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Barbara Hannigan on Lessons in Love and Violence, a modern opera about political power and desire

Canadian opera singer Barbara Hannigan joins Tom Power live from a studio in London, England to talk more about this new production.
On Crazy Girl Crazy, Barbara Hannigan and Ludwig Orchestra perform works by Berio, Berg and Gershwin/Elliott. (Elmer de Haas)

Barbara Hannigan is the Canadian opera singer who won both a Grammy and a Juno earlier this year for her latest album, Crazy Girl Crazy. She's a part of a new modern-dress opera that explores issues that are relevant to us today.

The production is called Lessons in Love and Violence and it just opened at the Royal Opera House in London, England. While the story follows a medieval king, the set looks modern and the performers are dressed in contemporary costumes. The plot explores what happens to a leader when he's overcome with obsession.

Samuel Boden as Boy & Young King, Ocean Barrington-Cook as Girl, Barbara Hannigan as Isabel in Lessons in Love and Violence, The Royal Opera © 2018 ROH. (Stephen Cummiskey)

Today, Hannigan joins Tom Power live from a studio in London, England to talk more about this new opera. You can watch her perform on Saturday, May 26 when Lessons in Love and Violence is streamed online at medici.tv.

Produced by Ben Edwards