BBC Symphony Orchestra

The UK premiere of Joby Talbot’s new opera Everest: a spectacular drama of life, death and the human spirit on the roof of the world.

May 1996, and as their plans disintegrate and a blizzard closes in, four climbers confront the summit of Mount Everest – and a life-or-death choice. Based on a true story, Talbot’s opera has a contemporary setting, but an eternal theme: the limits of human courage, and the unbreakable power of nature.

Talbot’s Everest Prelude sets the scene, combining tense, evocative music and poignant footage of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine's ill-fated attempt to conquer the icy peak in 1924. Atmospheric visual projections then throw you into the 1990s and the freezing heart of a raging storm. ‘Gripping, edge of your seat story-telling’ wrote one US critic after its premiere in 2015. ‘If you want to see where opera is headed in the 21st-century, don't miss this production.’