Blond Eckbert Double Bill

Fresh from its sell-out performance at the 75th Aldeburgh Festival, Judith Weir's acclaimed opera Blond Eckbert is back. It is paired with Do not take my story for a fairytale – a staging of song cycles and cantatas exploring love, isolation and the terrible wonder of the natural world.

For this performance only, we are offering two tickets for the price of one on all tickets over £10. Simply select your seats and then enter the code BLOND241 at checkout.

Blond Eckbert cast:
Aoife Miskelly Bird
Flora McIntosh Berthe
William Morgan Walther, Hugo, Old Woman
Alex Otterburn Eckbert

Do not take my story for a fairytale:
Abigail Kelly soprano
Amy J Payne mezzo-soprano
Matthew McKinney tenor
Mark Nathan baritone
Period-instrument chamber ensemble

Robin Norton-Hale director
Molly Harris Farley assistant director
Monica Nicolaides assistant and movement director
Eleanor Bull designer
Erika Gundesen assistant conductor
Gerry Cornelius conductor

Come to a pre-performance talk before the opera to learn more about the creative process.

Judith Weir:: Blond Eckbert (70’)
Various:: Do not take my story for a fairytale (60’)

Blond Eckbert was a huge hit at this year's Festival, captivating the opening night audience with a hauntingly imaginative staging of Judith Weir's landmark work. Dark shadows threaten Eckbert and Berthe's woodland solitude; will they regret confiding in the mysterious Walther?

We're delighted to welcome English Touring Opera back for a second heartstopping performance, this time presented in a double bill with Do not take my story for a fairytale, a staging of song cycles and cantatas exploring love, isolation and the terrible wonder of the natural world. Featuring music from the same period that Ludwig Tieck’s story, Der Blonde Eckbert, was written, including Schubert's Prometheus and Beethoven's An die ferne Geliebte as well as a cantata by Mariana Martines, Do not take my story for a fairytale explores the shaping of the Romantic imagination.

Do not take my story for a fairytale will be performed by a period-instrument chamber ensemble alongside soprano Abigail Kelly, mezzo-soprano Amy J Payne, tenor and 2024 Kathleen Ferrier Award-winner Matthew McKinney, and baritone Mark Nathan.

Both performances are helmed by ETO General Director Robin Norton Hale and Music Director Gerry Cornelius, with designs by the Linbury Prize-winning Eleanor Bull.

Sung in English with English surtitles.

The dream-like narrative is anchored by strong vocal performances
4 Stars
The Telegraph

It was a visual treat and a thought-provoking presentation of a work that invites further exploration. I would gladly attend repeat performances
Thoroughly Good