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SINGER Elvis Costello, who lived in Birkenhead before his rise to fame, is creating an opera based on Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen's impossible romance with a Swedish woman.
The Secret Arias is based on songs written by Andersen for Jenny Lind, a soprano dubbed the Swedish Nightingale, for whom he pined despite her never returning his affection.
Henrik Engelbrecht, head of drama at the Copenhagen's Royal Theatre, said: ``Elvis immediately loved the idea and when we met him 18 months ago to discuss it, he had already a clear idea about the opera.
The work will open in 2006 in the new opera house's small experimental stage that can seat 200.
After Copenhagen, The Secret Arias will most likely go on an international tour, and be released as a CD and DVD, Engelbrecht said.
Costello, who has recorded with Swedish soprano Anne Sofie Von Otter and the Brodsky Quartet, will perform the songs during a concert this autumn at the new multi-million pound opera house.
This year, Danes mark the bicentennial of Andersen's birth, who is renowned for his children's stories, including the classics The Little Match Girl and The Ugly Duckling.
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