Benjamin Britten: The Rape of Lucretia

The cruel fate of the beautiful and virtuous Lucretia is part of the founding myth of the Roman Republic: after being raped by an Etruscan prince, she commits suicide by stabbing herself in the heart, thereby leading to the overthrow of the monarchy. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the English composer Benjamin Britten turned to the Lucretia theme, creating a sensuous tonal language of moving intensity in his first chamber opera. Instrumentalists and singers from the Colleges of Music in Hamburg and Lübeck give a concertante performance of »The Rape of Lucretia« at the Elbphilharmonie on two evenings.