Commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music for their 200^th anniversary, Freya Waley-Cohen​’s WITCH receives its world premiere from 23 — 26 March in their Susie Sainsbury Theatre. Conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth and directed by Polly Graham, this programme Triple Bill also features a re-imagining of Monteverdi’s Lamento d’Arianna and Strauss’ Prologue to Ariadne auf Naxos. In this production, however, the focus of the story shifts to Ariadne – each work taking a different perspective.

With a libretto by Ruth Mariner (based upon the work WITCH by Rebecca Tamas), Waley-Cohen’s opera offers two interwoven narratives that reclaim the idea of female agency and desire. This is a magical realist coming-of-age story, set against the backdrop of the historical horror of what it has meant to be a woman fighting for power and freedom.

It was included in the Times’ 50 best shows to see in 2022.