90 - Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia

A work for 8 soloists and an orchestra of 12 that is still packs a punch!! A shattering exploration of the culture of violence and the tragedy that comes as a result. The music is stunning and ranges from intensely beautiful such as Tarquinius's aria "Within this frail crucible of light" to the startling "Ride to Rome". Britten's opera is full cryptic messages and mysteries such as a Christian framing device used to tell the pagan story. It is indeed a rarely performed masterpiece.

Here is the 2015 Glyndebourne production starring hunky baritone Duncan Rock and mezzo Christine Rice directed by Fiona Shaw...