A Roman noblewoman destroys an empire with her silence — and her voice.
Sarah Connolly's 'outstanding' (The Guardian) portrayal of the wronged Roman noblewoman, written originally for Kathleen Ferrier, lies at the hear of David McVicar's powerfully stark production for English National Opera as 'an everyday sort of woman who could be living at any time or place'. Her nemesis is the arrogant Tarquinius of Christopher Maltman, 'who made the air tingle with danger' (Financial Times). Sung in English.
Acting
Connolly's shattered dignity — 'an everyday woman' in extraordinary pain.
Direction
McVicar's stark staging strips Rome to bare walls and raw nerves.
Score
Britten's spare, bruising chamber orchestration — intimacy as weapon.
Director
David McVicar
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Britten wrote this for Kathleen Ferrier, who died of cancer before the premiere; Connolly's performance channels that legacy of mortal urgency.
The 1946 premiere shocked audiences expecting grand opera — Britten's chamber scale forces you into the room where it happens.
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