Into the Little Hill

Into the Little Hill
Chamber opera by George Benjamin
LibrettistMartin Crimp
LanguageEnglish
Based onlegend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin
Premiere
22 November 2006 (2006-11-22)
Opéra Bastille, Paris

Into the Little Hill is a 2006 chamber opera by British composer George Benjamin.

Described by the composer as a "lyric tale in two parts", the libretto is by playwright Martin Crimp and it is Benjamin's first stage work.[1] They have since collaborated on a further two operas, Written on Skin (2012) and Lessons in Love and Violence (2018). All three works draw upon medieval subject matter in some way, and Into the Little Hill is a modern retelling of the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Crimp has stated that he was introduced to Benjamin by musicologist Laurence Dreyfus.[2]

The piece was commissioned by Festival d'Automne à Paris. It premiered at Opéra Bastille on 22 November 2006, conducted by Franck Ollu, directed by Daniel Jeanneteau, and performed by Anu Komsi and Hilary Summers with instrumentalists from Ensemble Modern.[3] It has since been performed in over 100 productions in Europe, North America, China, Australia.[4] It is approximately 40 minutes in length.

  1. ^ Mead, Rebecca (17 September 2018). "How the Composer George Benjamin Finally Found His Voice". The New Yorker. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  2. ^ Crimp, Martin (October 2006). ""Into the Little Hill" A work for stage by George Benjamin and Martin Crimp". Ensemble Modern. Ensemble Modern Newsletter No. 23. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  3. ^ Clements, Andrew (25 November 2006). "Into the Little Hill (Opéra Bastille, Paris)". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Performances". Faber Music. Retrieved 17 August 2020.