Michael Tippett’s opera King Priam, first performed to mark the reconsecration of Coventry Cathedral in 1962 following its bombing by the Germans in the Second World War, is a powerful pacifist statement.

English Touring Opera’s production, staged at Durham’s Gala Theatre, placed the consequences of war in sharp relief, with compelling acting, superb singing and music of searing intensity.

Roderick Earle put in a towering performance as King Priam, oozing angst as he grappled with the choices he faced and the fallout of his decisions, including sanctioning the death of his baby son, Paris.

One of the most moving scenes came when he abased himself before Achilles (Charne Rochford) begging for the mutilated body of his favoured son Hector (Grant Doyle).

Laure Meloy, for her part, was a formidable Hecuba,

Paris was with portrayed with dashing elan by Nicholas Sharratt, while Niamh Kelly was a ravishing Helen.

Rochford’s Achilles may have sounded forced at times, but he came into his own when he delivered his blood-curdling war cry at the end of the second act.

Mention also goes to the trio of narrators, Adam Tunnicliffe, Andrew Slater and Clarissa Meek, along with Adrian Dwyer’s Hermes, Camilla Roberts’ Andromache and Piotr Lempe's Patroclus.

Anna Fleischler’s stark set was transformed from a palace, to the walls of Troy and to the Greek camp by Guy Hoare’s atmospheric lighting.

The costumes were topped by fantastical headgear, fashioned variously from feathers, antlers and leather.

Musical highlights included ravishing trumpet fanfares, a touching guitar solo and strong piano passages woven in the score.

A thought-provoking portrayal of the futility of war.

Gavin Engelbrecht