Jack, a weak old man, lives in seclusion in a dark and gloomy underground chapel. Haunted by the ghosts of his past, he'll try to scape to the outside world, but a terrible secret will come out to prevent his departure. Jack will have to fight with all his strength in order to escape not only from that wretched place but also from himself.

Busy discussing the details of her wedding on the phone, Alicia orders a coffee to go. As fate would have it, she unexpectedly bumps into her ex-boyfriend there.

An esteemed piano tuner and repairer, Jacobo leads an apparently happy life with his wife, Helena. His serene existence is thrown into a state of confusion when insomnia creeps in, and pianos that previously repaired miraculously overnight remain unfixed. Jacobo plunges into paranoia and madness, hearing noises during the night and having ephemeral visions of a stranger roaming the house in a dressing gown. Helena reassuringly denies anything out of the ordinary, and suspiciously insists he is hallucinating. Is the life we think safe and secure true, or is there a second reality lurking? THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE IS NOT BEING DEAD is a tale of betrayal and forgiveness in a rich musical universe, set against the Franco era, a period of political deceit and distorted reality in Spain. Playfully, the tragicomedy questions our perception of reality and the vulnerability of our human condition.

Love conquers all – ruthlessly and irresistibly – as Emperor Nero and his mistress Poppea remove the obstacles to their union. At Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu David Alden’s visually sumptuous production, with its suggestions of a giant game of chess, puts the opera’s potent blend of sex and politics in a context that sets ancient against modern– just as the action juxtaposes scurrilous comedy and stark drama. Monteverdi’s magnificent score, meanwhile, accommodates intrigue, wit, nobility, tragedy and sensuality, and, led by the intense Sarah Connolly and the delectable Miah Persson, the cast brings both drama and music startlingly to life.