The contemporary Danish composer Bo Holten (b. 1948) authored
The Visit of the Royal Physician
, the opera featured in this Det Kongelige Teater production, adapting the novel by Per Olov Enquist The work at hand is a heartbreaking love story, set in the 1770s, that concerns Struensee, a young and idealistic physician who dreams of shaping a new and better world. The fellow experiences a tragic turn of events after he gets romantically entangled with Queen Caroline Mathilde and draws the wrath of the insane King Christian 7. This particular version stars Joan Reuter as Johann Friedrich Struensee, Gert Henning-Jensen as King Christin 7 and Elisabeth Jansson as Queen Caroline Mathilde. The Royal Danish Orchestra and Opera Chorus lend musical accompaniment, with Holten conducting; Peter Holm designed the sets and costumes; and Peter Oskarson directs for the stage.