Brief

Royal Opera House art director Nicholas Blosch took a traditional approach to this black and white poster for Arabella by Austrian composer Richard Strauss. ‘It’s based on an old Eastern European form of endearment – if a girl wants to get engaged she presents her lover with a glass of water,’ explains Blosch. The photographer is Jeff Cottenden. Arabella will be performed by the London Opera Company on 27 and 30 March and on four dates in April.