UK premiere of David Lang’s ‘Prisoner of the State’

215 years after the first performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio, David Lang’s fresh view of the opera’s story – and reflection on its enduring power – has its European premiere. Lang’s ability to glimpse the emotional heart and soul of a story within his focused, distilled and highly absorbing music has won him a Pulitzer Prize.

In this opera designed for performance with an orchestra on stage, both instrumentalists and audience bear witness to the story of a woman striving to rescue her partner from unjust imprisonment. A landmark premiere to launch the Barbican’s festivities celebrating 250 years since Beethoven’s birth.