Guildhall Opera Double Bill

Composed in 1916, Holst’s 35-minute opera tells the story of the title character’s devotion to her husband in the face of Death. Based on an episode from a Sanskrit epic, Holst used his studies of this ancient language to translate the story into his own English libretto, which combines with colourful orchestration to explore the power of love and questions of mortality.

Judith Weir also wrote her own libretto for her 1993 work Blond Eckbert, taking inspiration from the dark fairy tale by Romantic German writer Ludwig Tieck. The eerie, captivating opera by the Master of the King’s Music tells the story of Eckbert and his wife, whose solitary life together in the forest unravels after a mysterious visitor opens up a disturbing door to the past. This Guildhall production offers the chance to hear the one-act, ‘pocket’ version of the opera.