It might not be a huge exaggeration to say that in the current cultural climate, opera is the art form that needs to fight hardest to survive. With a financial crisis and dwindling audience numbers to contend with, opera companies have learnt the hard way that one must be relevant or die. A night at the opera is no longer the aspirational social goal it once was: society has changed and people have changed. With the multiplicity of artistic platforms available to modern audiences, opera has become the past-time and privilege (literally) of the few: those who are generous enough to give the butler a night off when they head to Covent Garden.

The English National Opera is determined to change this, by challenging several key areas that are alienating modern audiences. Firstly, opera’s relevance. A genre defined by constant revivals of the same productions needs to make a convincing argument that it is keeping up with the times. Artistic Director Daniel Kramer hopes that the upcoming season (featuring five original works) will provoke conversation, in particular in relation to diversity and gender parity. He has chosen works that will question and challenge patriarchal structures, beginning with a “radical feminine reading” of Strauss’ Salome, with Australian director Adena Jacobs.

Jack the Ripper - The Women of Whitechapel, Photo: Matt Davis

Feminine perspectives are also highlighted in The Merry Widow (aka 'How to date a woman with money') and a brand new opera by Iain Bell: Jack the Ripper. Given the tendency in modern drama to look at women through the lens of violence (in which rape and murder essentially become entertainment) this choice might raise a few eyebrows. Kramer, however, is quick to point out that the key part of this opera is the subtitle: The women of Whitechapel. The Ripper himself never appears on stage, the entire story told instead by his victims, a collection of the grand dames of the British opera world, including Lesley Garrett and Dame Josephine Barstow. (“It’s going to be an interesting rehearsal room” quips ENO’s Musical Director Martyn Brabbins.) This is a narrative of empowerment, not powerlessness, Garrett insists, seeing it as an opportunity for wronged women to stand up and say “We are powerful, we are strong. You cannot do this to us anymore.” In the wake of the #Metoo movement, the piece could not be more necessary.

The ENO has also taken up the challenge to diversify and feature narratives beyond those of the white and privileged. The first of these is Porgy and Bess, which receives its premiere at the Coliseum this autumn. Kramer describes the production as part of the “diversification of the opera house” with the hope of reflecting the culture that exists outside its walls. Rather than using the ENO chorus, the piece features a cast of 40 hand-picked singers and is conducted by Gershwin maestro John Wilson, who says he has been “waiting [his] whole life to conduct it”. A co-production with the New York Met and the Dutch National Opera, the production is one of several promoting international collaboration and communication. Another of these is Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, produced in collaboration with the Turner Prize-winning German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. The ENO chorus will join the cast of Porgy and Bess for this landmark production discussing contemporary issues of nationalism and war, creating an enormous group of voices “singing for peace and singing for grief”.

La bohème, Artwork: Louisa Parry

Alongside these new works, the upcoming season will feature four revivals of past productions. Jonathan Miller’s quintessential production of La bohème receives its fourth showing, alongside Simon McBurney’s The Magic Flute, David Alden’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Phillip Glass’ Olivier award-winning Akhnaten. Speaking of old favourites, in celebration of the ENO’s fiftieth year at the Coliseum, a special gala called Opera for All will be held in October, featuring works that have played a crucial role in the company’s history.

Of course, it’s one thing for artistic directors to schedule provocative works, but a whole other challenge to bring in new audiences to watch them, and Kramer and recently-appointed CEO Stuart Murphy are determined to rise to the challenge. The first action is pricing, and they are selling over 42,000 tickets at £20 or less, as well as discounts for young people and special evenings for those new to opera. But they are smart enough to know that it takes more than cheap tickets to bring people in, so the ENO is going to them. Thus two new external collaborations have been announced: an adaptation of Dido and Anaeas with renowned children’s theatre, the Unicorn, and Noye’s Fludde at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. These, alongside a host of initiatives through the Baylis programme (including several artist development schemes) are aimed at showing people of all ages and backgrounds that opera is for them, too.

Porgy and Bess, Photo: Rachel Smith

At its heart, opera is about the expression of human emotion using the body as an instrument. Stripped of the pretension and elitism with which it is associated, it is a raw, powerful tool of self-expression, with the potential to profoundly affect all those who experience it. In this upcoming season, the ENO have proved their intention to change the opera landscape, remoulding it as an inclusive, not exclusive art form. As they state in their season headline: “A new age dawns./As love redeems and reconciles/The power of community rises.”