Clemency, by the Scottish composer James MacMillan is a small-scale opera with five singers (four men and one woman) and a chamber ensemble made up only of strings, in order to create a compact, homogenous sound.
The story is about Abraham and Sarah, who are visited by three mysterious people. Are they angels, divine beings or maybe terrorists? MacMillan sees more of a link to people of today and their fortunes than to Hollywood-style biblical dramas.