Corporeal Contemplations

Rebecca Saunders’ opera Lash-Acts of Love, which recently had its world première at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, was hypnotic, enigmatic, profoundly elusive, and wholly compelling, a triumph of devotion over anything that might be considered traditional narrative expression. The fractured poetry of the text – written by the composer in collaboration with Ed Atkins – and the technical magnificence of the staging (by theatre group Dead Centre) conspired to create an enthralling, hermetic world that remained fascinating despite its defiance of conventional action; yet it was Ms Saunders’ score – and the committed performance it received – that gave the evening its sense of occasion.

Indeed, one emerged from the auditorium with the sense of having experienced something extraordinary, even if one couldn’t be entirely sure of what they had just…