Join us at Saffron Hall to see English Touring Opera perform across two consecutive nights – come to one, or come to both!
Friday 18 October 2024, 7pm: Blond Eckbert Double Bill
Judith Weir’s Blond Eckbert is a haunting tale of isolation and enigma, based on a supernatural short story by the Romantic author Ludwig Tieck and presented in a new production directed by Robin Norton-Hale and conducted by ETO Music Director, Gerry Cornelius. Eckbert and Berthe live a life of quiet solitude in their forest home, but an unexpected visit from an old friend sets in motion a series of revelations and mysteries. As dark secrets surface, Eckbert suspects his world is far stranger than it first appeared, and that the past is maybe best left buried
★★★★ ‘This cast and creative team have produced a show with great thought and impact.’ – Opera Now
★★★★ ‘A terrific sense of unease in this psychological thriller.’ – The Times
★★★★ ‘The dream-like narrative is anchored by strong vocal performances.’ – The Telegraph
Blond Eckbert is performed alongside Do not take my story for a fairytale, a staging of song cycles and cantatas exploring love, isolation and the terrible wonder of the natural world. Featuring music from the same period that Tieck’s story Der Blonde Eckbert was written, by composers including Beethoven, Haydn and Martines, Do not take my story for a fairytale explores the shaping of the Romantic imagination, with its intense emotional responses to nature. It will be performed in an arrangement for period-instrument chamber ensemble and by soprano Abigail Kelly, mezzo Amy J Payne, tenor and 2024 Kathleen Ferrier Award-winner Matthew McKinney and baritone Mark Nathan.
Saturday 19 October 2024, 7pm: The Snowmaiden
The Snowmaiden has lived her whole life under the watchful eye of her parents, Grandfather Frost and Spring Beauty, hidden from the heat of the sun. Jealous of the passionate lives of the mortal villagers living nearby, she begs her parents to let her join them, but discovers her heart of ice means she cannot fall in love. As the Snowmaiden becomes fascinated by a boy in the village, her wish to find true happiness comes with dire consequences.
Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snowmaiden is a classic coming-of-age tale packed with colour and folk melodies, vividly conjuring up the conflict between real and mythical worlds. English Touring Opera’s new production is helmed by the award-winning director Olivia Fuchs and conducted by Hannah Quinn, with designs by the Linbury Prize-winning Eleanor Bull.
