The curtain rises on his bloated corpse, washed up on the shore, half-clothed and tangled in fishing net. There is no orchestral overture. Instead, the audience sit in silence taking in the brutality of the scene before the music interrupts like a crashing wave. The chorus quickly assembly a courtroom made of driftwood, and we are taken back in time to watch Grimes give witness testimony at the inquest of his young apprentice, lost at sea.

This revival of director Phyllida Lloyd’s 2006 award-winning production has been co-directed by Karolina Sofulak and Tim Claydon, maintaining all the cinematic intensity of Lloyd’s original vision.

Visually there are some impressive elements, including rabble-rousing, flame-wielding crowds and an all-encompassing fishing net that fills Lowry’s lyric stage. However, on the whole Anthony Ward’s set is largely bare, with grey backdrops that appear to go on forever, evoking a sense of the deep vastness of the sea.

This sense of deep and at times violent movement is mirrored by Britten’s atmospheric score, and conductor Garry Walker leads the Opera North orchestra in a terrific upswell of music that leaves us feeling we are caught up in the ebbs and flows of the tide.

There is wonderful characterisation throughout by a talented team of principals, ensemble and chorus, led by tenor John Findon as Grimes. His performance draws us into the complexity of this character, almost a child in a huge man’s body who is obsessed with the sea and liable to uncontrolled outbursts of frustration. Even at his most violent Findon finds the humanity in this outsider who is both vulnerable and abusive. The tenderness of his vocals in the arias is spellbinding.

Grimes is a powerful, triumphant revival. The stunned silence of the audience before the eruption of applause is testament to the depth of emotions this production reaches.

Peter Grimes is at Lowry, Salford on 13 March 2026.

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Indeed, if we didn’t know the same performers had recently opened a much more lavish, circus-themed staging at London’s Coliseum Theatre it wouldn’t feel like Manchester was getting second best in this dual-centre partnership.

That is something for the company to consider if it wants Manchester audiences to warm to it before ENO sets up a permanent base here in 2029.

That said, if we are going to believe two women don’t recognise their fiancés because they’re wearing different jackets and false moustaches, we don’t need fancy staging to be drawn into this farcical world.

Ruth Knight’s semi-staging puts ENO’s orchestra, so central to the enjoyment of the production, in clear view rather than hidden in the pit. Conductor Alexander Joel leads the orchestra from the same level as the singers, with ENO’s chorus coming in and out of the choir circle above, rather than joining the singers on the stage.

 It is performed in English with surtitles above the stage and the flimsy, comical story makes it easy to follow and accessible for audiences new to the genre.

The title Cosi fan tutte (women are all the same) is problematic if taken seriously. However, this 18^th century satire on love, lust and young romance is so extreme and preposterous that it pricks any bubble of seriousness or pomposity we might feel. There is also a flip at the end with tutte becoming tutti – so the men are equally satarised, if not more so, when they realise they’re not as in control of their childish scheming as they first thought.

Leaving us in no doubt of the tongue-in-cheek mischief in which we are to view this story is Irish soprano, Ailish Tynan, a whirlwind of energy as chambermaid Despina. Singing in a range of accents including her native Irish and broad Texan, her comic timing is impeccable and serves to add light to the darker meddling of Don Alfonso (Wigan-born bass baritone Andrew Foster-Williams).

The two naïve couples are sung by soprano Lucy Crowe and mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven as sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, British-American tenor, Joshua Blue as Ferrando and Indian baritone Darwin Prakash as Guglielmo. All singers are outstanding talents, with Crowe especially delighting the audience with the pureness of her vocals performing aria ‘per pieta’ from the choir seats above the orchestra.

In all, it is a world of silly escapism with world class singers and orchestra that doesn’t need to be juggled with circus tricks to keep us entertained.

Cosi Fan Tutte is at the Bridgewater Hall on 27 and 28 February 2026.

Under 21s can get free opera tickets to all ENO performances at the London Coliseum and at partnering venues in Greater Manchester.

Feature image: Lucy Crowe, Ailish Tynan, Taylor Raven, ENO’s Cosi fan tutte 2026, The Bridgewater Hall © Matthew Johnson Photographer

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