"Opera Partnership Takes a Joyful Leap with a Fable of Happiness"

Composer George Benjamin and playwright Martin Crimp, known for their successful collaborations on operas like "Written on Skin" and "Lessons in Love and Violence," are premiering their latest work, "Picture a Day Like This," at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France. The one-act opera is a fable about the pursuit of happiness, combining two plots: an ancient European satire and a Buddhist story. Benjamin and Crimp's partnership has been highly acclaimed, and their new opera explores a linear, sequential structure with a variety of tones and moods. The simplicity and banality of everyday life are incorporated into the opera, creating a deeper metaphysical space.