There is nothing unusual when an opera is turned into a movie; the other way round, however, is the absolute exception: Ang Lee's filmic soul drama of two cowboys, released in the cinemas in 2005, now finds its way to the opera stage. The world premiere of the operatic version for which Charles Wuorinen composed the music and Annie Proulx wrote the libretto after her own short-story of 1997 will be performed at the Teatro Real in Madrid on 28 January 2014. Following dates of representation: 30 January, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 1 February 2014

Hannah Esther Minutillo, specialised in both the classical repertoire and modern roles, will embody the role of Lureen, the wife of Jack Twist, in this world premiere. Titus Engel takes over the musical direction, Ivo van Hove is the stage director.