Violet review - Coult's debut opera opens Aldeburgh with assurance and authenticity

Snape Maltings, AldeburghAlice Birch's elliptical story of a wife finding freedom as society disintegrates is opaque but Tom Coult's confident and varied score gives the work power. The biggest challenge presented by Violet, Tom Coult's first opera, whose premiere opened this year's Aldeburgh festival, is getting to grips with the basic premise of its plot. Playwright Alice Birch's libretto tells the story of a woman who lives in the biggest house in an insular village with Felix, her controllin...