ENO boasts 15 new productions

The new English National Opera season, just announced, pulls a rabbit out of the hat. Instead of shrinking its output from 11 productions to six or eight as rumoured, it will boost them to 15 by 2018/19.

But not before. The coming season has just four new shows.

Season highlights (from press release):
– ENO’s Composer-in-Residence, Ryan Wigglesworth, conducts the World Premiere of his first opera The Winter’s Tale, with actor Rory Kinnear making his directorial debut.
– The European Premiere of Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD, a jazz-infused chamber opera by Daniel Schnyder that tells the story of the great bebop pioneer, starring Lawrence Brownlee in the title role. Ron Daniels directs YARDBIRD at Hackney Empire – the first opera to be performed as part of a long-term collaboration with Hackney Empire and Opera Philadelphia.

– World-renowned artist and director William Kentridge directs a new production of Berg’s Lulu, conducted by Mark Wigglesworth

– Olivier Award-winning director Richard Jones returns to ENO to direct a new production of Don Giovanni, conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, with Christopher Purves in the title role.

– ENO takes Jonathan Miller’s popular production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado to the Opera House at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool

– A new partnership with the Southbank Centre. In summer 2017, ENO will present a concert hall performance of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius

– ENO celebrates the work of director Jonathan Miller with a special evening marking well over 1,000 performances of his work over a 38-year period

– Revivals include Jonathan Miller’s Rigoletto, Mike Leigh’s The Pirates of Penzance, Christopher Alden’s Olivier Award-winning production of Handel’s Partenope, Catherine Malfitano’s Tosca and Penny Woolcock’s The Pearl Fishers

– ENO announces a new partnership with Silent Opera, supporting young British director Daisy Evans