A world premiere is always good news for opera, and that’s precisely what will happen on Tuesday, February 11, when Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Festen takes the stage at London’s Royal Opera House.
Based on Thomas Vinterberg’s cult Danish film of the same name, Festen marks another bold addition to Turnage’s operatic output—one that, like his previous works, is likely to stir debate among traditional opera audiences. The Royal Opera House website has already issued a content advisory, stating: Suitable for ages 16+. The opera contains themes of child sexual abuse, suicide, and addiction. There are depictions of racist behaviour, nudity, sex, and violence. Strong language is used.
In a recent interview, Turnage acknowledged the challenging nature of his work, saying, “Part of me thinks, ‘Why don’t I just do a nice fluffy story that will be performed a lot?’ But I know if I did, it wouldn’t be any good. I need to be provoked. I need an extreme or strong subject to write good music.”
The story follows a family gathering for the patriarch’s 60th birthday, during which a long-buried secret is exposed. The libretto is by Lee Hall, best known for writing the screenplay of Billy Elliot and its later adaptation into a stage musical. Hall admitted in an interview with The Guardian that he hadn’t initially considered Festen as an opera, but when Turnage approached him, “immediately I could see how it would work. It falls into three acts and does all of the classical things that you really need – there’s that bone structure for something as complex as an opera.”
Addressing the controversy and warnings surrounding the opera, Turnage also told The Guardian, “This whole worry about offence or triggering people is misplaced. I think that’s why you go to the opera: to enjoy a serious aesthetic look at difficult things. The worry for me is that we patronize an audience by being too scared of that. Because it’s grownups who go to the opera.”
The production is directed by Richard Jones, a veteran of both opera and theatre, while Edward Gardner will conduct. The cast features Allan Clayton, Stéphane Degout, Gerald Finley, Rosie Aldridge, and Natalya Romaniw.
Festen won’t be Turnage’s only operatic premiere this year—The Railway Children, with a libretto by Rachael Hewer, is already set for Glyndebourne’s autumn season.
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