The name of London-born composer Iain Bell is making the world of contemporary opera sit up and take note. Since his first opera, A Harlot’ s Progress, debuted to rave reviews in 2013, Bell went on to win commissions for a further two operas—A Christmas Carol and In Parenthesis. His innate passion for story-telling and natural understanding of the human voice has made the young Londoner a favourite among some of the world’s foremost singers, leading to performances of his music at venues such as Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall and the Munich Opera Festival. The pool of subjects from which Bell draws inspiration for the programmes of his orchestral and chamber works narrates a deep love of literature and history. We chat to the busy Bell, who is currently booked up to 2020 with an array of exciting projects, about finding his composition voice, the craft of story telling, his musical guilty pleasures, London, chocolate, forthcoming premieres and new opera commissions.

Let’s start at the very beginning — when did the desire to compose first take hold?

That’s a very good place to start! When I started school in London at the age of four, we all learned the descant recorder (squeak), and I quickly started writing little ditties for it, as well as playing things by ear. Even though I am not from a classical-musical family, my parents noticed what I was up to and bought me a small two-octave keyboard, which was soon replaced by a four-octave one, then a piano. As each instrument grew in size, so did the scope of my composition, and fingers crossed, the quality too!

How did the academic side of your musical development shape your current composition voice?

The academic side gave me a great grounding in harmony, counterpoint, score analysis, orchestration etc…. These tools were the building blocks of my music making. In terms of shaping my voice, I think that was a far more personal journey, moulded by the music and composers I admired when growing up…and my own emotional response to scenarios/texts, as well as a visceral response to what sounds were making me ‘tick’ whilst in the act of composing.

For you, which comes first: the programme, the commission, the libretto, or the music?

This has been different in each of the operas I have been working on, but the composing is always the final process.

With A Harlot’s Progress, Diana Damrau and I realised that we wanted to do an opera together, having done a great deal beforehand, and I suggested basing it on the Hogarth pictures. Once she agreed to play a down-and-out eighteenth-century prostitute (!), I then approached Peter Ackroyd about penning the libretto. The team was in place, so we reached out to Vienna who agreed to commission the work.

With A Christmas Carol, I met with Patrick Summers of Houston Grand Opera who asked for commission suggestions from me and I suggested the Dickens. He almost immediately agreed to commission it, which got the ball rolling.

For In Parenthesis, I had already reached out to David Pountney of Welsh National Opera about my work and when we met, having listened to other pieces of mine, he suggested the commission to me. The libretto and directorial teams were already in place by then.

How do you go about choosing a subject source for your operas — does the commission restrict the pool of programmes from which you draw musical inspiration?

Again, this is different in every scenario; some houses already have a subject in mind, others give you a free rein. I am always drawn to subjects where London is featured prominently, as the city is a huge source of inspiration for me. I feel it is a place with so many stories to tell and I love unlocking them. I am drawn to very complex characters with equally complex personal journeys, which is probably the reason why the lead roles in my operas are such long ‘sings’ in terms of the sheer amount of singing they do!

The world of classical music is constantly evolving in a bid to communicate with new audiences of the fast-paced technology-driven twenty-first century — as a composer of such innovative and imaginative works as A Harlot’s Progress, A Christmas Carol and In Parenthesis, how do you think your operas stand out from the overworked canon of western repertoire?

I am hugely indebted to the Western operatic repertoire, which is crammed full of masterpieces that deserve to be heard again and again, and continue to inspire me. Writing in the early twenty-first century is a huge blessing for all composers, as audiences are open to theatrical experiences and subject matter that would have been a ‘no-no’ even fifty years ago. This means that we, as composers, are now free to delve into a deeper, more raw place than ever before. To me, this is so thrilling.

Your debut opera, A Harlot’s Progress, achieved phenomenal praise from the critical press — how important was your relationship with soprano Diana Damrau in the creation of such a powerful and utterly compelling Moll Hackabout?

Diana was utterly key to the conception of the role of Moll Hackabout. By the time of writing it, I had known her for seven years, writing smaller-scale works for her, being consulted in her repertoire selection and attending her album recordings as a ‘second pair of ears’. This meant that I knew her voice intimately—from her vowel production to her breath control, along with all the full arsenal of virtuoso techniques she has at her disposal…and there are many! With all this, as well as knowing what else she would be singing in the same season as the world premiere, I was able to fashion a role that would vocally fit her like a glove.

Knowing her so well on a personal level meant that I knew what dramatic journey she would enjoy travelling. This was at the front of our minds when Peter Ackroyd and I were devising the scenarios for each scene of the opera.

What kind of Dickens did director and actor Simon Callow (librettist) reveal to you whilst working on A Christmas Carol (2013)?

Dickens is clearly a man of compassion, as can be witnessed in his tireless portrayal of the struggles facing the poor, but Simon really drew my attention to Dickens’ beguiling and wry wit. There are some surreal descriptive moments in the novella, which even by today’s standards remind you that you are dealing with a creative mind and intellect that remains apart from the rest of us mere mortals!

What are you most looking forward to in 2016?

Professionally, I can’t wait for the world premieres of In Parenthesis (which will also be streamed online on the Opera Platform) and my cantata, London’s Fatal Fire, which commemorates the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.

In terms of performances, I can’t wait to see the new Tristan and Isolde, directed by Daniel Kramer at ENO, and the revival of Richard Jones’ Il Trittico at the Royal Opera House with the magnificent Ermolena Jaho and Marie McLaughlin.

Michael and I have promised ourselves a summer-sun holiday this year. Having written and premiered three operas for three back-to-back seasons, my summers have largely gone unnoticed but this year will be different; time to recharge the batteries in time to start writing opera number four in August….

While we’re thinking ahead, how far in advance are you booked up?

Well, my fourth opera (which I am ridiculously excited about starting work on) premieres in 2020 and I have just had an opera commission request for 2022, which is the most amazing feeling I can describe. To know I have the chance to continue making music for seven years to come is like all my birthdays and Christmases coming at once!