Lessons in Love and Violence (Royal Opera House)

　　The opera’s drama begins as King Edward II’s relationship with Piers Gaveston upsets the personal life of court and the political wellbeing of the country. When the controlling military leader Mortimer joins forces with Queen Isabel, the results are deadly for Gaveston and Edward. The lessons learned by the characters of this new opera are harsh ones, following a gripping trajectory from warmth and indulgence towards calculating, cold severity.