Les vêpres siciliennes
Based around true events which occurred in Sicily in 1282, Verdi’s grand opera features wonderful choruses and breath-taking arias, including the Bolero.
https://wno.org.uk/whats-on/les-vêpres-siciliennes-verdi#overview
Lucio Papirio Dittatore
Sung in Italian with English side-titles.
A Buxton International Festival production in collaboration with La Serenissima.
The story of family strife in pre-Imperial Rome, this forgotten gem by the Italian composer Antonio Caldara, featuring jubilant choral writing and dazzling virtuoso arias, is a perfect vehicle for the dynamic, Gramophone Award-winning baroque ensemble La Serenissima.
Lucio Papirio Dittatore was composed by Caldara in 1719, by which time he was serving as vice-kapellmeister to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. Being composed for the imperial court, there are a number of characteristics rarely found elsewhere in opera seria, such as the use of the aria madrigale, a large amount of ballet music and a significant number of choral movements. This is a work composed on a grand scale, glorifying both the genre of opera seria and the name of the emperor.
The cast includes two ENO Harewood Artists, Eleanor Dennis and Rowan Pierce, as well as Elizabeth Karani, who sang in both Jephtha and Intermezzo in Buxton. Countertenors William Towers and Owen Willetts have both appeared recently at the Festival, and return as father and son Marco and Quinto Fabio. Baritone Gareth Brynmor John is a former winner of the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Award. Completing a first-class line up, the title role is sung by tenor Robert Murray, who starred Brescianello’s Tisbe last year.
Performances
Finzi Friends Recital
https://www.finzifriends.org.uk/events.htm
Composers in Time – Finzi and Howells meet on Chosen Hill
A whole day event at Churchdown, Nr Gloucester, and on Chosen Hill adjacent to our Churchdown venue.
The music, the location and the friendship was shared between these Composers and we would like to share this with you. All are warmly welcome.
Chosen Hill was a favourite location for both composers and has many associations with other Gloucestershire poets and composers such as Ivor Gurney. We are arranging to welcome a Celebrity speaker to talk on the Finzi/Howels association and an afternoon concert with Gareth Brynmor John and Gavin Roberts, familiar from their appearances at Ludlow Song Weekend and leading concert venues.
We invite you to join us for a day on Chosen Hill and Churchdown, under the hill. There will be a talk in St Bartholomew’s at the top of the hill during the morning, and lunch and a recital in the spacious and comfortable facilities at St Andrew’s Church.
Programme
| From 10.00am | Coffee at St Andrew’s Church Hall, Churchdown (GL3 2JT), followed by the Finzi Friends AGM |
| 11.15 | Transfer to St Bartholomew’s on Chosen Hill |
| 11.30-12.30 | A celebrity talk on Finzi and Howells |
| 12.45pm | Buffet Lunch in St Andrew’s Church Hall |
| 2.00 | Concert in St Andrew’s Church Gareth Brynmor John, baritone and Gavin Roberts, piano Finzi’s Let us Garlands Bring Songs by Howells, including King David Housman Settings by Peter Pope Music from Howells Clavichord |
| 3.30 | Afternoon tea and cakes |
Performances
From Russia With Love
From Russia With Love
Between War and Peace
SUN 28 APR 3pm | Recital Room
Gareth Brynmor John baritone
Jocelyn Freeman piano
From Russia with Love at Blackheath Halls culminates in a programme of epic tales of battle contrasted with intimate love and harmony. Ballades and Romances by Robert Schumann are juxtaposed with exuberant, romantic and dramatic settings by Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Mussorgsky and Prokofiev, with texts in German and Russian by Heine, Goethe, Tolstoy and
Pushkin.
TICKETS: £10 | £8 conc.
Running Time: approx. 60 mins no interval
Facilitated by SongEasel
https://www.blackheathhalls.com/whats-on/from-russia-with-love-between-war-and-peace
Performances
Tiffin Boys Choir: St John Passion
Instruments of Time and Truth
Conductor Edward Higginbottom
Evangelist Nick Pritchard
Christus Dan D’Souza
Soprano Camilla Harris
Countertenor Robin Blaze
Tenor tbc
Bass Gareth John
Tiffin Boys Choir
http://www.barnesmusicfestival.com/event-information
Performances
The Children’s Hour
Everything is possible in the imagination of a child. Starting with the germ of Ives’s wonderful song The Children’s Hour, we journey through the world of cautionary fairy tales including settings by Loewe, Schubert and Britten. Fun exploits with circuses and pirates follow, with songs by Stanford, Warlock and Howells, and darker adventures in Ives’ poignant Tom sails away. The programme finishes with the most bewitching English, German and French lullabies. It has some classics of the song repertoire, some immensely beautiful songs, and, at its heart, Rodney Bennett’s delightfully effervescent Songs Before Sleep.
This programme has been recorded and will be released on champs Hill in 2019.
Gareth Brynmor John – baritone
William Vann – piano
Performances
BBC Philharmonic Beatrice et Benedict
BBC Philharmonic: Berlioz
Ludovic Morlot conductor | Rachele Gilmore Héro (soprano) | Daniela MackBéatrice (mezzo soprano) | Toby Spence Bénédict (tenor) | Elodie Méchain Ursule (mezzo soprano) | Darren Jeffrey Somarone (bass) | Gareth Brynmor JohnClaudio (baritone) | Duncan Rock Don Pedro (baritone) | Crouch End Festival Chorus
https://www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk/whats-on/bbc-philharmonic-160219/
Performances
WNO: The Magic Flute
The mysterious Queen of the Night coaxes Tamino to rescue her beautiful daughter Pamina from the grip of the evil enchanter Sarastro. With a magic flute and a set of magic bells for protection he sets off on his journey aided by Papageno, the bird-catcher. But as they overcome a series of challenges, it becomes apparent that all is not what it seems – will they complete their quest and find true love?
Welsh National Opera’s irresistible production transports you to a dream world where you’ll meet colourful characters including a newspaper-reading lion and a fish doubling as a bicycle. Combined with a witty story, moments of enchantment and Mozart’s sublime music, including the magnificent Queen of the Night aria, it adds up to an unforgettable opera experience for all ages.
https://wno.org.uk/whats-on/the-magic-flute-mozart#overview