Philip Glass’ operatic version of Kafka’s The Trial at RNCM

This autumn, the RNCM will host to a very special operatic performance: Philip Glass’s adaptation of Franz Kafka’s The Trial. Kafka’s story centres on Josef K, an ordinary man who is arrested for unspecified crimes and is put through an authoritarian legal process. With its themes of unchecked power and subjugation, the story still resonates strongly today. Glass is an admirer of Kafka, having previously adapted his short story In The Penal Colony. With his use of dark, repetitive musical themes, Glass would seem to be a perfect match for Kafka’s subject matter. The opera will come to Manchester directly following a premiere run at the Royal Opera House. The libretto is by Christopher Hampton, and the conductor is Michael Rafferty. The evening will begin with a pre-concert talk from director Michael McCarthy.

Wed 22 Oct, RNCM Theatre, 124 Oxford Road, M13 9RD, 6.30pm, £15, www.rncm.ac.uk