OPERA North will begin its autumn season at Leeds Grand with a revival of Strauss’s comic masterpiece Der Rosenkavalier.

It will then head into darker territory with two of Puccini’s compelling one-act operas, Il tabarro and Suor Angelica, followed by a new production of Britten’s rarely-performed Billy Budd.

Der Rosenkavalier pits the intensity and eagerness of romantic young love against the wisdom of age and experience.

In Opera North’s critically-acclaimed production, the action is played out in a richly-imagined period setting which aims to complement Strauss’s exquisite score.

A correspondingly intense exploration of love and its many manifestations can be found in Puccini’s Il tabarro and Suor Angelica.

Il tabarro tracks the rapid disintegration of a marriage into violence and despair as a chance sighting sets in action a sequence of disturbing events. Michael Barker-Caven’s new production of Suor Angelica offers a glimpse of hope and redemption.

Equally thought-provoking in its exploration of human weakness is Britten’s Billy Budd, a tale of distrust and betrayal set on a naval ship.

Britten’s haunting opera provides a penetrating insight into innocence versus evil and the corrosive nature of power.

Opera North will present Der Rosenkavalier (September 17, 24, 30, October 22 and 28), Il tabarro and Suor Angelica (October 1, 8, 14, 20 and 26) and Billy Budd (October 18, 21, 27 and 29).

Visit leedsgrandtheatre.com or call 0844 8482700 to book tickets.