Michael Tippett’s The Midsummer Marriage

Tippett’s early forays into opera did not run entirely smoothly. His unofficial first, 1934’s Robin Hood, went unpublished and unperformed on a professional stage, while The Midsummer Marriage divided opinion following its premiere in January 1955 at Covent Garden. That production was notable, though, featuring sets and costumes by Barbara Hepworth and starring Joan Sutherland and Richard Lewis. There was no question that, musically, this Marriage would last, but it was the text (also by Tippett and inspired largely by The Magic Flute) which puzzled many thanks to its various symbolist leanings.