English National Opera (ENO) will perform John Adams‘ rarely performed opera-oratorio, El Niño, to a socially distanced audience for two concert performances at the London Coliseum on 27 and 28 November 2020.
The work continues ENO’s long association with the composer’s work, having previously staged critically acclaimed productions of Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer and Doctor Atomic, as well as the world stage premiere of the oratorio The Gospel According to the Other Mary.
Members of the award winning ENO Chorus and Orchestra will be conducted by ENO Music Director, Martyn Brabbins and will be joined on stage by six soloists – Nardus Williams (Soprano and ENO Harewood Artist), Jennifer Johnston (Mezzo Soprano), James Rutherford (Baritone), Jake Arditti (Countertenor), Tom Scott-Cowell (Countertenor) and Feargal Mostyn-Williams (Countertenor).
They will also be joined by a children’s chorus from the Finchley Children’s Music Group.
El Niño is an opera-oratorio which tells the Biblical story of the Nativity, through a variety of texts and languages from across history, including the Wakefield Mystery Plays and poems by Rosario Castellanos, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Gabriela Mistral, Vicente Huidobro, Rubén Darío and Hildegard von Bingen.
Tickets will go on public sale on Thursday 29 October. Those aged under 21 can attend for free through a ballot, with 50 pairs of tickets available for the first performance.