English Touring Opera presents Judith Weir’s haunting tale of isolation and guilt.
Judith Weir’s Blond Eckbert is a haunting tale of isolation and guilt, based on a supernatural short story by the Romantic author Ludwig Tieck and presented in a new co-production with Britten Pears Arts.
Eckbert and Berthe live a life of quiet solitude in their forest home but an unexpected visit from an old friend sets in motion a series of revelations and mysteries. As dark secrets surface, Eckbert suspects that the past is maybe best left buried.
Composed by Judith Weir a British composer known for her choral, orchestral, and chamber music. She often takes inspiration from her Scottish heritage and the natural world.
Performed in English with English surtitles
Blond Eckbert is performed alongside 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, Do not take my story for a fairytale explores the shaping of the Romantic imagination.
It will be performed by a period-instrument chamber ensemble and soprano Abigail Kelly, mezzo Amy J Payne, tenor and 2024 Kathleen Ferrier Award-winner Matthew McKinney and baritone Mark Nathan.
Performed in German and Italian with English surtitles.
- Blond Eckbert: Double Bill – 5 October 2024
- Hackney Empire 291 Mare Street London E8 1EJ
- Tickets: Price: £10 - £45 Hackney Empire | Hackney Empire
Also booking for Autumn…
The Snowmaiden: Sat 28 Sep, 7:30pm & Fri 4 Oct, 7:30pm – Hackney Empire
Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snowmaiden is a classic coming of age tale packed with colour and folk melodies, vividly conjuring up the conflict between real and mythical worlds.
The Wellies: Thu 17 Oct – Sat 30 Nov
Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Galoshes of Fortune, The Wellies is an immersive story for ages 3-7 and audiences with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities that explores magic, adventure and learning to appreciate home.
- Tickets: The Wellies | English Touring Opera