Bbc Philharmonic Orchestra: Bluebeard's Castle

About this event

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra presents Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle, a one-act opera performed in concert with theatrical lighting at the Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall. Conducted by Anja Bihlmaier, with mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston and baritone Christopher Purves, the production explores a psychological drama centred on a young bride discovering unsettling secrets behind the locked doors of her husband's fortress.

The programme opens with Kodály's Dances of Galánta, which transforms 18th-century Hungarian folk melodies through orchestration, followed by Lili Boulanger's D'un soir triste, a piece that moves from brooding harmonies to an intense emotional arc. Bartók's orchestration employs distinctive string, wind and brass writing to create vivid atmospheric effects throughout the opera.

Tickets from £15.50. A pre-concert talk with conductor Anja Bihlmaier takes place at 6:20pm in the auditorium.