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‘When I heard it, I nearly fell off my chair’: behind the scenes at Angel’s Bone, ENO’s audacious Manchester debut
After years of upheaval, English National Opera is staging its first new opera in its northern base: the Pulitzer-winning Angel’s Bone, about two angels brutally exploited by human traffickers. We talk to its creators
TL;DR
- English National Opera (ENO) is premiering 'Angel's Bone,' a Pulitzer prize-winning opera by Du Yun and Royce Vavrek, at Manchester's Aviva Studios.
- The opera's plot centers on a couple who discover and then exploit two angels, serving as a "harrowing allegory for human trafficking."
- Director Kip Williams describes the opera's music as a "kaleidoscopic mashup of different genres," akin to Radiohead, Cabaret, and Björk.
- The production is part of ENO's relocation strategy following a decision by Arts Council England to end its public funding, requiring the company to move its base out of London.
- Aviva Studios, a large, adaptable venue, provides a "blank canvas" for Williams to stage the opera with "radical abandon."
- The opera's subject matter is seen as confrontational and relevant to contemporary issues, with Williams noting human trafficking is the world's second-largest criminal industry.
- The production is a collaborative effort between ENO, Factory International, and BBC Philharmonic, highlighting a new model for opera creation outside of London.
- The move to Manchester and the choice of 'Angel's Bone' are viewed as a brave and experimental step for ENO, aiming to revitalize the art form and connect with a younger, diverse audience.