Daily Archives: 13 February, 2013

Garsington Opera

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Garsington Opera’s third season in its award winning Opera Pavilion on the spectacular Wormsley Estate, features the UK premiere of Rossini’s tragic drama Maometto secondo, Mozart’s masterpiece, Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Humperdinck’s magical Hänsel und Gretel. The expanded season, with three extra performances, runs from 7 June – 20 July, and also includes two show screen relays of Hänsel und Gretel and Die Entführung aus dem Serail to the beach at Skegness and Louth in Lincolnshire. It will culminate in Garsington Opera’s first large scale community opera at Wormsley.

Newcomers to Garsington Opera this year include the young theatre and opera director Edward Dick (directing the Rossini), and Leipzig’s First Kapellmeister William Lacey (conducting the Mozart), while 2013 sees the return of a number of singers, conductors, directors and designers that have helped build the company’s reputation. Garsington Opera continues its policy of seeking out talented young principal singers, some making their UK debut, to work alongside more established artists. The distinguished Garsington Opera Orchestra, many of whom have been with the company since its early days, will be joined by the Garsington Opera Chorus.

MAOMETTO SECONDO

Arguably Rossini’s most ambitious and radical work, Maometto secondo, set in Venice, tells the story of an impossible love, and struggles between the Christian and Islamic World. We welcome back two major interpreters of Rossini’s music to lead these performances, conductor David Parry and tenor Paul Nilon (Paolo Erisso). Bass-baritone Darren Jeffery sings the title role and the pivotal role of Anna is sung by the young Welsh soprano Siân Davies, making her UK debut, having trained in the US and recently made her New York City Opera debut. Caitlin Hulcup (Calbo), Christopher Diffey (Selimo) and Richard Dowling (Condulmiero) complete the cast. Edward Dick, whose work includes the acclaimed Aldeburgh production of The Rape of Lucrezia and Tarik O’Reagan’s Heart of Darkness, directs with designs by Robert Innes Hopkins.

HÄNSEL UND GRETEL

Wormsley’s woodland setting provides the perfect backdrop for Humperdinck’s folk tale Hänsel und Gretel . Rising Irish star Anna Devin sings Hänsel and Claudia Huckle Gretel. The well-known William Dazeley sings the role of Father, Susan Bickley tackles the fiendishly challenging role of The Witch, Yvonne Howard sings Mother and Ruth Jenkins is Dew Fairy. The cast includes a children’s chorus of eighteen from Trinity Boys School, Croydon. The team responsible for many Garsington Opera triumphants, Martin André (conductor), Olivia Fuchs (director) and Niki Turner (designer), return.

DIE ENTFUHRÜNG AUS DEM SERAIL

Mozart’s Die Enthürung aus dem Serail tells the story of a besotted man who discovers that love is the one thing that money can’t buy. The production features Norman Reinhardt (Belmonte) making his UK debut, joined by the Texan soprano Rebecca Nelsen (Konstanze), who in 2010 stepped in to the lead role of Il turco in Italia at short notice to great acclaim, Matthew Rose who made his world stage debut at Garsington Opera in 2003 sings Osmin and Mark Wilde Pedrillo. Swedish soprano Susanna Andersson (Blonde) completes the cast. Daniel Slater returns to direct, having brought a thrilling contemporary edge to the 2012 production of Don Giovanni and Francis O’Connor is the designer. Making his Garsington Opera debut is conductor William Lacey who is First Kapellmeister at Leipzig Opera, a position once held by Gustav Mahler.

COMMUNITY OPERA ROAD RAGE

Garsington Opera’s first community opera will have over 180 people on stage, ranging from very young school children to senior citizens drawn from the local community. They will work alongside professional opera singers, musicians from the Southbank Sinfonia, directors, designers, choreographers, stage managers and technicians. Richard Stilgoe, co-writer of Starlight Express and Cats, brings his wit and political satire to a quirky script with protest at its core. Together with composer Orlando Gough’s fast moving and rhythmic score, the commission promises to be lively funny and captivating. This is Garsington Opera’s first commission.

 

PUBLIC BOOKING OPENS 15 APRIL 2013 Tel 01865 361636 www.garsingtonopera.org

 

CALENDAR

 

Die Entführung aus dem Serail 7, 9, 15, 19, 22*, 25 June, 1, 6 July 6.20pm

Maometto secondo 8, 10, 16*, 20, 26, 28 June, 2, 4, 10 July 5.45pm

Hänsel und Gretel 23, 27, 29 June, 5, 7*, 9, 11 July 6.35pm *pre-performance talk 4.15pm

Community Opera Road Rage 19 July 7.30pm; 20 July 2.30pm & 7.30pm

 

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Hollywood Blockbusters

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Saturday 9 March
Brighton Dome Concert Hall
7.30pm, £10 / £15 / £18 / £23.50 / £27.50

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra rolls out the red carpet for a night of movie magic!

Celebrate the run-up to the Oscars with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and flamboyant conductor Pete Harrison, as together they bring symphonic glitz and glamour to Brighton Dome Concert Hall.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is delighted to return to Brighton with a spectacular concert which features the full orchestra playing music from the last fifty years of cinema. With something for everyone, from film fanatics to families, this concert aims to roll out the red carpet in style and evoke the magic of Hollywood past and present.

The music includes the breathtaking soundtrack to the 2000 epic Gladiator; the blustering dance tunes of Pirates of the Caribbean; John William’s poignant and haunting melodies of Schindler’s List, plus the epic sweep of Lawrence of Arabia and Out of Africa… not forgetting the enchanting tunes from Pixar’s colourful animated feature – Up.

Star Trek fans will not be disappointed as audiences are taken on an inter-galactic adventure with Star Trek Nemesis. The deep space travel continue as we fast forward to 2154 where Horner vividly depicts the outbreak of war as the Na’vi come under attack from planet Earth in Avatar to conclude a sensational concert celebrating the cinema at its finest.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is one of the UK’s leading orchestras, proudly serving communities throughout the South and South West as well as performing nationally and internationally. It is one of the most dynamic and innovative symphony orchestras in the world, a tradition that dates from its foundation in 1893.

Dedicated to providing world-class music, the orchestra performs over 120 concerts each year with some of the finest conductors and soloists in the world, enjoying rave reviews for both concerts and recordings.

Taking music beyond the concert hall lies at the heart of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s commitment to engaging with new audiences. The musicians participate in an array of projects – from national curriculum based workshops in schools to tea dances for the elderly – through BSO Resonate, the Orchestra’s pioneering education and community department that reaches more than 125,000 children and adults each year.