”The Rape of Lucretia” by Benjamin Brittenn

Benjamin Brittens masterpiece is set in Rome in 500BC. Lucretia, the wife of the Roman general Collatinus, is assaulted at home by the prince Tarquinius while her husband is away. The following day, Lucretia – traumatised and destroyed by what has happened to her – commits suicide. The action is framed by two choruses, who are look back on the action from a later era.

Written in the aftermath of the Second World War the opera reflects a world struggling to remake itself after enormous suffering and destruction. It remains a brutally relevant and chilling exploration of the abuse of power, shot through with glimmers of hope for a better world, with a beautiful, sparse score for just twelve players showing beauty and lyricism wrestling with the forces of darkness.

The performance's director, Freja Friberg Lyme, writes "The Rape of Lucretia is about honour, power, ethics, and society's duty to fight tyranny and the abuse of power. The opera is set 2,500 years ago, but perhaps its content is, in reality, more relevant than ever in today's world. For me, the opera is about the importance of fighting against the destructive misuse of power. Regardless of how small and powerless one can feel, one's actions can have larger, revolutionary consequences.”

The preformance will be sung in Danish.

Production team:
Director: Freja Friberg Lyme
Designer:Olga Regitze Dyrløv Høegh

Performers:
Nana Bugge Rasmussen (Lucretia)
Signe Asmussen Manuitt (Female Chorus)
Michael Kristensen (Male Chorus)
Thomas Storm (Tarquinius)
Jens Bruno Hansen (Collatinus)
Lucas Bruun de Neergaard (Junius)
Bolette Bruno Hansen (Bianca)
Berit Barfred-Christensen (Lucia)
David Riddell (conductor)

Randers Kammerorkester - The Danish Sinfonietta

Performance length: ca. 2 hours incl. interval.

This year's performance is kindly supported by the following:
Augustinus Fonden, C.A.C. Fonden, Dansk Tennis Fond, Knud Højgaards Fond, William Demant Fonden, Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond og Aarhus Kommunes Musikpulje.

Aarhus Sommeropera is pleased to announce that once again The Old Town (Den Gamle By) is arranging a mouth-watering dining experience as a prelude to our performances. See more information and booking here: https://www.tilmeld.dk/middagfrsommeroperaen2026