BBC - Lessons in Love and Violence: Royal Opera House (2018)

Sir George Benjamin conducts the world premiere of his darkly dramatic opera based on the life of Edward II, Lessons in Love and Violence - a major event in contemporary music with an internationally renowned cast. The opera is the latest collaboration between composer George Benjamin and playwright Martin Crimp. Their previous work includes the large-scale opera Written on Skin, which has since become the most performed new opera of the 21st century. Director Katie Mitchell and designer Vicki Mortimer complete the creative team.

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 the opera are harsh ones, following a gripping trajectory from warmth and indulgence towards calculating, cold severity.