Lessons in Love and Violence

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Image courtesy of the Liceu.

Lessons in Love and Violence is the second opera by the George Benjamin-Martin Crimp partnership. Based on medieval sources, it relates the all-consuming relationship between Edward II of England and his lover Piers Gaveston, which disrupts court life and the political well-being of the country, showing us the fatal political consequences personal attachments can have, for the King's also has a close but troubled relationship with his wife Isabel and his two children.

The lessons in composition and musical analysis which Benjamin received from Messiaen taught him the importance of rich orchestration, rhythm and color. This highly imaginative score captures to a tee the claustrophobic, sensuous atmosphere and the intense emotions of the drama. Director Katie Mitchell offers a visually striking contemporary mise en scène, set in an ultra-modern Scandinavian castle.

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