Rollercoaster

Definitely a headline for this month is a new production of my opera Achterbahn (titled Miss Fortune in English). It opens at the Theater für Niedersachsen on Saturday, in Hildesheim, Germany. Remarkably, to me at least, the production will then run to the end of June, with seven upcoming performances. I'll be visiting Hildesheim for the first time this weekend, an apparently fascinating city with Holy Roman roots.

The English word for Achterbahn is "Rollercoaster", describing the story's trajectory from prosperity to poverty and back again. It's a word I've seen a lot in newspaper headlines just now, both English and German, describing what's been happening on the world's stock markets. The opera tale has ancient roots (in Sicilian folklore) suggesting that this kind of thing has happened before, and will happen again.

My fairground-ride picture was taken in Birmingham, exiting Symphony Hall in November. A few weeks later, the tall column in the middle broke down in mid-action, causing injuries and distress. Despite having composed a Rollercoaster opera, I've always kept my distance from the real thing.