Marnie
English National Opera, 18th November to 3rd December
Nico Muhly, above, follows up his 2011 opera debut Two Boys with his version of the psychological thriller Marnie. One of Alfred Hitchcock’s most insidiously erotic movies, Marnie is about a young woman whose compulsive kleptomania and fear of the colour red hide a dark past. Broadway musical director Michael Mayer makes his UK opera debut at ENO with mezzo Sasha Cooke in the title role and bass baritone Daniel Okulitch as her sadistic boss Rutland. Lesley Garrett will sing the part of his mother. Although generally regarded as a classical composer, Muhly has worked with artists like Björk. This is the most hotly anticipated new opera this year.
Semiramide
Royal Opera House, 19th November to 16th December
The Royal Opera’s first ever production of Rossini’s magnificently doom-laden opera is in the capable hands of David Alden, a pioneer of politicised opera. Based on a story by Voltaire, it has elements of Greek tragedy in the tale of a queen who murders her husband and passes the crown to an unknown man. Semiramide features magnificent choruses and a powerful central role for Joyce DiDonato.
The Rake’s Progress
OperaGlass Works, Wilton’s Music Hall, 17th to 25th November
The delightfully decaying auditorium of Wilton’s is the perfect setting for OperaGlass Works’ debut production of Stravinsky and WH Auden’s The Rake’s Progress. Inspired by Hogarth, it fuses 18th-century squalor with a contemporary resonance in a wholly original manner and this tightly focused production is directed by the company’s founder, Selina Cadell.
English National Opera, 18th November to 3rd December
Nico Muhly, above, follows up his 2011 opera debut Two Boys with his version of the psychological thriller Marnie. One of Alfred Hitchcock’s most insidiously erotic movies, Marnie is about a young woman whose compulsive kleptomania and fear of the colour red hide a dark past. Broadway musical director Michael Mayer makes his UK opera debut at ENO with mezzo Sasha Cooke in the title role and bass baritone Daniel Okulitch as her sadistic boss Rutland. Lesley Garrett will sing the part of his mother. Although generally regarded as a classical composer, Muhly has worked with artists like Björk. This is the most hotly anticipated new opera this year.
Semiramide
Royal Opera House, 19th November to 16th December
The Royal Opera’s first ever production of Rossini’s magnificently doom-laden opera is in the capable hands of David Alden, a pioneer of politicised opera. Based on a story by Voltaire, it has elements of Greek tragedy in the tale of a queen who murders her husband and passes the crown to an unknown man. Semiramide features magnificent choruses and a powerful central role for Joyce DiDonato.
The Rake’s Progress
OperaGlass Works, Wilton’s Music Hall, 17th to 25th November
The delightfully decaying auditorium of Wilton’s is the perfect setting for OperaGlass Works’ debut production of Stravinsky and WH Auden’s The Rake’s Progress. Inspired by Hogarth, it fuses 18th-century squalor with a contemporary resonance in a wholly original manner and this tightly focused production is directed by the company’s founder, Selina Cadell.
