Ensemble Modern

George Benjamin long held the desire to write an opera but the right project never quite presented itself to him. Until the advent of Into the Little Hill, that is, which resulted from his meeting with playwright Martin Crimp. Since its premiere, given by Anu Komsi, Hilary Summers, Ensemble Modern and Franck Ollu at the Festival d’Automne in Paris last November, it has garnered acclaim from all quarters.

‘In my critical career, I’ve witnessed the birth of several fine new operas – notably those by Adams, Adès and Turnage – that have jolted me out of my underlying pessimism about the genre’s long-term future. But in all that time I have never heard or seen anything so startlingly or brilliantly original as Into the Little Hill. “Masterpiece” is not a word to fling about, but I’m tempted. Into the Little Hill specifies itself as “a lyrical tale”; “dramatic cantata” might also serve. Its duration is about 40 minutes. George Benjamin’s score is a miracle. Fifteen are used to create a hyperintense sound world. Not a note is wasted or superfluous – Benjamin’s ear is unerringly precise, and the sonorities he conjures up by combining conventional instruments with basset-horn, flugelhorn and cimbalom are quite ravishing. But this isn’t an orchestral showpiece. The vocal lines are the driving force, and although the writing is often angular and abrupt, it is also richly expressive and alluring… You may not like it – the effect is more unsettling than charming – but if you have any serious interest in opera, you simply must hear it.’ Daily Telegraph (Rupert Christiansen), 18 June 2007