Turn of the Screw in Britain?
A: The first performance of The Turn of the Screw in Britain took place at Sadler’s Wells Opera in London on October 6, 1954.
