2017-18 Royal Opera Season: Three World Premieres Away From Covent Garden

Summary: The 2017-18 Royal Opera season stages three world premieres away from Covent Garden as collaborative productions with commissioners and co-producers.

The 2017-18 Royal Opera season includes the world premiere of Mark Anthony Turnage’s new opera, Coraline, based upon English author Neil Gaiman’s same-named 2002 dark fantasy children’s novella, which was made into a 3D stop-motion dark fantasy film in 2009; 3D art set pieces of Coraline and the Cat from movie Coraline; Portland International Airport, northwestern Oregon; Monday, Oct. 25, 2010: ocean yamaha, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

The 2017-18 Royal Opera season presents three world premieres away from Covent Garden in collaboration with co-commissioners, co-producers and partners.

The world premiere of Coraline by Mark-Anthony Turnage is scheduled for nine performances during the Winter 2017-18 and Spring 2018 seasons. The first performance takes place Tuesday, March 27, 2018. The last performance is slated for Saturday, April 7, 2018. The world premiere takes place at the Barbican Theatre, located on Silk Street in central London’s EC2 (Eastern Central) postcode district.

Coraline’s world premiere is staged as a co-production with Opéra de Lille, Theater Freiberg and Victoria Opera. The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund provides philanthropic support for the new opera’s world premiere.

Coraline is Turnage’s second Royal Opera commission. The English classical composer’s first Royal Opera commission was Anna Nicole, which premiered Feb. 17, 2011, at Covent Garden.

Turnage’s opera is based upon the same-named dark fantasy children’s novella by British author Neil Gaiman. Canadian playwright Rory Mullarkey wrote the libretto.

London-born choreographer Aletta Collins is production director for the opera’s world premiere. She debuted at The Royal Opera in 2004 as choreographer for the world premiere of The Tempest, British composer and conductor Thomas Adès’ second opera.

Giles Cadle is the set designer for Coraline. The British set designer debuted at The Royal Opera in 2015 in the world premiere of The Virtues of Things by British composer Matt Rogers.

Sian Edwards is the new production’s conductor. The English conductor debuted at The Royal Opera House in 1988 in The Knot Garden by English composer Sir Michael Kemp Tippett (Jan. 2, 1905-Jan. 8, 1998).

Sian Edwards conducts Britten Sinfonia. The chamber ensemble debuted at The Royal Opera in 2006 in the world premiere of Bird of Night by Trinidadian female composer Dominique le Gendre.

Two other world premieres are set for staging during The Royal Opera’s Summer 2018 season. The Royal Opera website places premiere performances for both operas in June 2018.

A new opera by English classical composer Tansy Davies and British poet and librettist Nick Drake will have its world premiere in June 2018 at Printworks, London. The multipurpose space is located in the Canada Water neighborhood, in southeast London’s Docklands area.

The unnamed opera concerns a grieving father’s quest for connection with his lost daughter. The timeline is a dystopian future. The setting encompasses melting ancient glaciers, dark caves and desert shopping malls.

The Davies and Drake team’s opera is produced by the London Sonfonietta in association with The Royal Opera. The Britten Pears Foundation supports the opera’s commission.

British theatre director Lucy Bailey directs the unnamed opera’s world premiere.

The 2017-18 Royal Opera season’s third world premiere staged away from Covent Garden is Mamzer Bastard by London-based Israeli composer Na’ama Zisser. Mamzer Bastard emerges from Zisser’s placement as the Guildhall School of Music and Drama’s second Doctoral Composer-in-Residence. The three-year residency is available via The Royal Opera House and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as collaborative co-commissioners.

Set in the New York Hasidic community in the 1970s, Mamzer Bastard concerns a stranger’s revelations on the night before a Hasidic Jew’s wedding. The multi-language libretto is sung in English, Hebrew and Yiddish. London-based screenwriter Samantha Newton and Israeli director and writer Rachel C. Zisser are the librettists.

A fourth world premiere opens at The Royal Opera’s opera house in central London’s Covent Garden district. The Royal Opera’s major performing arts venue is staging Lessons in Love and Violence by English classical composer George William John Benjamin during the Spring 2018 season. Six performances are scheduled. Opening night is Thursday, May 10, 2018. The last performance takes place Saturday, May 26, 2018.

The 2017-18 Royal Opera season offers four world premieres, with one world premiere staged in-house and three world premieres staged away from Covent Garden.

Na'ama Zisser's Mamzer Bastard is one of three world premieres staged away from Covent Garden during the 2017-18 Royal Opera season: The Royal Opera @TheRoyalOpera, via Twitter Sep. 10, 2015

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

The 2017/18 Royal Opera season includes the world premiere of Mark Anthony Turnage’s new opera, Coraline, based upon English author Neil Gaiman’s same-named 2002 dark fantasy children’s novella, which was made into a 3D stop-motion dark fantasy film in 2009; 3D art set pieces of Coraline and the Cat from movie Coraline; Portland International Airport, northwestern Oregon; Monday, Oct. 25, 2010: ocean yamaha, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/oceanyamaha/5116308537/

Na'ama Zisser's Mamzer Bastard is one of three world premieres staged away from Covent Garden during the 2017-18 Roya Opera season: The Royal Opera @TheRoyalOpera, via Twitter Sep. 10, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/TheRoyalOpera/status/642062554085347328

For further information:

Marriner, Derdriu. "2017-2018 Royal Opera Season Premieres George Benjamin’s Third Opera." Monday, Aug. 7, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/08/2017-2018-royal-opera-season-premieres_7.html

Nick Drake @nickfdrake. “Including new work by @tansydavies and me, with @londonsinfonietta at amazing Printworks, Surrey Quays in June 2018 directed by Lucy Bailey.” Twitter. April 7, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/nickfdrake/status/850250093408034816

The Royal Opera @TheRoyalOpera. “Congratulations to @NaamaZisser -- @guildhallschool’s new Compoer-in-Residence.” Twitter. Sept. 10, 2015.
Available @ https://twitter.com/TheRoyalOpera/status/642062554085347328

Shipman, Chris. “Opera and Music at the Royal Opera House 2017/18.” Royal Opera House > News. April 5, 2017.
Available @ http://www.roh.org.uk/news/opera-and-music-at-the-royal-opera-house-201718

Spencer, Mel. “Royal Opera House 2017/18 Season Announced.” Royal Opera House > News. April 5, 2017.
Available @ http://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-opera-house-2017-2018-season-announced