Rome is ruled by a ruthless royal family. When Prince Tarquinius hears of Lucretia’s faithfulness to her husband Collatinus, he decides to put it to the test. He visits her at home and rapes her. Lucretia’s fate then becomes part of the uprising that brings about the fall of the Roman monarchy.

Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia premiered in 1946 and was his first chamber opera. With just eight singers and thirteen musicians, Britten creates a concentrated musical world in which every voice and instrument has its place – a format particularly well suited to the intimate setting of Confidencen. The music gradually builds tension as the story moves towards catastrophe, shifting from the beautiful and fragile to the dark and threatening.

The production features Johanna Rudström as Lucretia, Kristian Flor as Collatinus and Karl Söderström as Tarquinius. All four singers from the Wall Studio take part: Minna Tägil, Wilma Kvamme, Karl Söderström and Jane Burnell. The Wall Studio is a two-year programme run by the Royal Swedish Opera and the Wall Foundation for young opera singers embarking on their professional careers.

Britten’s operas have a long history at the Royal Swedish Opera, most recently with A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2023. The Rape of Lucretia was last staged by the Royal Swedish Opera in 1958 and now returns after almost 70 years, directed by Caroline Gentele and under the musical direction of resident conductor André Callegaro.

Cast subject to change.