A vast cosmological fantasy featuring an ensemble of three grand pianos, RUNE is the final part of the ‘fashion-opera’ cycle by Scottish composer Alastair White...

A vast cosmological fantasy featuring an ensemble of three grand pianos, RUNE is the final part of the ‘fashion-opera’ cycle by Scottish composer Alastair White (b.1988) following the highly acclaimed releases of ROBE (‘excellent’ - BBC Music Magazine) and WOAD ‘the height of compositional magnificence’ (Fanfare).

On a planet where history is forbidden, a young girl dares to tell her story. A voyage across galaxies and millennia, hers is a tale of the archipelagos of Khye-rell and their matterwork, through transdimensional canals and sealanes to the RUNE of the universe’s origin. This song, her story – through the very act of being told – will have consequences beyond imagining…

This is an audio version of the live premiere production which was presented as part of the Tête-à-Tête Opera Festival 2021 – now with remastered HD sound – which critics described as “genuinely original” (TEMPO), “perfect” (Vogue Italia), “blockbuster…explosive” (Opera Magazine), and “unquestionably my highlight…a melding of physical and metaphysical, of quantum mechanics and spatial manifestation” (Seen and Heard International).

A visual spectacle that featured sculpture, contemporary dance and high fashion by design house KA WA KEY, RUNE comes with a booklet including both the libretto laid out in its original typographical design – as well as images of the capsule collection created especially for the opera.

White’s work has been shortlisted for a number of art awards and the composer has been praised for creating “a whole exciting new genre of art” (BBC Radio 3) and “a groundbreaking new genre” (Classical Music).