British composer Michael Berkeley and Australian writer David Malouf have transformed Brontë’s masterpiece into an intense psycho-drama exploring the love affair between Jane and Rochester, as shocking secrets unfold around them. Based on the events at Rochester’s country house Thornfield, the opera also examines the plight of Rochester’s mad wife from a new perspective. Time is treated kaleidoscopically, with flashbacks and offstage voices from the past. Berkeley's cinematic music embodies a sense of entrapment that combines with David Malouf's inspired libretto to create a surreal, dreamlike landscape. Stopera’s 2005 Australian premiere production was mentored by David Malouf and Michael Berkeley travelled from the UK to be present at the opening.

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