Written on Skin from the ROH

Written On Skin is one of the most exciting

and acclaimed new operas of recent years.

This is a passionate and violent tale

by two of Britain's greatest living artists -

composer George Benjamin and the playwright Martin Crimp.

Add to the mix the award-winning director Katie Mitchell,

and you have something really special.

In fact, when this opera was premiered last year in France,

it received a standing ovation.

Some people are calling it a modern masterpiece.

Now, here at the Royal Opera, we are co-commissioners,

so we're presenting the piece

and there's been tremendous anticipation. We are very excited.

The opera blends together a host of 21st century angels,

together with a short story taken from medieval French literature,

which tells of a powerful landowner, known only as the Protector,

his wife, Agnes, and a visiting artist called the Boy,

who become involved in a tortuous love triangle.

# You will welcome him... #

The story is associated with one of the most extraordinary periods

in European history - the age of the troubadours -

which is full of romance and mystery to me.

It's the event, if you like, before the Renaissance,

when European civilisation begins to open up again.

Also, it did seem quite well suited to operatic treatment

because it deals in very violent and passionate emotions,

which seems to be the stuff of opera.

# Written on skin... #

I play Agnes, an intelligent but uneducated woman

and quite oppressed by my husband.

To make a long story short, I liberate myself

by having an illicit sexual affair

with a young man who comes into the house,

who's been hired to paint an illuminated book.

We wanted to maintain the 13th-century nature of the story.

At the same time, neither of us had a taste

for creating purely a medieval story,

so I, in fact, created a framework around the story -

a framework of contemporary angels, 21st-century angels,

who set the story in motion, and, at moments, participate in it.

And, in fact, Angel One becomes a major participant

in the love story of the opera.

He has lost his way in the universe,

and is trying to find a way to find meaning.

He re-enacts this story and participates in it

to see what he can learn.

And, he needs to experience, as a human being,

these very powerful forces -

deep sexual attraction to men and to women -

the violence, being amidst lost people.

Remember that the Boy is also there. You got lost in your own world...

This piece is about love, death, despair and regret.

For me, it's a fantastic story.

It has very powerful and direct emotions in it.

And the music is out of this world.

I wanted the sound of the music to evoke the beauty

of medieval illumination and the ravishing beauty

of the colours in ancient manuscripts.

I wanted a very diverse palette indeed,

involving many familiar sounds but many very unfamiliar ones.

I've used the extraordinary sound of the glass harmonica,

in a way that the glass harmonica I don't think has been used before.

I've waited three decades as a so-called professional composer

to write something on this scale.

It's the biggest, most important, thing I've done.

The challenge is to make opera seem natural in the 21st-century,

which is not necessarily so easy.

George's music is extremely economical.

His works tend to be on the short side.

For an opera, when you count the minutes, a short opera.

But, it packs a lot

in that hour and a half. Just get ready.

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd