Graham Ross, conductor
Dima Bawab, soprano
Pauline Sikirdji, mezzo-soprano
Constantin Zimmermann, counter tenor
Michael Mogl, tenor
Julian Gregory, tenor
Aidan Coburn, tenor
Adam Green, baritone
Musique Cordiale Choir & Orchestra
in collaboration with le Festival de Musique Ancienne de Callas
Please see www.prisonchoirproject.co.uk for details
"Take a group of dispirited, demoralized and devalued men called convicts. Persuade them they can join together in producing a famous musical extravaganza that's good to look at and brilliant to hear. Do it in a barren, famously grim setting known as Dartmoor Jail. Make it a thunderous success. That's what the man from 'outside' did. He came among us one day with his passion for music, his prodigious ability and a committed energy that carried us along with him. 3 weeks later, he had inspired us beyond our dreams. We were in Seville helping to create those Spanish rhythms. We sang with Carmen, we tried to woo those achingly pretty 'factory girls.' We could feel the heat of the midday - and, yes, we had our day in the sun. Now the magician is gone. He and his theatre troupe - those enchanting singers and instrumentalists are a memory - gone to that great, free outside. But we whom you inspired, we'll never be quite the same again. Bravo, bravo, bravo.”
Experience opera like never before as MWO SmallStages presents its first ever micro-chamber performances with a brand new version of this hilarious one-act comedy classic.
Composed in 1967 and based on Anton Chekhov’s play of the same name, The Bear tells the tale of the widow, Mme Popova, interrupted from her constant mourning by the arrival of the rough-hewn debt collector Smirnov (the “bear” of the title). Passions run high and their sparring culminates in a duel – and an unexpected romance.
Full of entertainment, comedy, parody and great tunes, this intimate new production of The Bear, featuring just three singers and five musicians, is a brilliant introduction for audiences new to opera and a great opportunity for all music lovers to hear Walton’s classic comedy in its fiftieth anniversary year. Sung in English.
After the interval join us for Tatyana’s Party Pieces, a light hearted take on the birthday party scene from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and a taster of MWO’s Spring 2018 Main Stage tour. These performances are part of Wales’ R17 commemorations for the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution and are performed by arrangement with Oxford University Press.
"Stephen Rooke (Melot), Sam Furness (Shepherd), and Adam Green (Helmsman) are all excellent."
The Irish princess Isolde is promised to King Marke of Cornwall. Together with her handmaiden Brangäne, she is escorted across the sea by the knight Tristan. Isolde’s lethal poison meant for Tristan is replaced with a love potion, and their passion leads them along a path to tragedy.
A variation on the Celtic legend of Tristan and Iseult, Wagner described the work not as an opera, but a drama – and ‘the most audacious and original work of my life’. Tristan und Isolde was enormously influential, and today is widely regarded as one of the greatest works in musical repertoire.
"How can you make love to a fish.....'
Modern Opera by Michael Ellison. A multi camera documentation shot across three performances in Istanbul. Libretto and Direction by Simon Jones, conducted by Michael Rafferty with the Hezarfen Ensemble. Choreographed by Zeynep Tanbay. Video design with HOHLab.
http://www.celebratevoice.co.uk/
Music Director: Phillip Thomas Stage Director: Julia Burbach Assistant Director: Lysanne van Overbeek
Details can be found here: http://www.roh.org.uk/events/9yx9p
Prize-winning Syrian composer Zaid Jabri presents a concert performance of four scenes from his new opera Cities of Salt. Writers Yvette Christiansë and Rosalind Morris provide the libretto, adapted from Peter Theroux’s translation of the seminal novel of the same title by Abdelrahman Munif. The opera is written for full orchestra with 12 soloists and chorus; this previous will feature scenes from each of the opera’s three acts, introduced by the esteemed Jordanian-British actor Nadim Sawalha.
Jabri’s music for Cities of Salt skillfully draws on Arab and European musical traditions, infusing the Western symphonic tradition with a sense of the Middle East through the use of microtones and vernacular traditions. His intelligent score brings this modern and timely tale to life in all its poignancy and violence.
Continuing our tour with Charles Court Opera, there's a performance at the Curious Arts Festival details here: http://curiousartsfestival.com/curious-opera/
or catch it in France at the Seillans Festival first two weeks of August: http://www.musique-cordiale.com/international-festival-programme/
Roger Chapman, drew the following caricature after our performance at the Aldborough Festival
Looking forward to working at this festival
http://www.ardingly.com/Ardingly-Arts-Festival/parents/ardingly-artsfest.php
A few photos from our recent production in Scotland and Poland.