Wirral’s UK premiere of operetta

2:57pm Tuesday 8th April 2008

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PACIFIC Road Arts Centre hosts the UK premiere of an operetta as part of Liverpool's Capital of Culture celebrations next week.

Into the Little Hill - to be staged at the Woodside venue from April 17-18 - is a lyrical, dark and sinister tale in two parts composed by George Benjamin and dramatised by Martin Crimp.

It features two soloists, Hilary Summers and Anu Komsi, accompanied by 15 instrumentalists from one of the world's leading ensembles of new music, the Ensemble Modern.

In the production, The Pied Piper gets a political updating as a minister tries to reassure a restless voting public by commissioning an extermination of rats. A stranger offers to lead the rats away in exchange for money and a deal is struck.

The rats, true to the stranger's word, are taken away, but the minister breaks his promise and refuses to pay. His betrayal does not go unpunished, however, and the faceless stranger leads all of the town's children away forever into the little hill'.

The production has already been performed in many cities, including the Festival d'Automne, Paris, and The Lincoln Center, New York, to great critical acclaim.

George Benjamin, composer, said: "Martin and I wanted to tell our tale in the most direct and authentic way possible - not an easy task in the age of television and cinema.

"Our solution - share the story-telling and multiple roles between just two singers. All those involved in singing, playing and directing were in place, and closely consulted, before a note of the score was written."

Performances start at 8pm and tickets can be obtained from 647-0752.

American blues rock legends The Fabulous Thunderbirds are at Pacific Road tomorrow (Thursday, April 10) in an all-standing gig (8pm start), followed on Friday by China Crisis (8pm).

The RLPO Youth and training choirs can be heard on Saturday (7.30pm).

Tickets for all shows from 647-0752 or email pacificroad.co.uk