The Mask of Orpheus

Losing love hurts.
Keep moving.
Don’t look back.

Harrison Birtwistle’s iconic masterpiece retells the Orpheus myth in a non-linear narrative, as the opera’s leading characters appear in three distinct guises.

The Mask of Orpheus, with a libretto by Peter Zinovieff, is scored for massive orchestral forces, which builds into a three dimensional picture that leads us from inconsolable grief to acceptance and transformation.

ENO Artistic Consultant Daniel Kramer’s staging will be the first in London since its premiere at the London Coliseum over 30 years ago. He is joined by conductor and ENO Music Director Martyn Brabbins, following their collaborations on War Requiem and Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel.

Costume designs are by ‘England’s most outrageous dresser’ (Vogue) Daniel Lismore, while the cast includes several regular ENO artists noted for their expertise in contemporary music: Peter Hoare; Daniel Norman; James Cleverton and Robert Hayward.

Supported by Linda Christmas, Cockayne – Grants for the Arts, and a syndicate of donors

Crystals provided exclusively by SwarovskiHarrison Birtwistle’s iconic masterpiece retells the Orpheus myth in a non-linear narrative, as the opera’s leading characters appear in three distinct guises.

The Mask of Orpheus is scored for massive orchestral forces, which builds into a three dimensional picture that leads us from inconsolable grief to acceptance and transformation.