From Verdi to Strauss, Opera North offers an incredible 2022/23 schedule at The Lowry

Featuring everything from the Verdi classic La traviata to a sweeping, nature-inspired paean to the Moravian countryside in Leos Jacanek’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Leeds-based Opera North deliver a slate of six incredible shows across two seasons beginning this November at The Lowry.

From Tue 15 Nov to Thu 17 Nov, Opera North Director Alessandro Talevi and designer Madeleine Boyd return for an incredible performance of La traviata, the epochal opera which traces the grand, tragic life of glamorous Parisian courtesan, Violetta, and her love affair with the young Alfredo.

On Fri 18 Nov, Principal Guest Conductor Antony Hermus leads a lush, stripped-back rendition of Christoph Gluck’s Orfeo Ed Euridice, the orchestra playing ‘some of his finest arias’ as they and the chorus chart Orfeo’s journey through Hades to recover his love, Euridice.

On Sat 19 Nov, Opera North round off their autumn schedule with a reimagining of Monteverdi’s Orpheus. Ostensibly recounting the same myth as Gluck’s masterpiece, this ‘adventurous new production of the ancient tragedy’ combines western baroque classical music with Indian instrumentations, including santoors, tablas and sitars in a daring twist envisioned by Music Directors Laurence Cummings and Jasdeep Singh Jedun.

Beginning their spring programme on Tue 7 Mar, Opera North perform Leos Jacanek’s The Cunning Little Vixen for two nights. Following the story of a forester who captures and attempts to domesticate a young female fox, the modern classic draws musical inspiration from the composer’s memories of the Moravian countryside, and channels them into a powerful ode to the natural world.

From Thu 9 Mar to Sat 11 Mar, Opera North perform Puccini’s inimitable revenge tragedy, Tosca, his ‘high-octane score’ the backdrop to a doomed, uneven love triangle between the titular star singer, her lover Cardarossi, and corrupt police chief Scarpia. At once soaring and brutal, the final show of Tosca brings Opera North’s Lowry schedule to a close.

On Fri 10 March, a ‘sumptuous confection’ of Richard Strauss’ creative personality is on full display in Ariadne Auf Naxos, the chaotic tragicomedy which takes place in a ‘Fellini-esque Italian film studio’ under the inventive direction of Rodula Gaitanou, who garnered critical acclaim on its debut in 2018.

For more information on events at The Lowry, head to their website.