When
Peter Grimes was premiered in
England in 1945, Benjamin Britten finally became recognized as formidable talent in
composition the world over.
It goes without saying that Britten was considered an important composer in the pre-
serialism years. However, when he wouldn't get on the
Atonal Boat many critics, musicians, and contemporaries wrote him off as being unimaginative.
Peter Grimes is one of four major
operas of Britten's still regularly performed around the world. Although an academic sect and era of music tried to move past his work,
American and
European neo-classical musicians and the school of "New Tonality"
cherish Benjamin Britten as the last major
composer of the 20th century to
communicate in a
language based on traditional
tonality.
Source: John W. Freeman
http://www.metopera.org/synopses/grimes.html