English National Opera gives Adriana Mater its first staging by the company, with Kristina Stanek in the title role of Kaija Saariaho's opera of war, motherhood and the long shadow of revenge. Here is everything you need to know before you book.
Kaija Saariaho's second opera has waited twenty years for English National Opera. Adriana Mater, first heard in Paris in 2006, now arrives at the London Coliseum in English National Opera's first production of the piece, for seven performances between 28 November and 12 December 2026. It is a sombre evening rather than a festive one.
Who is starring in Adriana Mater?
The German mezzo-soprano Kristina Stanek, who trained at the Royal Academy of Music, sings Adriana, the woman at the centre of the story. Tenor Caspar Singh, who took the title role in ENO's Albert Herring at the Coliseum and at Lowry last season, is her son Yonas. Baritone Leigh Melrose, a former Harewood Artist with a long record in new work and twentieth-century repertoire, is Tsargo, and soprano Lauren Fagan, a graduate of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme, makes her first appearance with the company as Refka, Adriana's sister. We set out the casting when it was announced in our news story on Stanek's arrival.
What is Adriana Mater about?
The libretto is by Amin Maalouf, the Lebanese-French novelist who worked for years as a war correspondent, and it is set in an unnamed European country before, during and after a civil war. Adriana is attacked by Tsargo, a man she once knew, and carries the child that follows. The second half moves forward to Yonas as a young man, who learns how he came into the world and sets out to settle the account. What the opera asks is whether a son can refuse the violence he was born from, and his mother's answer is that the cycle has to stop somewhere, in a family as in a country. ENO sings it in a new English translation commissioned from Aleksi Barrière, the composer's son, with surtitles.
Who is behind the production?
ENO's Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon directs. She is also responsible for the company's new Tosca, and the two stagings have been conceived as a prequel and a sequel about art, war and survival; our guide to the Tosca staging explains how they connect. Sets are by Rosanna Vize, costumes by Evie Gurney, lighting by Lee Curran and movement direction by Imogen Knight.
In the pit, ENO's Music Director Designate André de Ridder conducts the Orchestra of ENO, in the first production he and Miskimmon have made together. Saariaho writes for a conventional orchestra with electronics alongside it. Aliisa Neige Barrière, the composer's daughter, is Associate Conductor and takes the 5 and 10 December performances.
When and where can I see it?
Adriana Mater runs at the London Coliseum on St Martin's Lane from Saturday 28 November to Saturday 12 December 2026. Evening performances on 28 November and on 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10 December begin at 19.00; the final performance on 12 December is a 14.00 matinee. The 8 December performance is interpreted in British Sign Language. Our show page gives the running time as 2 hours 45 minutes, including one interval.
On Saturday 5 December the two Miskimmon productions can be seen on the same day, with a Tosca matinee followed by Adriana Mater in the evening. Tickets currently start at £14. Under-21s can sit anywhere in the house for free, and reduced prices are available to 21-35 year olds.
What else should I book if I like it?
- Tosca at the London Coliseum, until 11 December: the companion piece, with Axelle Fanyo in the title role and the same director.
- Iphigénie en Tauride at the London Coliseum, 6-14 November: another first for ENO, Lyndsey Turner's new staging of Gluck's opera of a woman confronting the violence of her own family. Our guide to that production has the detail.
- To Die For [A Comedy] at the London Coliseum, 29 November only: the UK premiere of a contemporary satire on fame and reality television, visiting from Nederlandse Reisopera the night after Adriana Mater opens.
Tickets for Adriana Mater at the London Coliseum are on sale now.
