Dear Friends
Welcome to July on Planet Hugill, a month were we returned to Eistenstadt for Carmen in the quarry, caught Wild Arts at the Thaxted Festival, and made our first visit to the Three Choirs Festival for British Youth Opera's production of Vaughan Williams' Pilgrim's Progress.
Interviews this month include violinist Lisa Archontidi-Tsaldaraki on exploring her Greek roots, baritone Benjamin Appl on temptation and seduction, and tenor Elgan Llŷr Thomas on his new disc Unveiled.
▪ Any performance of Verdi's Don Carlo is an event: Verdi's large-scale drama returns to Covent Garden with Lise Davidsen and Brian Jagde
▪ Carmen in in the Quarry: Arnaud Bernard transforms Bizet's opera into film set in 1930s-era Spain on Oper im Steinbruch's spectacular stage
▪ Overwhelmingly intense electronic sound worlds from marginalised voices: Nonclassical's Disruptive Frequencies at Kings Place
▪ Tony Cooper relishes Sofia Opera's brand-new Ring which has been an all-round exercise in good artistic management coupled with cooperative staff teamwork
▪ A little bit of theatrical magic: style, imagination and engaging performances in Dorset Opera's rare revival of Massenet's Le roi de Lahore
▪ Rising to the challenge: a pair of world-class tenors as Turiddu and Canio anchor fine performances of Cav and Pag at West Green
| ▪ | Any performance of Verdi's Don Carlo is an event: Verdi's large-scale drama returns to Covent Garden with Lise Davidsen and Brian Jagde |
| ▪ | Carmen in in the Quarry: Arnaud Bernard transforms Bizet's opera into film set in 1930s-era Spain on Oper im Steinbruch's spectacular stage |
| ▪ | Overwhelmingly intense electronic sound worlds from marginalised voices: Nonclassical's Disruptive Frequencies at Kings Place |
| ▪ | Tony Cooper relishes Sofia Opera's brand-new Ring which has been an all-round exercise in good artistic management coupled with cooperative staff teamwork |
| ▪ | A little bit of theatrical magic: style, imagination and engaging performances in Dorset Opera's rare revival of Massenet's Le roi de Lahore |
| ▪ | Rising to the challenge: a pair of world-class tenors as Turiddu and Canio anchor fine performances of Cav and Pag at West Green |
Opera Holland Park
▪ Back into the film studio: Puccini's La Boheme at Opera Holland Park on a 1950s Italian film set
▪ Itch rocks: science, adventure and Wagnerian parallels in the world premiere of Jonathan Dove's terrific new opera Itch at Opera Holland Park
| ▪ | Back into the film studio: Puccini's La Boheme at Opera Holland Park on a 1950s Italian film set |
| ▪ | Itch rocks: science, adventure and Wagnerian parallels in the world premiere of Jonathan Dove's terrific new opera Itch at Opera Holland Park |
Thaxted Festival
▪ Mendelssohn, Schumann and a Noah Max premiere: Emma Abbate & the Tippett Quartet
▪ The Elixir of Love: Wild Arts brings Guido Martin-Brandis' enjoyably characterful production of Donizetti's opera to the Thaxted Festival
| ▪ | Mendelssohn, Schumann and a Noah Max premiere: Emma Abbate & the Tippett Quartet |
| ▪ | The Elixir of Love: Wild Arts brings Guido Martin-Brandis' enjoyably characterful production of Donizetti's opera to the Thaxted Festival |
Three Choirs Festival
▪ Eclectic mix: Gavin Higgins' The Faerie Bride is a highlight at the Three Choirs Festival alongside a new Ronald Corp piece & Vaughan Williams' Flos Campi
▪ Greater than the sum of its parts: British Youth Opera perform Vaughan Williams' The Pilgrim's Progress
| ▪ | Eclectic mix: Gavin Higgins' The Faerie Bride is a highlight at the Three Choirs Festival alongside a new Ronald Corp piece & Vaughan Williams' Flos Campi |
Proms
▪ Prom 16: Sir Mark Elder & the Hallé in Rachmaninoff's The Bells & Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5
▪ Prom 19: Maxim Emelyanychev & Scottish Chamber Orchestra in Mendelssohn's Elijah
| ▪ | Prom 19: Maxim Emelyanychev & Scottish Chamber Orchestra in Mendelssohn's Elijah |
Interviews
▪ Delving into her Greek background: Lisa Archontidi-Tsaldaraki's debut recital places 20th-century Greek composers alongside Bartok, Szymanowski and Ravel
▪ There are things to discover still: Benjamin Appl on exploring themes of temptation and seduction in his latest album, Forbidden Fruit
▪ It is not just queer or other diversity in the cast or roles; we need to have opera that demands diversity in the first place: I chat to tenor Elgan Llŷr Thomas
| ▪ | Delving into her Greek background: Lisa Archontidi-Tsaldaraki's debut recital places 20th-century Greek composers alongside Bartok, Szymanowski and Ravel |
| ▪ | There are things to discover still: Benjamin Appl on exploring themes of temptation and seduction in his latest album, Forbidden Fruit |
| ▪ | It is not just queer or other diversity in the cast or roles; we need to have opera that demands diversity in the first place: I chat to tenor Elgan Llŷr Thomas |
Record reviews
▪ Forget Callas and Italian bel canto: Christophe Rousset & les Talens Lyriques reveal the distinctive drama of Spontini's La Vestale
▪ Heard in her own right: an important new disc explores Fanny Hensel's songs, focusing on the unknown and unrecorded
▪ An engaging and eclectic selection: Soar from Alastair Penman and Jonathan Pease
▪ An engaging diversity & fierce intelligence: the piano music of Bernard Hughes played by Matthew Mills
▪ Imagination and seduction: Huw Wiggin in Rhapsody, music Debussy, Joseph Phibbs, Iain Farrington, Coates, Jennifer Watson, and Liszt
| ▪ | Forget Callas and Italian bel canto: Christophe Rousset & les Talens Lyriques reveal the distinctive drama of Spontini's La Vestale |
| ▪ | Heard in her own right: an important new disc explores Fanny Hensel's songs, focusing on the unknown and unrecorded |
| ▪ | An engaging and eclectic selection: Soar from Alastair Penman and Jonathan Pease |
| ▪ | An engaging diversity & fierce intelligence: the piano music of Bernard Hughes played by Matthew Mills |
| ▪ | Imagination and seduction: Huw Wiggin in Rhapsody, music Debussy, Joseph Phibbs, Iain Farrington, Coates, Jennifer Watson, and Liszt |
Credits
Our header image this month is Michael Anthony McGee, Amar Muchhala, Seljan Nasibli, and Julian Close in Dorset Opera's production of Massenet's Massenet's Le roi de Lahore, (Photo: Julian Guidera).
Click on any of the links to take you to the relevant story on Planet Hugill. We look forward to bringing you more reviews next month. Until then, take care.
Regards
Robert
