Details

The opera, premiered in 1961. The libretto is written by W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman and centres on poet Gregor Mittenhofer who travels to an inn in the Austrian Alps in the hope of gaining artistic inspiration from an old widow tormented by visions. Consumed by his insatiable greed and desire for recognition he begins to exploit and destroy the lives of those around him to satisfy his creativity and ego. Following Fiona Shaw's acclaimed 2008 ENO debut, she now directs another 20th Century masterpiece. Co-written by WH Auden and Chester Kallman, and set by composer Hans Werner Henze, Elegy for Young Lovers offers a savagely witty expose of the creative ego and its insatiable need to feed off all around it.

Cast/Performers

William Robert Allenby, Rob Murray, Steven Page (Gregor Mittenhofer), Jennifer Rhys-Davies (Hildemack), Lucy Schaufe (Carolina von Kirchstatten), Kate Valentine (Elizabeth Zimmer), Robert Murray (Toni Reischmann), William Robert Allenby (Wilhelm Reischmann)

Creatives/Company

Author(s): WH Auden, Chester Kallman
Music: Hans Werner Henze
Producer(s): English National Opera, Young Vic
Conductor: Stefan Blunier
Director: Fiona Shaw
Design: Tom Pye
Lighting: Peter Mumford