Any prejudiced soul convinced that opera is a moribund or historic artform best ignored would have their preconceptions shattered at The Sage this week.

Star rating *****
Any prejudiced soul convinced that opera is a moribund or historic artform best ignored would have their preconceptions shattered at The Sage this week. There they will find an adaptation of David Almond's contemporary children's classic novel, Skellig, set to a very fine modern score by US composer Tod Machover, with libretto by the author, played by a compact version of the Northern Sinfonia under Garry Walker, holding an audience full of young people in rapt attention. Just as Tim Albery's Ring Cycle for Scottish Opera was praised for its storytelling quality, here is a brand-new opera proving the medium more than suitable for the latest storytelling for young people.

Machover's score is uncompromising but has moments of breathtaking lyrical beauty. There is Britten-like phrasing and scoring, but sound effects, electronics and even that old disco gizmo, the vocoder, are integrated into its fabric. In the pit, percussionists, keyboard players and clarinettist Chris Richards are audibly among the busiest of the players. On stage, director Braham Murray from Manchester Royal Exchange has a superb cast and chorus to realise the tale on Rae Smith's simple but effective set.

That chorus, a dozen young people in hoodies, superbly drilled both vocally and choreographically, are one of the delights of the production. At its heart, however, is young tenor Matthew Long, absolutely superb in the central role of Michael and on stage throughout. His acappella solo opening is both a challenge and a hook into Almond's incredibly fast-paced narrative that engrosses from the off, helped by the excellent diction of Long and baritone Paul Keohone as his father. This relationship (Dad at a loving loss how to deal with the anxieties of his growing son) is at the heart of both book and opera, but Almond is commendably not precious with other aspects of his story. The mother of Mina (the precocious girl next door who befriends Michael, sung by Merrin Lazyan) is excised altogether and, more significantly, the ambiguous nature of Skellig himself (Omar Ebrahim) is developed into that of a fully-fledged Angel. His restoration to health of Michael's sick baby sister is an astonishing aria that is nothing less than a dramatic expression of the spiritual sustenance of music.

After Michael is Good Samaritan to the old tramp in the garage, there is a hospital tableau that cannot help but recall the Nativity, and the final song of praise to Joy (the baby's name) begins like a peal of bells in a sea of snowy feathers that could hardly be more Christmassy. None of this Christian symbolism detracts from Almond's coming- of-age story (and might, I suppose, be overlooked) but it adds a richness to the production that links it with the heritage of an artform still very much alive.