Maxwell Davies: The Lighthouse

Peter Maxwell Davies’ most frequently performed opera, The Lighthouse, is based on a real-life account of the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers on the island of Flannan (a story which also inspired a Genesis song and an episode of Doctor Who).

A very intense, suspenseful night of music theatre describes the cramped and foggy conditions at the lighthouse, and the claustrophobia of the court hearing at which the relief keepers give their account of the incident. Each of the keepers is depicted with penetrating insight, so that beneath their calm, blameless exteriors the audience senses a troubled past.

Davies’ theatrical score ratchets up the tension with consummate skill; moments of lyric beauty, banjo-accompanied ballads, and hymn-inspired movements lead to a powerful, percussive conclusion. This is modern English music at its most theatrically effective.

New production, sung in English
Running time: 1 hour and 45 minutes