Lessons in love and violence

"Recording of the week: As in Written On Skin, much of the work's disturbing beauty lies in Benjamin's ability to switch from sensuality to brutality in a heart-beat, and the contrast between Crimp's economical language and Benjamin's rich, endlessly imaginative orchestration is also common to both works ... The cast embrace their dramatically and musically challenging assignments with blazing commitment, sensitively directed by Katie Mitchell in a production which works every bit as well on screen as it did on stage".

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"Recommended: Benjamin and Crimp ... have given us a gripping sung drama which must surely place them in the vanguard - though I think, after Written on Skin, they are already there ... The dramatic impact is enhanced by the regular use of shots from a camera vertically over the stage ... Even without the aerial shots the staging is never dull ... None of this would matter much if Benjamin's music were not so good ... It manages to entice one into the story with intriguing sounds and a lot of musical eventfulness to keep one listening ... The cast is absolutely superb. Barbara Hannigan floats many high passages with her usual, but nonetheless remarkable, skill ... The orchestra, conducted by the composer, are marvellous ... A triumph for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden".

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"At just 90 minutes, this is an opera of impressive concentration with not a word or note wasted ... In the telling of this oppressive story Benjamin and Crimp are as one. Like Crimp's text, the music is a model of clarity on the surface, while suggesting an undercurrent of evil ... Everyone in the cast fits perfectly ... Hannigan is outstanding as the Queen".

"Vurdering: Diapason d'or".