The story of Adriana Mater
Adriana conceives a son, Yonas, after being raped by Tsargo, a man from her community, during the civil war.
She brings him up without telling him the real story of how he was conceived. When Yonas, as a young adult, discovers the truth, he sets out to find his father and kill him.
About Kaija Saariaho
The Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023) was a pioneer in contemporary classical music. She blended traditional instruments with electronics to create shimmering immersive sound worlds.
She wrote 6 operas in her lifetime and Adriana Mater, written in 2006, was her second.
She was named ‘Greatest living composer’ in a 2019 BBC Music Magazine poll. Since her death in 2023, she has continued to be one of the most influential voices in contemporary classical music of the last half-century.
"As a starting point... I told Amin Maalouf about the powerful experience I'd had when I was pregnant with my first child, the sensation of two hearts beating in my body. Amin contributed a subject that was also essential to him on a personal level: war and violence.Kaija Saariaho, Composer of Adriana Mater
About Amin Maalouf
Amin Maalouf, the librettist of Adriana Mater, is a Lebanese-born French author whose works have been translated into over 40 languages.
He worked as a reporter, covering many events around the world, including the fall of the Ethiopian monarchy and the last battle of Saigon.
After war broke out in Lebanon, he moved to France and subsequently became an acclaimed author publishing novels and essays. In 2011, he was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
He has written four opera librettos all with Kaija Saariaho.
Adriana Mater asks eternal questions of the human condition: can we give life in a time of death? Should we forgive in all circumstances? Is forgiveness cowardice or courage?Amin Maalouf, Librettist of Adriana Mater
ENO's production of Adriana Mater
Adriana Mater is directed by ENO Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon.
This opera will be staged as the other half of the story of Tosca, creating a broader exploration of the human cost of war and the resilience of the human spirit.
Miskimmon’s 2025 production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking won the Olivier Award for Best New Opera. Her work has also been nominated for and won awards including the International Opera Awards, Royal Philharmonic Society, UK Theatre Awards, South Bank Arts Awards, Guardian Theatre, Irish Times, Manchester Evening News Theatre and Aarhus Stiften awards.
ENO Music Director Designate Andre de Ridder will conduct Adriana Mater.
De Ridder’s relationship with ENO stretches back more than two decades, encompassing landmark premieres such as Gerald Barry’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (2005) and Michel van der Aa’s Sunken Garden (2013).
In ENO’s 2025/26 season, De Ridder conducted an acclaimed production of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny for ENO.
Listen to Adriana Mater on Spotify
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