Best in Britten hits the region

Opera North is working with an array of musicians and artists to bring A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Peter Grimes and Death in Venice to the city’s premier theatre.

Richard Mantle, Opera North’s general director, said: “Benjamin Britten is the greatest composer for theatre and opera our country has ever known and one of the greatest composers of the 20th century.

“In his centenary year we will celebrate the breadth of his work through the breadth of our work.”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream will play on 19th November at 7pm.

The William Skakespeare play is one of his most popular works and is widely performed across the world.

It tells of the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors who are manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set.

The production features a wealth of talent both established up and coming, including Sky Ingram, an Australian soprano currently training at the National Opera Studio, as Helena.

Peter Grimes, on 20th November at 7pm, is the story of a fisherman who is blamed for the death of his apprentice.

This production was described by The Sunday Times as ‘a collective company triumph, the operatic event of the year’.

Death in Venice, on 21st November at 7pm, is the story of a writer who visits Venice and is obsessed by the sight of a stunningly beautiful youth.

This acclaimed production from the legendary Yoshi Oida has toured internationally including to Lyon, Toronto and Prague.

For tickets phone the box office on 0115 989 5555.