Dates
12 – 19 May 2017 (Curve Leicester 12 May; Lowry Salford 14 May; Symphony Hall Birmingham 15 May; Royal Festival Hall London 19 May)
Venues
- Curve, Leicester
- The Lowry, Salford
- Symphony Hall, Birmingham
- Royal Festival Hall, London (in association with Southbank Centre)
Writer
Ravi Shankar (composer); libretto by Amit Chaudhuri
After a terrible mistake leaves the ancient sage Chyavana blinded, the beautiful princess Sukanya finds herself marrying for the sake of her kingdom. As a pair of swaggering, meddling gods watch this unlikely union blossom, will love grow in the strangest of circumstances? Drawn from the Mahābhārata, Sukanya was Ravi Shankar’s only opera and his final work, completed posthumously by conductor David Murphy. This world-premiere semi-staged production united the Royal Opera, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Singers and dancers of the Aakash Odedra Company, with projection design by 59 Productions.
Cast
- Susanna Hurrell (Sukanya)
- Alok Kumar (Chyavana)
- Keel Watson
- Michel de Souza (Aswini Twin)
- Njabulo Madlala (Aswini Twin)
Creative team
- Composer
- Ravi Shankar
- Librettist
- Amit Chaudhuri
- Director
- Suba Das
- Conductor
- David Murphy
- Choreographer
- Aakash Odedra
- Projection / Production Design
- 59 Productions
- Lighting Designer
- Matt Haskins
- Orchestra
- London Philharmonic Orchestra
- Chorus
- BBC Singers
Press
-
Expertly staged by the uber-talented Suba Das.
Mark Valencia — WhatsOnStage · ★★★★ -
The mix of microtonal, improvised Indian music on sitar and tabla with the massed ranks of the London Philharmonic Orchestra makes for a sound world of arresting beauty and originality.
Mark Valencia — WhatsOnStage · ★★★★ -
A delightful evening of pure escapism.
The Telegraph -
Eastern and Western traditions dance the night away in Ravi Shankar's beautifully staged opera.
The Observer
Recognition
- Nominated – WhatsOnStage Opera Poll 2017: Best New Production
- Nominated – WhatsOnStage Opera Poll 2017: Breakthrough Artist in UK Opera (Suba Das)
Production photography: Robbie Jack (Corbis via Getty Images)