Gorgeous is the word for Kaija Saariaho’s L’Amour de Loin, which gets its British premiere at the Coliseum. However, like the idealistic love it portrays, the opera rather fades as you get to know it better.

It’s the story of a 12th-century troubadour, Jaufre Rudel (Roderick Williams). He’s the prince of Blaye and on report alone falls in love with the Countess of Tripoli (Joan Rodgers). His songs are brought to her ears by a mysterious chap called the Pilgrim (Faith Sherman —­ intriguingly good).

Director Daniele Finzi Pasca is renowned for his work with the Cirque de Soleil, and he’s all over this production. Colour floods the stage at all times. The set moves constantly. Pasca has the characters — spirits represented by dancers, two for each singer, who cavort around the stage with flowing flags, providing ineffable visual commentary on the love affair.

Saariaho’s music has a shimmering, static, otherworldly quality. The orchestra, under Edward Gardner, plays up the gap between the lovers — Tripoli is all exotic cymbals and African drums, the court of Aquitaine buzzes with medieval drones. But tinkling meshes of tuned percussion persist like some magic force linking them.

Most awe-inspiring are the journey sequences, where off-stage chorales and glorious stage effects offer the vague impression of watching the Pilgrim’s progress from God’s perspective. Nice. Little happens, and I found Amin Maalouf’s libretto at times narrow-focused and at worst facile. If you were being cruel you might say this was more a Son et Lumière than a storytelling experience but it’s still a striking piece.