Opera North’s Dutchman Flies Into Five Concert Halls. Preview (RJ)
Over the past few years Opera North has been establishing a reputation for performing Wagner with concert performances of each of the music dramas which make up his Ring Cycle. The Wagnerian voyage continues during June and July 2015 with a new concert staging of The Flying Dutchman. All performances are conducted by the Company’s Music Director Richard Farnes while Peter Mumford also returns to create an atmospheric and dramatic concert staging with immersive visuals and projections. The costumes are designed by Fotini Dimou.
Alwyn Mellor sings Senta and Hungarian baritone Béla Perencz sings the title role of the Dutchman. Estonian tenor Mati Turi sings Erik, Swedish bass Mats Almgren returns to sing Daland, Welsh mezzo Ceri Williams sings Mary, and Mark Le Brocq is the Steersman.
The Flying Dutchman will have two performances at Leeds Town Hall on Saturday 27 June and Tuesday 30 June before embarking on a short tour. The opera will dock at The Sage, Gateshead on Friday 3 July, Symphony Hall, Birmingham on Sunday 5 July (starting at 4 pm), Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on Wednesday 8 July and the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham on Saturday 11 July. So Wagnerians in the Midlands and North have something to look forward to this summer.
Looking forward to the autumn season, there will be a chabce to see Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate which opens on Thurday 24 September at the Grand Theatre, Leeds. It will be followed by Rossini’sThe Barber of Seville on Wedneday 7 October and Janaček’s Jenůfa on Thursday 22 October. These productions will also visit the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, the Lowry, Salford Quays and the Theatre Royal, Nottingham in October and November.
The award winning company’s involvement with Wagner continues next year. Between 23 April and 10 July the company will be mounting several performances of the complete Ring Cycle – in Leeds (twice), Nottingham, Salford Quays, London (Royal Festival Hall) and Gateshead.