Opera Review: Picture a Day Like This

On Friday 28 February 2025, the English-language opera Picture a Day Like This premiered in the Grande Salle at the Grand Théâtre in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg; a second performance took place on Sunday 2 March 2025.

The opera, with surtitles in French and English, was written by Martin Crimp, composed by George Benjamin and co-directed by Daniel Jeanneteau and Marie-Christine Soma. It premiered in 2023 at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France and was subsequently performed in Covent Garden in London (UK).

Corinna Niemeyer, who had accompanied Mr Benjamin in both Aix-en-Provence and Covent Garden, conducted the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg (OCL) at the Grand Théâtre on Friday night (and again on Sunday).

An introduction, delivered by Jérôme Wigny, preceded the performance. George Benjamin and Martin Crimp outlined the story behind their initial meeting and subsequent collaborations that ultimately led to Picture a Day Like This. Mr Crimp spoke of being inspired by the stories of The Happy Man’s Shirt, Alexander Romance and Buddhist folktales. Picture a Day Like This was written specifically for opera, before Mr Benjamin added the musical score. He spoke of the extensive engagement he had with the vocalists in order to style the music to their individual capabilities.

Picture a Day Like This tells the story of a mother (played by Marianne Crebassa) whose son has just died. She embarks on an emotional journey, guided by the pages of an old book, to find a truly happy person, as she believes that a button from the shirt of such a person will bring her son back to life. 

The sterile, bleak set, composed of reflective walls, mirrors the grief of the woman as she starts her quest. Her journey brings her in contact with an amorous couple, a disturbed craftsman, a composer and an art collector. Each encounter, preceded by the sound of two trumpets and a trombone, raises the grieving mother’s hopes that she has found a truly happy person. Unfortunately, despite initial appearances, this is not so. The sound of clocks chiming, at the end of each scene, as the mother realises she has not found the elusive happy person, reminds the audience that time is running out. 

Her journey ends in a bright spectacular garden, where she encounters the mysterious character Zabelle (Mari Eriksmoen) who helps her come to terms with her loss. The audience is left to wonder if the characters she encountered on her journey were real people or mere symbols of her grief.

The truly wonderful vocal cast and changing musical scores captured the many emotions of the story. A sustained applause at the end of the performance was justly deserved.

Following the performance, the audience was invited to stay for a question and answer session, once again delivered by Jérôme Wigny. Conductor Corinna Niemeyer spoke of working with composer George Benjamin and the great advantage of conducting an opera that had a “living, contactable” composer. Co-directors and set designers, Daniel Jeanneteau and Marie-Christine Soma, described their use of reflective sheets and darkness in the staging of the opera. They also discussed the creativity and special effects required to create the impressive garden.

The performance, lasting a little over one hour, is George Benjamin and Martin Crimps’ fourth operatic collaboration, following Written on Skin, Lessons in Love and Violence.

HOM