Opera Double Bill: Smyth's 'Der Wald' & Respighi's 'Lucrezia'
- From to
- 7pm
Tickets
About this event:
- Category:
- Featured | Opera | Production Arts
- Event type:
- Booking required | In-person
- Admission:
- £30 (£15 concessions)
- Location:
- Silk Street Theatre
Event information
Opera Double Bill
Ethel Smyth Der Wald
Ottorino Respighi Lucrezia (UK Premiere)
Stephen Barlow director
Dominic Wheeler conductor
Jon Morrell designer
Two powerful stories. Two rarely heard operas. One unforgettable evening.
Our Autumn Opera Double Bill explores love, power and resistance through fresh interpretations of two early 20th-century works centred on formidable female protagonists.
Trailblazing composer and suffragette Ethel Smyth broke new ground as the first woman to have an opera staged at the Metropolitan Opera with her richly orchestrated Der Wald (“The Forest”). This gripping drama explores desire and betrayal amid the shadows of the forest, unfolding with emotional intensity and sweeping Romantic grandeur.
This UK premiere of Ottorino Respighi’s Lucrezia offers a bold modern retelling of the legendary Roman tale, where a woman’s personal tragedy ignites political rebellion. With a vividly expressive score and lush vocal writing, the themes of this one-act opera still resonate powerfully today.
Sung in German and Italian with English surtitles
Approximate running time: 2 hours 35 minutes, including 30-minute interval
Access the free digital programme for this performance here.
Content and Sensory Warnings
Dominic Wheeler conductor
Stephen Barlow director
Jon Morrell designer
Simon Bennison lighting designer
Abigail Kessel intimacy director
Bret Yount fight director
Charlie Morgan choreographer
Jack Stone assistant conductor & chorus master
Oscar Simms assistant director
Lili Warden assistant lighting designer
Röschen
Seohyun Go (performances 1 & 3)
Manon Ogwen Parry (performances 2 & 4)
Iolanthe
Avery Lafrentz (cover: Hannah Hughes)
Heinrich
Tobias Campos Santiñaque (performances 2 & 4)
Harry Jacques (performances 1 & 3)
Rudolf
Redmond Sanders (cover: Aidan O’Donnell)
Peter
Oliver Williams (cover: Tokio Ueno)
Hausirer
Sonny Fielding (cover: Will Jowett)
Chorus
Thomas Aminfar-Antoniw
Ciara Byrne
Jacob Cole (Ein Bursche)
Charlotte Du-Cann
Samuel Horton (Ein Bursche)
Hannah Hughes
Alex Hutton
Will Jowett
Niamh Kearney
Miranda Kettlewell
Aidan O’Donnell (Erste Jäger)
Jiho Park
Owen Ravden
Georgia Tolson
Tokio Ueno
Ben Watkins (Erste Jäger)
La Voce
Gabriella Giulietta Noble (cover: Miranda Kettlewell)
Lucrezia
Hannah McKay (Performances 1 & 3)
Lowri Probert (Performances 2 & 4)
Servia
Marianne Ruel (cover: Hayley Meth)
Venilia
Seohyun Go (Performances 2 & 4)
Manon Ogwen Parry (Performances 1 & 3)
Collatino
Tobias Campos Santiñaque
Bruto
Harry Jacques (cover: Alex Hutton)
Tarquinio
Redmond Sanders (cover: Tokio Ueno)
Tito
Sonny Fielding (cover: Will Jowett)
Arunte/Spurio Lucrezio
Oliver Williams (cover: Ben Watkins)
Valerio
Sonny Fielding (cover: Will Jowett)
Extras
Hannah Hughes, Jacob Cole, Ben Hendry-Watkins (covers: Will Jowett, Tokio Ueno, & Jiho Park)
Please note this production contains adult content including scenes of murder, suicide and sexual violence. There may be loud noises and haze. Pyrotechnics will be used during the performance of Der Wald.
Performance 1:
Monday 3 November 2025, 7pm
Performance 2:
Wednesday 5 November 2025, 7pm
Performance 3:
Friday 7 November 2025, 7pm
Performance 4:
Monday 10 November 2025, 7pm
Explore our Autumn Season
Read more about the vibrant line up of events taking place in Autumn 2025
Venue information
Silk Street Theatre, Music Hall and Lecture Recital Room are located in the main Guildhall School building on Silk Street and for Barbican produced events the venue can also be accessed from the Barbican if you exit via the doors next to Barbican Kitchen on Level G.
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Silk Street
Barbican
EC2Y 8DT
