Ryan Wigglesworth's The Winter's Tale
An opera in three acts
BBC Radio 3

When King of Sicilia Leontes becomes convinced that his queen Hermione is pregnant by his childhood friend and King of Bohemia Polixenes, he descends into an unstoppable, self-destructive spiral of anger, despair and paranoia. The jealous husband and woman scorned at the heart of The Winter's Tale are standard operatic fare, so it's no wonder that Ryan Wigglesworth based his first opera on Shakespeare's play.

It's a major work with roles specially tailored for its cast, here recorded at its premiere run at English National Opera in March and presented by Tom McKinney in conversation with new music expert and Head of Music at Southbank Centre, Gillian Moore. Actor Rory Kinnear made his directorial debut with this production and he, along with the composer and members of the cast, talk not only about the challenges of creating a new work for the stage but also about its striking contemporary resonance.

Leontes.....Iain Paterson (bass-baritone)
Hermione.....Sophie Bevan (soprano)
Perdita.....Samantha Price (mezzo-soprano)
Polixenes.....Leigh Melrose (baritone)
Florizel/Court Official.....Anthony Gregory (tenor)
Paulina.....Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano)
Antigonus/Shepherd.....Neal Davies (bass-baritone)
Camillo.....Timothy Robinson (tenor)
Two Guards.....Geraint Hylton (tenor), Michael Burke (bass)
Servant.....Paul Napier-Burrows (baritone)

Chorus and Orchestra of English National Opera
Ryan Wigglesworth (conductor)