Chelsea Opera Group are pleased to announce a return to the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre with a concert performance of Boito’s Mefistofele.
The performance will be conducted by Matthew Scott Rogers. Vazgen Gazaryan will sing the title role. The other soloists are Elizabeth Llewellyn (Margarita and Elena), Pablo Bemsch (Faust) Aaron Godfrey-Mayes (Wagner and Nereo) and Angharad Lyddon (Marta and Pantalis).
Matthew Scott Rogers conducts the orchestra and chorus of Chelsea Opera Group in a rare concert performance of Boito’s Mefistofele. Although now better known as the librettist of Verdi’s Otello, Arrigo Boito was a fine composer in his own right. For his opera on Goethe’s Faust he produced a string of beautiful arias and stirring choruses. He uses a large orchestra to conjure up heaven, hell and everything in between. Mefistofele differs greatly from Gounod’s Faust. Boito tries to convey more of Goethe’s original than just the romance of Faust and Margherita and includes also the Witches’ Sabbath in the Harz mountains and the Classical Sabbath at which Faust meets Helen of Troy. The opera is preceded by a magnificent choral Prologue set in heaven and ends with a short Epilogue depicting the death of Faust.
Mathew Scott Rogers returns to Chelsea Opera Group after conducting Samson et Dalila and has a busy conducting career as a freelance conductor and on the Royal Opera House staff.
Vazgen Gazaryan is an Armenian-German bass and joined the Metroplitan Opera in the 2017-18 season, performing Oroveso in Norma and also covered the title role of Mefistofele in their recent production.
Pablo Bemsch is a former member of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and is now making a name for himself in the lyric bel canto repertoire.
Elizabeth Llewellyn, making her debut with Chelsea Opera Group has established herself as a notable lyrico spinto soprano, and sings regularly all over Europe and makes her Metropolitan opera debut singing Bess (Porgy and Bess) in 2020.
Aaron Godfrey Mayes is a postgraduate student, but has opera performance experience with the Royal Academy of Music and Nevil Holt opera
Angharad Lyddon returns to Chelsea Opera Group after singing Myrtale in Massenet’s Thaïs. Angharad will represent Wales in the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
The performance will take place on Sunday 24th March 2018, at 6.30pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre.
There will be a pre-performance talk for ticket holders by Simon Bainbridge at 5.30pm.
Mefistofele by Boito – A concert performance in Italian with English subtitles.
Conductor – Matthew Scott Rogers
Vazgen Gazaryan – Mefistofele
Pablo Bemsch – Faust
Elizabeth Llewellyn – Margherita/Elena
Aaron Godfrey-Mayes – Wagner/Nereo
Angharad Lyddon – Marta/Pantalis
Chelsea Opera Group Chorus and Orchestra.
For more about Chelsea Opera Group click here.