The Royal Opera House today announced it plans to stage fifteen new operas between now and 2020. Stretching the definition of 'new' to the max, most of these will not be world premieres, and some are in fact a few years old. Several will be Linbury Studio rather than main stage shows.
I am thrilled to hear they include the British stage premiere of Gerald Barry’s The Importance of Being Earnest, the Barbican's semi-staged version of which was one of last year's highlights.
There's also Unsuk Chin’s Alice Through the Looking Glass, a new Thomas Ades main stage opera based on Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel (which will premiere at the 2015 Salzburg Festival - if he finishes it in time), the UK premiere of Luca Francesconi’s 2010 Quartett, Ben Frost's The Wasp Factory (based on Iain Banks' novel and due to premiere at the Bregenz Festival) and Music Theatre Wales's latest Philip Glass commission, based on Kafka's The Trial (coming to the Linbury next autumn).
Turnage’s Anna Nicole will be revived in the 2014-15 season, and looking further ahead 2020 will see a blockbuster commission of four new operas.
*UPDATE* - the ROH now have full details on their website.
