The Lighthouse by Peter Maxwell Davies, Siamsa Tire, Tralee, Kerry

A Scottish lighthouse goes dark. A visiting supply ship finds the building in order. But the keepers have vanished without a trace. Three singers in multiple roles explore the psychological state of the fractious men, relive an official investigation and project a supernatural explanation. The composer, who based the structure of the opera on the Tower of the Tarot, leaves no simple answers.

Written in 1979, this opera is inspired by a true event from December 1900 when three lighthouse keepers mysteriously disappeared from the Flannan Isles lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. The composer conjures up a psychological thriller in which cabin fever of three men confined in close proximity leads to explosions of their different personalities in ways that lead to tragedy.

An Irish National Opera touring production with a cast of three singers and 12 orchestral players, sung in English.