If small-mindedness, knee-jerk reactions and mob outrage sound like particularly modern evils, consider Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes. Like many of the composer’s works, it’s the story of an individual alone against society: here, it is the misunderstood fisherman that gives the opera its name, driven to suicide by a village that turns on him after the deaths of two of his apprentices.

Stuart Skelton and Joshua Scott. Photo © Jess Gleeson

It’s a piece that works remarkably well in concert, as demonstrated in this semi-staged production by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Very little is needed to conjure up Britten’s insular fishing community, where every resident seems to have their ear pressed to the door, especially when you’re treated to a cast as fine and committed as this one. With minimal blocking, they bring to vivid, terrifying life this tale of persecution.

Shining brightest of all is Stuart Skelton’s Grimes, no surprises there. One of the tenor’s calling card roles, he displays a deep understanding of the nuances of the text, giving us a Grimes of power and rage. A vocally heroic performance in the tradition of Jon Vickers, he shows us a man who...