Opera North's opening production for its forthcoming season showcased the company's formidable youth programme with a revival of Dame Judith Weir's The Secret of the Black Spider, first composed in 1984 for Kent Opera. This UK premiere of the 2008 Hamburg edition proved an astute vehicle for displaying the breadth and quality of the company's educational initiatives.

The evening commenced with a reception, where General Director Laura Canning outlined Opera North's extensive community engagement: working in 12 schools across Leeds, Halifax, and Pontefract and reaching over 3,200 children and young people weekly. This commitment to accessibility was evident in both the performance and the accompanying In Harmony Choir, conducted by Elena Gonzalez with Grace Turner at the piano, whose final song—with its declamatory "Listen to the sound of my voice" and "We are the future"—underscored the company's forward-looking vision.

Pre-performance, musical director Garry Walker invited Weir to discuss the work's genesis. Kent Opera commissioned her to create something "just like an opera" to acclimatise young performers to the genre—a pedagogical aim that remains central to this production's success.

Weir's libretto draws on Jeremias Gotthelf's gothic retelling of a 15th-century Polish legend. Count Heinrich dismisses his labourers as "vermin" and conscripts villagers to transplant beech trees for his castle grounds. Christine, agreeing to marry the enigmatic Green Man before betraying him for Carl, unleashes the curse of the Black Spider upon her community. This narrative is framed by a parallel contemporary storyline: the 1970s opening of King Casimir IV's tomb in Krakow's Wawel Cathedral, where archaeologists succumb to a fatal pathogen—eventually identified as aspergillus flavus—echoing the curse of Tutankhamun's tomb. Weir's ingenious conflation of folklore and microbiology transforms superstition into science, offering a satisfyingly rational denouement.

The production skilfully balanced comedy with gothic menace. Weir's score incorporates moments of delicious absurdity—the Nun danket alle Gott (Now thank we all our God) chorale sequence evokes the Two Ronnies at their finest, whilst a protracted game of pass-the-parcel with the titular arachnid provided genuine theatrical pleasure. The audience's laughter during these moments demonstrated the humour's effectiveness, while Jake Wiltshire's lighting design enhanced the storytelling, particularly by conveying the opera's shifts between comedy and menace.

Zahra Mansouri's set design effectively drew the audience into the dual narrative, while Rosie Keat's direction maintained momentum and clarity throughout. The young actors excelled in portraying the drama, showcasing a level of interpretation maturity that exceeded their years.

Conductor Nicholas Shaw elicited impressive precision from the Youth Orchestra, who provided excellent accompaniment throughout, responding attentively to his direction. The young soloists were uniformly excellent, projecting their sung lines with commendable clarity and confidence. Spoken dialogue proved more challenging acoustically, with projection occasionally less assured, though this represented a minor caveat in an otherwise accomplished performance.

Pasquale Orchard brought considerable comic timing to Christine, and Ross Ramgobin's Count Heinrich provided the requisite aristocratic disdain. Both professional principals integrated seamlessly with the young ensemble, demonstrating the high standard achieved across the company. Akele Obiang as Caspa a folk singer also added much to the humour.

The enthusiastic applause at the curtain call confirmed the evening's success.

Opera North's Youth Company—which consists the Youth Orchestra (16-25 year olds), Children's Chorus (8-11), Young Voices (11-15), and Youth Chorus (15-21)—represents a substantial investment in the art form's future. If this production serves to inspire further participation or cultivate new audiences, then the company will have fulfilled its educational mandate admirably.

Rest assured, arachnophobics: the cast safely returned the spider to its vault by the evening's end.

For more on Opera North's forthcoming season click here