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NewsletterAutumn 2024Pieces of Puccini!7pm, Saturday 2nd November, Cadogan Hall With the history of opera going back several hundred years, it is easy to forget that some of the most successful works are comparatively recent. The masterpieces of Giacomo Puccini are so well-known that it is hard to believe there was ever a time when they - and Puccini - didn’t exist. His first opera though, Le Villi (The Fairies), was first produced in 1884 and he lived well into the 20th century. His death on 29th November, 1924, was just 100 years ago. To mark his important centenary, the opera houses of the world are full this year of Puccini’s most well-known works. We try to showcase music less easy to find, and so we are celebrating with not one, but three of his less frequently performed achievements. Our programme for our Puccini Centenary Concert is led by conductor Peter Robinson, one of the UK’s most experienced and versatile opera conductors. His repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary, with a special interest in Italian opera of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The concert starts with the piece for orchestra – Capriccio sinfonico – in just 15 minutes or so of glorious swooping melody and exploratory harmonies creating soundscapes more akin to cinematic themes of a later time. The great choral piece, the Messa di Gloria, will follow, where Stephen Gadd and Charne Rochford will join with the Chelsea Opera Group Chorus and Orchestra. The concert concludes with the two-act opera Le Villi. Our cast is Stephen Gadd, baritone, as the Head Forester/Narrator Guglielmo; Seljan Fermor-Hesketh, soprano, as his daughter Anna and Charne Rochford, tenor, as Anna’s fiancé, Roberto. There will be a pre-performance talk given by Simon Bainbridge at 5.45pm in the Hall for ticket holders. Tickets are on sale now for this concert from £15 plus £4 fee for online/telephone bookings (020 7730 4500); no fee for ENCORE members or personal callers. I due Foscari – 9th June 2024 This was Verdi’s sixth opera and another example of COG exploring lesser known works by established composers. It was the first appearance with COG of conductor, Matthew Kofi Waldren, who was supported by a strong cast who all received very favourable reviews, for example: ‘Jacobo Foscari was sung with dignified outrage by the Argentine born tenor, Pablo Bemsch, strong and true to the need to express his anger at his treatment by everyone except his wife. She, Lucrezia, was sung with great passion and awareness of her key role in the plot by the British-Armenian soprano, Anush Hovhannisyan… The unwitting Doge of Venice, Francesco Foscari, was sung by the Ukrainian baritone, Andrii Kymach, with a rich, pungent tone, expressing his sorrow at his inability to show his son more compassion. All three thoroughly deserved their applause at the end. There was no weakness elsewhere among the supporting class: Andrew Henley, tenor, Emyr Wyn Jones, bass, John Vallance, tenor, Georgia Mae Bishop, mezzo soprano, and Kevin Hollands, bass’ – Edward Clark (Musical Opinion). 2025 Performances at Cadogan Hall Sunday 30th March – Le roi d'Ys (Édouard Lalo), conductor Paul Wingfield Webmaster Found! Running an opera company is like an iceberg. Much of what we do is below the surface, going on between concerts, developing skills and updating methods. It has taken us a very long time but we have now secured our new Webmaster to take over the reins from Patrick Clements, who has run our website so effectively and faithfully for many years. He will be handing over to Isabella (Izzy) Myers when our new site goes live in the new few weeks. Isabella will also be keeping it up to date. COG Orchestra at Salisbury Cathedral And on Saturday 23rd November, we are thrilled that our Orchestra will perform Mendelssohn’s Elijah under the baton of the Cathedral Musical Director, David Halls. Volunteer with COG Here again, the need for more volunteers is essential, anyone with any spare time – say a few hours a month – would be most welcome. They are needed to ensure COGs survival into the future. Tasks include encouraging bits of news and updates from members to be passed to the Webmaster; planning publicity, distributing leaflets, etc. There are also many other small jobs that could be done by someone who currently does not have a role. Recruiting for the Chelsea Opera Chorus To find out about joining our chorus please contact: chorus@chelseaoperagroup.org.uk Support Our Work We work hard – along with the support from donors – to keep seats at affordable prices so that a night at the opera can still be a manageable treat even in hard-pressed times. Ticket sales can never cover costs. Funds are raised from private donors and supportive companies through our registered charity, the Chelsea Opera Group Trust (President, Dame Fiona Woolf) and for this we are enormously grateful. If you would like to donate (or join the mailing list to stay informed), please contact: Carolyn Ashford-Russell
enquiries@chelseaoperagroup.org.uk Tel: 020 8675 2779 Published and supported by the Chelsea Opera Group Trust |
