English National Opera on Screen

The English National Opera (ENO) will present a season of performances in the Australian premiere season of ENO Screen – a unique cinematic experience that will screen in Australian capital and regional cities throughout 2015.

The Australian premiere programme of ENO Screen features Berlioz’s rarely performed Benvenuto Cellini directed by Monty Python legend Terry Gilliam; Peter Konwitschny’s production of Verdi’s tragic masterpiece La Traviata; Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera The Pirates of Penzance directed by renowned filmmaker Mike Leigh; radical Spanish theatre director Calixto Bieito’s production of Bizet’s vibrant and passionate classic Carmen; and the most significant British opera in more than 200 years, Benjamin Britten’s tragedy Peter Grimes.

The ENO Screen concerts were filmed under the direction of double MTV award-winning director and Grammy award nominee Andy Morahan who has worked with notable artists including Michael Jackson and George Michael. Filmed using a stunning multi-camera HD, ENO Screen will bring the distinctive majesty of the English National Opera to Australian cinema screens for the very first time.

The 2015 season opens on April 18th and 19th nationally with Monty Python legend Terry Gilliam unleashing his inexhaustible imagination on Berlioz’s opera Benvenuto Cellini. Praised by The Guardian as ‘one of the 10 best classical music events of 2014’, the critically acclaimed production was described as ‘a triumph – exuberantly colourful and inventive.  (Daily Telegraph); ‘A stunning night out’ (Mail on Sunday) and ‘The operatic romp of the year’ (The Times).

Following on from his award-winning production of The Damnation of Faust, Gilliam, alongside ENO Music Director Edward Gardner, takes on Berlioz’s first completed opera, based on the autobiography of the celebrated 16^th Century goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini. With stunning visual and musicals set pieces such as the Mardi Gras carnival, it tells the story of thwarted love, elopement, intrigue, disguise and mistaken identity. The opera features some of Berlioz’s most vibrant and tender music.

A stellar cast for this new production is led by rising tenor Michael Spyres in the title role, with the soprano Corinne Winters as Cellini’s lover, Teresa. ENO favourite Willard White returns to the company to add Pope Clement VII to his already extensive list of roles

Since its foundation in 1931 English National Opera has built an international reputation for producing ground-breaking stagings of new and core repertoire and for its exceptionally high musical standards. ENO’s unique approach of performing classic and contemporary operas in English (with English subtitles) has made opera accessible and enjoyable for audiences of all ages.

For information on venues, dates and booking details visit www.potentialfilms.com

LA TRAVIATA | Release date: May 16 & 17

1hr 50mins (No interval)

La Traviata tells the moving story of how the beautiful but fragile courtesan Violetta is coerced into sacrificing her one hope of personal happiness for the sake of her lover’s reputation.

A tragic and resonant tale of society and morality, Verdi’s masterpiece combines compelling characters with hugely powerful, moving and instantly recognisable melodies, making it one of the most emotionally engaging and popular operas of all time. Peter Konwitschny’s production of La Traviata returns to ENO, cutting to the very heart of the opera’s themes of passionate love and tragic death with a modern and uncluttered staging, and a running time of less than two hours.

Making her UK debut as Violetta is soprano Elizabeth Zharoff, who stars alongside ENO Harewood Artist Ben Johnson as Alfredo and acclaimed baritone Anthony Michaels-Moore as Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont.

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE | Release date: July 11 & 12

2hrs 20mins (Includes 20min interval) 

Sentimental pirates, blundering policeman, absurd adventures and improbable paradoxes – Gilbert and Sullivan’s dazzling The Pirates of Penzance comes to ENO in a new production from Mike Leigh.

This much-loved comic opera is a showcase of brilliant humour and razor-sharp wit and features a sparkling score chock-full of memorable melodies and catchy tunes.

With stylish designs from Alison Chitty, the production is conducted by David Parry. The cast includes Andrew Shore as the very model of a modern Major-General, Jonathan Lemalu as the affectionate parody of the British bobby, Robert Murray as the innocent pirate-apprentice Frederic, and Rebecca de Pont Davies as the older woman who has designs on him.

CARMEN | Release date: August 15 & 16

2hrs 45mins (Includes 20min interval) 

A passionate tale of lust, seduction and betrayal, no other opera boasts as popular a following as Bizet’s Carmen. Set during the dying days of Franco’s Spain, Calixto Bieito’s acclaimed production of this must-see opera has been enjoyed by audiences across Europe.

Bizet’s dazzling score evokes all the sounds and sizzling atmosphere of Spain through some of the opera’s most famous melodies, from Carmen’s seductive Habanera to the Toreadors stirring parade.

Sensational mezzo-soprano Justina Gringyte leads the cast, alongside the internationally acclaimed tenor Eric Cutler as José, ENO Harewood Artist Eleanor Dennis as Micaëla and Leigh Melrose as the toreador Escamillo. Returning to the Coliseum to conduct this production is Sir Richard Armstrong.

PETER GRIMES | Release date: September 19 & 20

2hrs 41mins (Includes 20min interval) 

The bleak, enclosed world of a fishing village provides the backdrop for the story of fisherman Peter Grimes and his uneasy relationship with the other inhabitants. Following the death of Grimes's apprentice, the community presumes Grimes to be guilty. Although he is cleared of any blame, the villagers no longer trust him, and when his new apprentice accidentally falls to his death, Grimes spirals towards a tragic breakdown.

The most significant British opera in over two centuries, Britten's Peter Grimes is a work of visceral and sustained beauty, and is notable for the orchestral interludes that depict the sea in different moods.

This is the first revival of David Alden's 2009 sell-out production. ENO Music Director Edward Gardner again conducts the electrifying score, with Stuart Skelton heading the cast in his return to the title role.

Images: Benvenuto by Cellini. Richard Hubert Smith