Curlew River

A madwoman mourning the death of her young son embarks upon a journey to his burial site with a ferryman. Based on the classic Noh play Sumidagawa, the ritualistic, incandescent opera Curlew River was composed by Benjamin Britten in 1964.

Though Britten sets the opera in medieval Europe, it draws deeply from the original Noh, not only in story but also in the austerity of theatrical and musical form. Curlew River features an international cast from the U.K., France, and New York.