Concert Programme: Mercadante's Il proscritto

Mercadante's Il proscritto

Carlo Rizzi conductor

Ramón Vargas Giorgio Argyll

Iván Ayón-Rivas Arturo Murray

Irene Roberts Malvina Douglas

Elizabeth DeShong Odoardo Douglas

Sally Matthews Anna Ruthven

Goderdzi Janelidze Guglielmo Ruthven

Susana Gaspar Clara

Alessandro Fisher Osvaldo

Niall Anderson An official of Cromwell

Opera Rara Chorus

Britten Sinfonia

Barbican, London

Tuesday 28 June 2022 at 7.30pm

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Welcome

Welcome to tonight’s performance of Mercadante’s opera Il proscritto. Not heard since its premiere in Naples in 1842, Il proscritto was rediscovered by Opera Rara’s Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi during the early lockdown months of 2020. Following two years of painstaking restoration, we are excited to present this daring and innovative score for 21st-century audiences to enjoy. This is Opera Rara’s third complete recording of Mercadante’s work and their second collaboration with Britten Sinfonia.

Opera Rara and Britten Sinfonia first worked together on our acclaimed recording and concert of Donizetti’s Il Paria in the summer of 2019. Partnerships with great orchestras are at the heart of Opera Rara’s work, and we are both thrilled to continue this rich relationship between our two organisations.

We are delighted to welcome tonight an international cast of soloists, including Ramón Vargas, Iván Ayón-Rivas, Irene Roberts, Elizabeth DeShong and Goderdzi Janelidze, all of whom are making their debuts with Opera Rara. Soprano Sally Matthews leads a trio of British singers alongside Alessandro Fisher and Niall Anderson, all of whom are working with us for the first time. We welcome back Susana Gaspar after her performance in

Opera Rara’s 2016 recording and concert of Semiramide

Opera Rara is honoured to dedicate tonight’s performance to the memory of Anthony Bunker, whose support of our work as a trustee and donor was loyal and generous. Tony’s passionate commitment to so many cultural causes was inspiring, his insight was always perceptive and his humour was infectious.

It is a pleasure for Opera Rara and Britten Sinfonia to be working together and to welcome you to what promises to be an historic evening.

MEURIG BOWEN Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Britten Sinfonia

HENRY LITTLE Chief Executive, Opera Rara

On stage tonight

BRITTEN SINFONIA

FIRST VIOLINS

Thomas Gould

Cecily Ward

Deborah Preece

Michael Jones

Rebecca Scott

Takane Funatsu

Antonia Kesel

Phillip Granell

Jaga Klimaszewska

Alicia Berendse

Anthony Poon

Daniel Stroud

SECOND VIOLINS

Miranda Dale

Judith Stowe

Georgina Leo

Ikuko Sunamura

Eloise MacDonald

Eluned Pritchard

Coco Inman

Stella Di Virgilio

Will McGahon

Victoria Gill

VIOLAS

Clare Finnimore

Bridget Carey

Catherine Bradshaw

Francis Gallagher

Mircea Belei

Thomas Kirby

Kim Becker

Freya Hicks

CELLOS

Juliet Welchman

Joy Hawley

Chris Allan

Rebecca Herman

Desmond Neysmith

Matthew Forbes

DOUBLE BASSES

Lynda Houghton

Lucy Shaw

Melissa Favell-Wright

Siret Lust

FLUTES

Laura Lucas

Sarah O'Flynn

PICCOLO

Daniel Shao

OBOES

Peter Facer

Emma Feilding

CLARINETS

Joy Farrall

Oliver Pashley

BASSOONS

Charlotte Cox

Simon Couzens

HORNS

Andrew Littlemore

Lindsay Kempley

Richard Dilley

Kirstey Howe

Richard Stroud

TRUMPETS

Chris Deacon

Sam Kinrade

TROMBONES

Andrew Connington

Emma Hodgson

BASS TROMBONE

David Eaglestone

CIMBASSO

Sasha Koushk-Jalaji

TIMPANI

William Lockhart

PERCUSSION

Tim Gunnell

Ben Fullbrook

HARP

Sally Pryce

BANDA

TRUMPETS

Aaron Akugbo

Katie Smith

Catherine Knight

Shane Brennan

Tom Freeman-Attwood

Jo Harris

Louis Barclay

Emily Mitchell

TROMBONES

Becky Smith

Jayne Murill

BASS TROMBONES

Sam Freeman

Joe Arnold

PERCUSSION

Sam Walton

OPERA RARA CHORUS

SOPRANOS

Jo Appleby

Yvonne Barclay

Sian Jones

Katherine Liggins

Claire Pendleton

Eiry Price

Jane Read

Leah Redmond

Hannah Sawle

Emma Silversides

Elizabeth Thomson

Nicola Wydenbach

MEZZO-SOPRANOS

Morag Boyle

Judy Louie Brown

Rhonda Browne

Tamsin Dalley

Deborah Davison

Vanessa Heine

Anna Jeffers

Helen Johnson

Emily Kyte

Melanie Lodge

Gemma Morsley

Kate Warshaw

TENOR

Allan Adams

Robert Carlin

Philip Clieve

Jonathan Cook

Neil Gillespie

Ben Kerslake

Graeme Lauren

Henry Moss

Anton Rich

Ed Saklatvala

Pablo Strong

Adam Sullivan

BASSES

Owain Browne

Michael Burke

Dominic Calver

Dominic Felts

Spiro Fernando

Simon Grant

Richard Immerglück

Jerome Knox

Martin Nelson

Jack Redman

Redmond Sanders

Christopher Speight

CHORUS DIRECTOR

Stephen Harris

CHORUS MANAGER

Steve Phillips

CHORUS REPETITEUR

Stephen Westrop

Synopsis

GIORGIO ARGYLL tenor

ARTURO MURRAY tenor

ANNA RUTHVEN soprano

GUGLIELMO RUTHVEN, her son, bass

ODOARDO DOUGLAS, son from Anna’s second marriage, contralto

MALVINA DOUGLAS, daughter from Anna’s second marriage, mezzo-soprano

CLARA, Malvina’s maid, soprano

OSVALDO, first among the Castle guards, tenor

AN UFFICIALE OF CROMWELL bass

Women and knights of the Murray and Ruthven families, exiles, castle guards, archers

THE STORY

The events take place in a castle near Edinburgh and in its surroundings. The epoch is in the second half of the seventeenth century, during the rule of Oliver Cromwell. Some time before the action begins, Malvina Douglas was married to Giorgio Argyll (a supporter of the Royalist cause); but he was caught up in a shipwreck and is believed dead. Malvina’s mother, Anna, and Anna’s son by an earlier marriage, Guglielmo Ruthven (a supporter of Cromwell), then urge her to marry Arturo Murray (also a Cromwellian). The action opens on the day of Malvina’s and Arturo’s planned wedding.

ACT ONE

Richly illuminated gardens: to one side magnificent steps leading to the castle, in front of which is a platform with orchestra; a lake in the background, strewn with boats from which alight ladies, knights and relations of the Murray family; the Ruthven family proceed from the castle, giving them a festive welcome: Osvaldo is with the guards who surround the scene.

The gathered assembly celebrates the marriage about to take place between Malvina and Arturo (Chorus: ‘D’amistà le soavi catene’). Guglielmo, however, warns Osvaldo to remain alert, as Royalist rebels have been seen in the vicinity.

Arturo arrives and declares his love for Malvina (Cavatina: ‘Son del tuo volto immagine’).

A large room in Malvina’s apartments; on the right a door that leads into internal rooms; on the other side an entrance that leads to a corridor.

The scene opens with a discussion between Clara, a former servant of Giorgio, now Malvina’s maid, and Odoardo, Malvina’s younger brother, who has hastened back from London on news of her impeding wedding. Malvina enters and describes to Odoardo the shipwreck in which Giorgio and their royalist father perished, and then tells of her mother’s and Guglielmo’s plans to marry her to the Cromwellian Arturo. Her first thought had been to poison herself, but meetings with Arturo gradually blossomed into mutual love. She is, though, torn by guilt at the thought of her former husband. Odoardo tries to comfort her (Duet: ‘Il mar fremente’). Women appear and lead Malvina to her wedding.

Giorgio arrives, ushered in by Osvaldo. Giorgio asks to see Clara but refuses to give his name. Osvaldo departs, his suspicions aroused. Giorgio rejoices in anticipation of seeing his beloved Malvina (Romanza: ‘L’aura ch’io spiro’), feeling sure that, after his travails, none of the other guests will recognise him. Malvina arrives and immediately screams in horror, overcome at meeting Giorgio face to face. Hearing others approach and fearing for his safety, she ushers him into her rooms.

The assembled company arrives, Osvaldo whispering to Guglielmo that the castle’s unknown guest must now be in Malvina’s rooms. Malvina attempts to deny her evident agitation but halffaints into the arms of the surrounding women. Everyone onstage explores their conflicting emotions – of despair (Malvina), perplexity (Odoardo, Arturo), suspicion (Guglielmo, Osvaldo) or concern (Anna, Clara) (Concertato: ‘Omai l’arcan terribile’).

Guglielmo and Osvaldo order armed men to search Malvina’s rooms, but Odoardo places himself before the door. Swords are drawn, but suddenly Giorgio appears. He does not reveal his identity, but says that they can know the truth about him from the widow of Giorgio Argyll. Guglielmo orders the stranger taken prisoner, Giorgio resists but eventually gives his sword to Odoardo, inviting his opponents to kill him and place his head before the bridal couple. The act ends in an ensemble of general confusion (‘Il cor ne avvampa’).

ACT TWO

A room in the apartments assigned to Arturo, who is sitting at a table on which lies a paper with writing on it.

Osvaldo tells Arturo that Guglielmo has gone to Edinburgh to marshal troops who will escort the stranger there. After Osvaldo leaves, Arturo reads a letter he has received from Malvina, asking him to help the stranger, who she says is a friend of her deceased husband. Giorgio is shown in and, when they are alone, Arturo offers to release him; but Giorgio angrily refuses, also revealing that he was once loved by Malvina, a confession that tips the two men into open conflict (Duet: ‘Ah! perché rovente acciaro’). Arturo promises Giorgio a sword: at break of day they will fight a duel to the death.

Rugged cliffs, some of which lean out over the sea. It is night, the moon is covered with clouds. From a cave whose entrance is hidden by thickets men emerge, wrapped up in cloaks: they are the exiles, Giorgio’s companions.

The exiles evoke the dark night and their wandering state (Chorus: ‘Ha steso la notte’). They hear bagpipes, first in the distance, then coming closer. Odoardo appears, saying he can help them rescue Giorgio. As proof of his good faith, he narrates to them how Giorgio saved his and Malvina’s father, rescuing him from Cromwellian executioners by pleading for his life (Aria: ‘Ah! del giorno sanguinoso’). The exiles agree to Odoardo’s rescue plan and depart for the castle.

Inside a tower: a balcony at the back, a door to the side.

Giorgio is asleep, dreaming uneasily of Malvina, as Odoardo and Malvina appear. Odoardo throws down a rope ladder from the balcony, warns Malvina that dawn is approaching, and departs. Giorgio awakes and Malvina tells him that his companions are waiting for him. In a passionate duet (‘Stretto agli avanzi fragili’), Giorgio tells her of his desperate times after the shipwreck and of his pain at now seeing her; but when she says she will escape with him, he begs her to remain with her new partner rather than join him in a vagabond life. She refuses and moves to the balcony, but they are interrupted by Arturo, Guglielmo and his followers. Arturo accuses his fiancée of treachery but Giorgio defends her honour, saying that she was escaping with her husband. This revelation of his identity precipitates another grand ensemble (Concertato: ‘Come sol raggio l’onore di costei’). An officer then gives Arturo a letter from Cromwell, ceding to him the interrogation of the prisoner and, if he is found guilty, his execution. Malvina, Odoardo and the chorus beg Arturo to show mercy; but both he and Giorgio continue implacably opposed.

Giorgio and Malvina are waiting for Arturo’s decision. Giorgio is eager for death, but Malvina makes him swear that he will elect to live if she demonstrates to him that all his fears about her future with Arturo are baseless. Odoardo enters, reporting that Arturo has sent for Giorgio. Giorgio exits with Odoardo.

Malvina, left alone, decides that she must kill herself, but is interrupted by Arturo, who announces that she is free to leave with Giorgio (Duet: ‘Vanne dunque… a te concedo’). Malvina rejects the offer, finally admitting that – in spite of Giorgio’s return – she continues to love Arturo. The latter is overjoyed, but Malvina tells him solemnly that they can only be united in heaven.

Malvina departs, and almost immediately Giorgio rushes on, having overheard the final part of their conversation. He again challenges Arturo, who tries to placate him but is finally goaded into accepting a duel to the death. They are about to rush off when Malvina staggers on, deathly pale. She says she has taken poison and entreats them both to fulfil their vows to her. As she falls to the ground, Giorgio rushes to her and signals Arturo to depart. His final words are: ‘Spenta o viva è mia tuttor!’ (Dead or alive, she is mine forever!).

ACT THREE

A large room next to the tower, with a door at the back.

Giorgio is seated, Malvina is near the threshold as if waiting with the greatest impatience; two sentries patrol beyond the door.

Synopsis © Roger Parker

Saverio Mercadante

Il proscritto (1842)

Melodramma tragico in three acts

Libretto by Salvadore Cammarano

Critical edition published by Opera Rara

Edited by Roger Parker and Ian Schofield

Distributed by Casa Ricordi

Note from the conductor

“When I found the autograph manuscript of Il proscritto in the Naples Conservatory archives, I was immediately struck by its musical qualities and originality. We at Opera Rara look through and discuss a huge amount of unknown music, and often we decide that “forgotten” operas have some frailty that makes them unlikely to communicate with today’s audiences. But it became immediately clear to me that Il proscritto was something different: here was a work that could have a powerful effect. What makes the opera so compelling for me is its melodic inventiveness, its fascinating orchestral textures and its unique vocal sound world. The impressive choral opening, with its off-stage band, and the two big concertati at the end of Acts 1 and 2, are among the grandest inspirations in Italian opera of this period; but there are also lyrical, intimate arias such as those of Arturo and Giorgio in Act 1; a marvellous series of confrontational duets; and intensely dramatic scenes such as the poignant death of Malvina at the end of the entire drama. There is so much musical variety for audiences to enjoy. I feel sure that, in this first ever performance for nearly 200 years, Mercadante’s opera will offer the public a fascinating and dramatically involving evening of music.”

Carlo Rizzi

Mercadante and Il proscritto: from bel canto to Reform

Saverio Mercadante (1795-1870), certainly the most successful nineteenth-century Italian opera composer outside the “big four” (Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini and Verdi), had a chequered career. Born illegitimate (his noble father and domestic servant mother might themselves have peopled an operatic plot), he managed to gain an education at the Naples conservatory and around 1820 transitioned to an operatic career, inevitably as a follower of Rossini. His greatest earlier success was with the comic opera Elisa e Claudio, whose triumph at Milan’s La Scala in 1821 led to many new commissions. International achievement seemed assured when the Neapolitan impresario Domenico Barbaja engaged him to feature in a season at Vienna’s Kärtnerthortheater in 1824. But that went badly (the Rossini-obsessed Viennese were as yet unwilling to contemplate an Italian successor) and by the time Mercadante returned to Naples a rival composer, Giovanni Pacini, had established himself there. And so the rollercoaster went on. Successful stints in the Iberian peninsula again raised his stakes, and in 1833 he was appointed maestro di cappella at Novara Cathedral, a position that, while it clearly required the production of religious music, also allowed him periodic leave to continue his operatic career. A further watershed moment occurred in 1836: Rossini, by then retired and eminence grise of the Théâtre Italien in Paris, arranged for him to give a premiere in that most prestigious of theatres (as had Bellini and Donizetti in the previous year). But the impact of the opera he produced, I briganti, was only modest.

The major consequence of Mercadante’s Parisian trip came from his attendance at one of the most influential premieres of the entire nineteenth century, that of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots. In the wake of that experience, Mercadante returned home determined to reform Italian opera along the lines of Meyerbeer’s spectacular brand of grand opéra. His very next work, Il giuramento (first performed to great acclaim at La Scala Milan in 1837), was meant to be the spearhead, and in a letter to his Neapolitan friend Francesco Florimo, he laid out an ambitious manifesto:

“With Il giuramento [I have] varied the forms, abolished trivial cabalettas, exiled the crescendos; concision, less repetition, some novelty in the cadences; due regard paid to the dramatic side; the orchestration richer, without swamping the voices; long solos in the ensemble numbers avoided, as they obliged the other parts to stands coldly by, to the detriment of the dramatic action; not much bass drum and cymbals, and very little banda [stage band].”

The proclaimed distance from the Donizettian/ Bellinian norm of the 1830s was clear and provocative, and in the three years following Il giuramento, Mercadante produced a series of further “reform” operas: Elena da Feltre, Il bravo and La vestale. All of them were well-received, and some commentators in the wider European musical community saw them as marking a new seriousness of purpose in a genre that was otherwise dangerously popular. But, even at the time, critics in Italy often thought there was a price to pay for the “reform” agenda: they claimed that the operas’ exploration of harmonic and orchestral complexity sometimes came at the

expense of melodic fluency and even dramatic cohesion. Although on occasions much-praised, the “reform” operas did not take decisive root, the old, singer-centred way of doing things remaining stubbornly in place. In 1840, at another watershed, Mercadante was appointed director of the Naples Conservatory (a position that Donizetti had long lobbied for) and began to devote increasing time and energy to the composition of instrumental music. He toyed with the idea of giving up operatic composition entirely, but eventually returned to composing for the stage, although at a much slower rate.

Il proscritto, first performed at Naples’ Teatro San Carlo on 4 January 1842, was the first opera to emerge in this new phase of Mercadante’s life. It augured well, not least because of a fine libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based (as was usual at the time) on a recent French mélodrame. At the centre of the drama is a classic love triangle, set in the “exotic” location of Scotland during the rule of Oliver Cromwell. The tortured heroine Malvina is torn between two political opponents: Giorgio, her first husband and a passionate royalist, is believed dead at sea; Arturo, now her betrothed, is – of course – a convinced Cromwellian. The fourth principal is a so-called “trouser role”, Malvina’s younger brother Odoardo. The cast chosen to impersonate these warring characters was indeed stellar. Malvina was sung by mezzo soprano Antonietta Ranieri Marini, who had in the preceding years been the female lead in Verdi’s first two operas. Giorgio was baritonal tenor Giovanni Basadonna, who some years earlier had created the title role in Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux; Arturo was another tenor, Gaetano Fraschini, then near the start of an important career that would see him develop into an

imposing tenore di forza (he created the title role in Verdi’s Stiffelio and was the first Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera). The fourth principal was Eloisa Buccini, a prima donna contralto who plied her trade in many distinguished opera houses during this period.

Alas, and in spite of such persuasive interpreters, all reviewers agreed that the première didn’t go well: the first act was applauded, but the other two were received with indifference. One long review in the journal Teatri, arti e letteratura is unequivocal about the reason: it was that the music “imitates the Germans, who care about instruments rather than voices”. Warming to the polemic, the critic continued: “the theatre is not a cathedral in which one preaches the rules of counterpoint”. At subsequent performances, however, there were distinct signs of a public turn-around, perhaps as the opera’s unusual musical idioms became more familiar. Certainly the Naples correspondent of the Revue et gazette musicale reported public acclaim gradually emerging and boldly stated that “everything suggests a long and glorious future for this work”. He could not have been further from the mark. Perhaps in part because of the highly unusual vocal line-up (two tenors, a mezzo and a contralto) the opera was never revived, either in Naples or elsewhere.

What are we to make of Il proscritto as it emerges after nearly 200 years of complete obscurity? One point needs stressing immediately. The fact that the opera was not revived is not at all unusual and should not be granted undue significance: this fate, after all, befell the majority of operas in early nineteenth-century Italy. In a cultural economy in which (a little like today’s cinema) the greatest interest was always attached to new creations,

works especially written for the occasion, many operas had to be cast aside to make room for the constant influx of the new. On the other hand, it is clear from the reviews and reports of the public response that Mercadante’s idiom was unusual and considered somewhat “difficult”. Worst of all, perhaps, at a time when the great Neapolitan school of opera was in evident decline, the composer was accused in this opera of betraying his homeland and seeking to emulate “northern” influences. Why this accusation was particularly attached to Il proscritto remains a mystery, but –whatever the case – we are dealing with distinctly local concerns; the Neapolitan judgements of 1842 are hardly likely to impinge much on us, 200 years later, with the history of all that has occurred operatically since then wringing in our ears. We must try to think afresh.

In this context, what is immediately striking and paradoxical is that, in some senses at least, Mercadante’s new opera rowed back on his “reform” agenda of the previous decade. For example, the solo numbers (notably for Arturo and Giorgio in the first act) are full of lyric inspiration, and while they do indeed have some ear-catching harmonic and orchestral diversions, these serve to support rather than undermine the melodic outpouring. What’s more, and contrary to Mercadante’s manifesto quoted earlier, the opera has its fair share of exuberant cabalettas, starts with a prominent racket from the banda and is (when the mood demands it) liberal with the bass drum and cymbals. However, it is also true that one of the great glories of the score is its sequence of duets, and here the “reform” agenda is more visible. A partial exception is the Act 1 duet between Malvina and Odoardo, whose slow movement (an Andante sostenuto) is a

wonderful addition to the tradition of two-women duets that grace the Italian nineteenth century. But in Acts 2 and 3 (that is, in the acts that froze the audience into disapproval on first night) there are three scenes of angry confrontation, between Malvina and each of her two lovers, and between the lovers themselves. And here, although one can sometimes trace shards of the conventional series of “movements” that most duets shared in the period, Mercadante’s typical procedure was to explore a more dynamic conception of musical drama, in which fluidity of emotional response and declamatory outbursts are brought to the fore.

Perhaps even more radical, though, are the opera’s three finales. These act-ending moments were those in which Italian composers of the period displayed their “science”: their ability to blend voices and themes skilfully, and to undertake long, complex harmonic unfolding. Typically, though, this “science” would be tempered by the delights of solo song, one of the principal characters initiating the whole adventure with a winning melody (the Duca di Mantova’s “Bella figlia dell’amore” from Act 3 of Verdi’s Rigoletto is a classic case). In the first two finales of Il proscritto, Mercadante stuck to his “reform” by banning any lengthy indulgence to an individual singer: each finale begins with the choral ensemble, the first with fragmented, shocked utterances, the second with a dark, brooding unison theme; and each rises to great heights of communal emotion in climaxes as grand as any created by his more famous Italian contemporaries. And then the final act’s ending is utterly different: much like Verdi’s Nabucco, which was premiered in Milan only a couple of months later, the opera ends with the fractured voice of a dying woman, in this case punctuated only by the distraught cries and melodramatic excesses of her two lovers: it was a bold decision after all the choral magnificence, but one that surely makes dramatic sense in the larger context.

There is so much more to say about this remarkable opera. About how its unusual blend of lead singers, its two warring tenors and its concentration on the lower reaches of the female voice, is matched by a consistent preference for “dark” tonalities (as far as D flat minor in the second finale). About the sheer daring of some of the harmonic excursions: listen out for deft harmonic touches in many orchestral passages, in one case even a lingering on the Tristan chord; or the extraordinarily atmospheric orchestral opening of the Malvina-Giorgio duet in Act 2, which illustrates Giorgio’s troubled sleep. About the continual inventiveness of Mercadante’s “bridge” passages between lyrical sections, which never lapse into routine and often present a level of musical originality entirely unusual in such circumstances. Above all, perhaps, about the manner in which the music responds to the unusual psychological complexity of the principal characters. Malvina, Giorgio and Arturo all begin the opera in what we might call classic melodramatic situations; but in each case their beliefs are called into question, causing strange reversals and creating situations in which they show a psychological depth which is rare indeed in this operatic period. Mercadante responds magnificently to the challenge of this complexity, in particular through his ability to sustain prolonged moments of free-form declamation in which the emotional attitudes of the characters are in flux. The result is an opera which, although it disappeared from view almost immediately after it was created, can nevertheless communicate powerfully to a contemporary audience, perhaps even causing a rethink of the historical landscape that produced so much of our staple operatic repertoire.

© Roger Parker

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LUCIANO PAVAROTTI

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CARLO RIZZI ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Fizzy, funny and brimming with melody

OFFENBACH

Friday 16 September 2022, 7.30pm

QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL

Anne-Catherine Gillet | Virginie Verrez

Christophe Gay | Antoinette Dennefeld

Josh Lovell | Katia Ledoux

Christophe Mortagne | Loïc Félix

Paul Daniel, conductor tickets available at www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Carlo Rizzi

Carlo Rizzi enjoys a long-standing reputation as one of the world's foremost operatic conductors, in demand as a guest artist at the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals. Equally at home in the opera house and the concert hall, his vast repertoire spans everything from the foundation works of the operatic and symphonic canon to rarities by Bellini, Cimarosa and Donizetti to Giordano, Pizzetti and Montemezzi. Combining a deep expertise in the vocal art with theatrical flair and the practical collaborative skills honed over decades of experience in the world's finest theatres, he is acclaimed by singers and audiences alike as a master of the operatic craft. Born in Milan, Rizzi studied at the city’s conservatoire, and following his graduation was employed as a repetiteur at the legendary Teatro alla Scala. He launched his conducting career in 1982 with a production of Donizetti’s L’ajo nell’imbarazzo, and has now performed over a hundred operas, with a broad repertoire that is rich in Italian works in addition to the major titles of Mozart, Wagner, Strauss, Britten, Mussorgsky, Martinů and Janáček.

In September 2019 he was appointed Music Director of Opera Rara, the UK-based company devoted to resurrecting and returning to the repertoire undiscovered and undervalued works from opera’s celebrated and neglected composers. In 2022 they undertake a new recording of Mercadante’s Il proscritto, and future seasons will see performances and recordings of rarities by Offenbach, Donizetti and Verdi. Since 2015, Rizzi has been Conductor Laureate of the Welsh National Opera, following his tenure as Music Director (1992-2001 and 2004-8) during which he was widely credited with overseeing a dramatic increase in the company’s artistic

standards and international profile. He also has held long-standing relationships with the Teatro alla Scala, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and his career has seen him leading numerous productions at the most distinguished operatic addresses including the Opera National de Paris, Teatro Real Madrid, the Rossini Opera Festival of Pesaro, the Netherlands Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the New National Theatre Tokyo, Opernhaus Zürich, Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie, Brussels.

Rizzi’s recent highlights include opening the Canadian Opera Company’s 19/20 season with a new production of Turandot, his debut with the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Firenze, in performances of Un Ballo in Maschera and La Traviata, his debut at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia for La Cenerentola, new productions of Les vêpres siciliennes for Welsh National Opera and Zandonai’s Francesca da Rimini for Deutsche Oper Berlin, and his debut at the Norwegian Opera in Oslo in a new production of Rigoletto. In the 21/22 season he opened the Welsh National Opera season with a production of Madama Butterfly, conducted symphonic concerts with the Manchester Hallé and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera with productions of Tosca and La Bohème; and to the Bayerische Staatsoper with productions of Tosca and Macbeth.

Rizzi will open the new season at the Metropolitan Opera conducting a new production of Cherubini's Médée this Autumn.

Ramón Vargas

One of the most sought-after tenors worldwide, Ramón Vargas was born in Mexico City. In 1982 he made his debut in Haydn's Lo Speziale, in Monterrey, Mexico. His breakthrough came in 1983, when the Mexican conductor Eduardo Mata hired him to sing Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff, and then Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Upon winning the Enrico Caruso Tenor Competition in Milan in 1986, he moved to Austria where he completed his vocal studies at the school of the Wiener Staatsoper under the guidance of Leo Müller, then in Milan with the renowned vocal coach Rodolfo Celletti.

Ramón Vargas’ international debut took place in 1992, when the New York Metropolitan Opera asked him to sing Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor opposite June Anderson, substituting Luciano Pavarotti. This was soon followed by a debut on the stage of La Scala, in 1993, where he sung Fenton in Strehler's new production celebrating the centenary of Falstaff, conducted by Riccardo Muti. He regularly performs at all the world leading opera houses, such as Royal Opera House London, Staatsoper Berlin, Opéra National de Paris, Liceu de Barcelona and many others.

He was awarded the Lauri Volpi Award for the Best Opera Singer of the 1993 Italian season, and in 2000, British Opera Now declared Ramón Vargas Artist of the Year.

Recent performances include Luisa Miller at Staatsoper Hamburg, Don Carlo at Vienna State Opera, La Gioconda at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, Roberto Devereux at Los Angeles Opera, and Les contes d’Hoffman at Teatro Colon de Buenos Aires. This is his debut with Opera Rara.

Iván Ayón-Rivas

Iván was born in 1993 in Perù. He has studied opera under the tutelage of María Eloisa Aguirre, Juan Diego Florez, Ernesto Palacio, Vincenzo Scalera, Maurizio Colaccichi and Luigi Alva. He is currently studying in Italy with baritone Roberto Servile.

In 2013 he won the second prize at the Peruvian National competition for Opera Singers, and in 2014 he sang in many solo recitals in Perù. In November 2015 he won the third edition of the Concorso Internazionale di Canto “Premio Etta Limiti”. He sang in Mercadante’s Francesca Rimini at the Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca conducted by Fabio Luisi, where he came back the following year in Un giorno di regno

Among his recent and future engagements: La Traviata in Venice, Rimini, Florence, Rome, Falstaff in Turin, L’Arlesiana in Berlin, Il Corsaro in Piacenza, I Capuleti e i Montecchi in Rome, and at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, L’elisir d’amore in Las Palmas and Bari, Rigoletto in Florence under the baton of Fabio Luisi, in Turin and in Palermo directed by John Turturro, in Rome under Daniele Gatti, in Venice, Tokyo and in Liège, L’elisir d’amore in Bari and Las Palmas, Don Pasquale and Gianni Schicchi at the Liceu in Barcelona, Eugene Onegin at the Wiener Staatsoper, Faust in Venice, Les contes d’Hoffmann in Sydney and his debut with Macbeth at La Scala.

He won First Prize, the Don Plácido Domingo Ferrer Prize of Zarzuela and the Rolex Prize of the Audience at the Operalia Competition 2021. This is his debut with Opera Rara.

Iván Ayón Rivas’s performance in Mercadante’s Il proscritto is generously supported by Islée Oliva Salinas.

Irene Roberts

American mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts continues to enjoy international acclaim as a singer of exceptional versatility and vocal suppleness. A resident artist with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Roberts’ many roles this season include the title in Carmen, Marguerite in La Damnation de Faust, Nicklausse in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Fenena in Nabucco, and Dulcinée in Don Quichotte. She recently made her debut at Teatro La Fenice in the role of Amneris in Aida and at the Macerata Opera Festival as the title role in Carmen.

Roberts has a close relationship with the San Francisco Opera where she made her debut in Les contes d’Hoffmann in 2013. She has since returned as the title role in Calixto Bieto’s US debut production of Carmen, and in the world premiere of Bright Sheng’s Dream of the Red Chamber. Recent engagements have included Le nozze di Figaro and Parsifal at the Metropolitan Opera, Don Giovanni, Madama Butterfly, Les contes d’Hoffmann, and Ariadne auf Naxos at Palm Beach Opera, L’Italiana in Algeri with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Marschner’s Der Vampyr at New Orleans Opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia with Atlanta Opera, and Gounod’s Faust with Lyric Opera Baltimore.

Among recent and future engagements: Carmen, Nabucco, Madama Butterfly and Tristan und Isolde in Berlin, Julie in Opéra nationale Lorraine, Così fan tutte in San Francisco, Parsifal in Hannover, and Tannhäuser in Klagenfurt and Lyon. This is her debut with Opera Rara.

Irene Roberts’ performance in Mercadante’s Il proscritto is generously supported by Michael Buckley.

Elizabeth DeShong

Opera News wrote of Elizabeth DeShong's performance as Sesto in the Los Angeles Opera's production of La Clemenza di Tito: "Elizabeth DeShong took pride of place as Sesto. DeShong sang with the range, expressiveness and musical precision that captured the hysterical extremes of her character. Much of Sesto’s music lies in the cellars of DeShong’s mezzo-soprano, where the intensely deep contralto tones she commands contrasted startlingly with the dazzling coloratura runs at the top of her range.”

DeShong initially trained as a pianist and subsequently studied singing at Oberlin College. She has sung several roles for the Metropolitan Opera, New York, including Arsace (Semiramide), Wardrobe Mistress/Schoolboy/Page (Lulu), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Enchanted Island) and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly). Her other appearances include Fenena (Nabucco) and Adalgisa (Norma) for Lyric Opera of Chicago, Angelina (La Cenerentola), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Suzuki for Glyndebourne Festival, Ruggiero (Alcina) for Washington National Opera, Arsace in Bordeaux, Suzuki for Bavarian State Opera, Angelina for Wiener Staatsoper, Calbo (Maometto II) for Canadian Opera Company, Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel) for Edinburgh Festival, and Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) for Los Angeles Opera. In 2010 she received Washington National Opera’s Young Artist of the Year Award for performances as the Composer (Ariadne auf Naxos).

DeShong has sung with major US and European orchestras in concert, in repertory including Adam’s The Gospel According to the Other Mary, Elgar’s The Kingdom, Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony, Handel’s Messiah and Verdi’s Requiem

This is her debut with Opera Rara.

Goderdzi Janelidze Sally Matthews

Sally Matthews was the winner of the 1999 Kathleen Ferrier Award. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and went on to become a member of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Young Artist Programme.

Sally has appeared on many other great opera stages, including La Monnaie, Brussels, Dutch National Opera, Theater an der Wien, the Bayerischer Staatsoper and Glyndebourne Festival Opera in roles including Norma; Madeleine Capriccio, Daphne and Marschallin; Jenufa, Rusalka and Tatyana; Eugene Onegin, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Countess in Le nozze di Figaro as well as Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes

She sings regularly with orchestras including the Philharmonia, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic and Bavarian Radio Symphony with conductors Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Harding, Robin Ticciati, François-Xavier Roth and Mikko Franck, in works which include Mahler Symphonies Nos 2, 4 and 8, Strauss Vier letzte Lieder, Schumann Paradies und die Peri, Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem, Mendelssohn Lobgesang and Berg Seven Early Songs. She also appears regularly at the BBC Proms.

She has appeared in recital with pianist Simon Lepper in venues including Wigmore Hall, La Monnaie, Brussels, the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and New York’s Carnegie Hall. This is her debut with Opera Rara.

Georgian bass Goderdzi Janelidze is the winner of the First Prize at the 2017 Elena Obraztsova International Competition, the Main Prize and Audience Prize at the 2018 International Fyodor Chalyapin competition and the First Prize and Audience Prize at the 2018 International RimskyKorsakov Competition. He was previously a member of the ensemble at the Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow, where his roles included Monk in Don Carlo, Colline in La bohème, and Brander in La damnation de Faust.

In the 2021-22 season he makes his house debuts at Opéra national de Paris (Sparafucile in Rigoletto) and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (Old Hebrew in Samson et Dalila).

Recent highlights include Colline in La bohème (his house debut at Gran Teatro del Liceu, Barcelona); Vodnik in Rusalka (Vlaanderen Opera); title role in Don Quichotte (Wexford Festival Opera); Tom in Un ballo in maschera (Teatro Real, Madrid); Sparafucile in Rigoletto (Bregenzer Festspiele, Canadian Opera Company, Teatro Colòn); Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin (Vancouver Opera); Konchak in Prince Igor (Bolshoi Theatre); Verdi’s Requiem (Teatro Colòn, Berlin Cathedral); and Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Creon in Cherubini’s Medea (Al Bustan Festival, Lebanon). This is his debut with Opera Rara.

Alessandro Fisher Susana Gaspar

Portuguese soprano Susana Gaspar’s recent engagements include Vitellia in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème, 1st Nymph in Dvorak’s Rusalka, and La Passion de Simone by Kaija Saariaho, for Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon. Also Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata for Nevill Holt Opera, Cio-Cio San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly for Diva Opera, Marguerite in Gounod's Faust for Valladolid Opera, Mahler's Symphony No. 4 conducted by Bruno Borralhinho in concerts in Madrid and Galizia, a recording of Portuguese songs by Fernando Lopes-Graça with Nuno Vieira de Almeida, and soprano soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with Hastings Philharmonic.

Susana was a member of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme 2011-13 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, singing Barbarina in Le nozze di Fìgaro, Contessa Ceprano in Rigoletto, Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore, First Innocent Minotaur, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Voce dal Cielo in Don Carlo and Aurore in Le Portrait de Manon (Meet the Young Artists Week).

Susana represented Portugal in the 2013 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World finals.

Recordings include Portugal Matinas do Natal for Paraty, Fanny Mendelssohn's songs with Malcolm Martineau, opera arias and duets with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Renato Balsadonna, and Semiramide, Le portrait de Manon and Les nuits d’été for Opera Rara.

Awarded a 2022 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, an Associate Artist of The Mozartists and a former member of the BBC’s New Generation Artists Scheme, Alessandro Fisher won First Prize at the 2016 Kathleen Ferrier Awards. He read Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge, where he was a Choral Scholar at Clare College, furthering his studies at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

He made his Salzburg Festival debut as Lucano in L’Incoronazione di Poppea and his operatic engagements have further included Delmiro / Alindo in Hipermestra for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Fabio in Berenice for the Royal Opera, London, the title role in Dardanus for English Touring Opera and Fenton in Falstaff for The Grange Festival.

His recordings include L’Incoronazione di Poppea with Les Arts Florissants on Harmonia Mundi, Bastien und Bastienne with The Mozartists on Signum and Roussel’s Évocations with the BBC Philharmonic on Chandos.

Engagements in 2021/2022 include the Bach's Mass in B Minor with the New London Orchestra, Mendelssohn's Elias at the Badisches Staatstheater Klagenfurt, Monteverdi's Vesperae della beate Vergine with La Nuova Musica at London’s Wigmore Hall, Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 3 and On Wenlock Edge with the BBC Philharmonic, First Brother in The Seven Deadly Sins on tour with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle (London, Cologne, Essen) and a New Generation Artist Recital at Stoller Hall. This is his debut with Opera Rara.

Niall Anderson

Originally from Fife, Niall Anderson has recently graduated from the Académie at the Opéra National de Paris. He began his vocal studies at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Glenville Hargreaves and Jonathan Papp.

He was a soloist in the RAM/Kohn Bach Cantata Series, performing with the Song Circle on numerous occasions and winning the 2019 Pavarotti Prize. His roles have included Escamillo in La Tragédie de Carmen, Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia, Somnus in Semele, Harašta in The Cunning Little Vixen, Le Philosphe in Chérubin, Speaker in Die Zauberflöte, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas and Bertrand in Iolanta

A keen performer of new music, he has premiered works by Thomas Lavoy and was Soloist in the Welsh première of Paul Mealor’s Symphony No.1, Passiontide. His concert engagements have further included performances at Salisbury Cathedral, Wells Cathedral and London’s Wigmore Hall, his repertoire including Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Requiem and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle

Engagements during 2021/2022 include Krzysztof Warlikowski’s production of Bernstein’s A quiet place at the Palais Garnier, to be conducted by Kent Nagano, as well as Ballades du Nord, Classiques Américains and Concert de fêtes at the Amphithéâtre Olivier Messiaen – Opera Bastille. Engagements in 2022 / 2023 currently include Second Priest / Second Armed Man in Die Zauberflöte for the Opéra national de Paris and Allazim in Zaide for Angers Nantes Opera.

This is his debut with Opera Rara.

Opera Rara

Opera Rara’s mission is to restore, record, perform and promote the lost operatic heritage of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Opera Rara is a unique combination of opera company, recording label and live operatic archaeologist. We search for neglected operatic masterpieces and restore them to life for contemporary audiences to enjoy. Working with the best singers, conductors, orchestras and musicologists, we are at the cutting edge of the opera world, leading the expansion of the repertoire and encouraging other opera companies to explore new and unknown operatic jewels.

2020 marked Opera Rara’s 50th anniversary, halfa-century of ground-breaking work. Our artistic success has been publicly recognised through major awards, notably at the International Opera Awards (Best Opera Recording) for Rossini’s Semiramide (2019), Donizetti’s Les Martyrs (2016) and Offenbach’s Fantasio (2015); International Classical Music Award for Semiramide (Best Opera, 2019) and for Ermonela Jaho’s debut recital album Anima Rara (Best Vocal Music Recording, 2021); Opus Klassik (Best Recording) for Semiramide (2019) and at the OPER! Awards (Best Recording) for Donizetti’s L’Ange de Nisida (2019).

The Opera Rara catalogue comprises over 100 titles, including 60 complete opera recordings. Our work has led to a fundamental revaluation of the reputation of Donizetti, Pacini, Offenbach and Mercadante, changing the way in which these composers are perceived internationally. Following our world premiere concerts in July 2018, Donizetti’s L’Ange de Nisida received its first

professional staging in Bergamo in November 2019 and Offenbach’s Fantasio has received several stagings throughout Europe since our recording in 2015, including at the Garsington Festival. Opera Rara’s latest studio recording, Donizetti’s Il Paria, with Albina Shagimuratova, René Barbera and Britten Sinfonia conducted by Sir Mark Elder, was released in January 2021 to wide critical acclaim.

Following Sir Mark Elder’s departure as Artistic Director, after a remarkable seven-year period in which the company’s artistic reputation worldwide was extraordinarily high, internationally acknowledged 19th-century opera specialist Carlo Rizzi was appointed his successor in 2019. Future plans include a studio recording of Offenbach’s La Princesse de Trébizonde, conducted by Paul Daniel, which will be performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in September, and the release of Rizzi's recording of Leoncavallo's Zingari, his first recording as Opera Rara’s Artistic Director, and his world premiere recording of Mercadante’s Il proscritto

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Carlo Rizzi

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Henry Little

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Charles Alexander CBE, Chairman

Glenn Hurstfield

Adolfo Laurenti

Simon Mortimore QC

Alison Nicol

Islée Oliva Salinas

Terence Sinclair

Nicholas Thomas

Louis Watt

ARTISTIC PATRON

Renée Fleming

LABEL & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Aurelie Baujean

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Irene Cook

DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Zachary Vanderburg

CONSULTANTS

Kirstin Peltonen, Development Consultant

Jesús Iglesias Noriega, Casting Consultant

Macbeth Media Relations, Press and PR

Roger Parker, Repertoire Consultant

INSTAGRAM opera.rara

FACEBOOK OperaRaraOfficial

TWITTER operarara

info@opera-rara.com

www.opera-rara.com

Thank you

Opera Rara’s projects are only made possible by the generosity of our supporters, who believe in our mission to restore, record, perform and promote the forgotten operatic heritage of the 19th and early 20th centuries. We would like to take this opportunity to thank those individuals and foundations who have made a gift to our Annual Fund*. Their continued support is vital.

GUARDIAN SOCIETY

Carlo Grosso

Stefan Olsson and John Tierney

CIRCLE MEMBERS

Charles Alexander CBE

Michael Hartnall

Islée Oliva Salinas and Michael

Buckley

Carlo Rizzi and Lucy Stout

Sir Simon and Lady Virginia Robertson

PATRONS

David Bernstein

Roger Bramble

Sir Anthony Cleaver

Marco Compagnoni

Timothy Congdon

Eleanor Cranmer and Nick Thomas

Jeff and Emily Fergus

Hamish Forsyth

Edward Gasson

Allan Heinberg

Malcolm Herring

Glenn Hurstfield

Alan Jackson

Adolfo Laurenti and Juliet Petrus

Hal Lindberg

David McCue

Chris and Dominique Moore

Simon Mortimore QC

Alison Nicol

Peter Rosenthal

Imogen Rumbold

Terence and Sian Sinclair

Martin and Patricia Spiro

Gerry Wakelin and Ivor Samuels

Mark Walker

Louis Watt

FRIENDS

Claus Ambos

Sir David Bean

David Buchler

Barry Buttifant

Marian Gilbart Read

David Grant

Robert Gray

Yvonne Horsfall-Turner

Sarah and Christopher Knight

Christopher Leslie

Michele Leuenberger

Margaret and Oscar Lewisohn

Hal Lindberg

Sir Timothy Lloyd

Bruce and Sara Mauleverer

Lady Carolyn Newbigging

John Nickson

Lady Jane Rayne

Christopher and Lucie Sims

Zachary Vanderburg and Felipe Ramos

Barajas

Richard Anwyl Williams

And our many Contributor and Member Friends

*The Annual Fund list is comprised of donors who gave at the Connoisseur level or higher from November 2020 to May 2022

LIFETIME GUARDIANS

Opera Rara is particularly grateful to those individuals and organisations who have been exceedingly generous and have been guardians of our work since 1970.

Charles Alexander CBE

Arts Council England

Foyle Foundation

Carlo Grosso

Michael Hartnall

Glenn Hurstfield

The Monument Trust

Sir Peter Moores and the Peter Moores Foundation

Stefan Olsson & John Tierney

Sir Simon and Lady Virginia Robertson

A full list of Opera Rara’s current Annual Fund supporters can be found at: opera-rara.com/our-supporters

TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS

Foyle Foundation

John Ellerman Foundation

Anoushka Shankar and Britten Sinfonia

Superstar sitar player Anoushka Shankar performs dazzling arrangements of her own music with Britten Sinfonia, percussionist Manu Delago and conductor Jules Buckley.

Magnum Opus showcase

Britten Sinfonia’s year-long composer development programme, Magnum Opus, comes to a climax with the premieres of new chamber concertos by Aileen Sweeney, Jonathan Brigg and Nathan James Dearden.

Bach’s Christmas Oratorio

Britten Sinfonia, Polyphony Soloists and Stephen Layton come together for a performance of Bach’s joyous Christmas masterwork.

Find out more and book tickets at brittensinfonia.com

St Giles Cripplegate

Britten Sinfonia

In 1992, Britten Sinfonia was established as a bold reimagining of the conventional image of an orchestra. A flexible ensemble comprising the UK’s leading soloists and chamber musicians came together with a unique vision: to collapse the boundaries between old and new music, to collaborate with composers, conductors and guest artists across the arts, focussing on the musicians rather than following the vision of a principal conductor; and to create involving, intelligent music events that both audiences and performers experience with an unusual intensity.

The orchestra is named after Benjamin Britten, in part a homage to its chosen home of the East of England, where Britten’s roots were also strong. But Britten Sinfonia also embodies its namesake’s ethos. Its projects are illuminating and distinctive; characterised by their rich diversity of influences and artistic collaborators; and always underpinned by a commitment to uncompromising quality, whether the orchestra is performing in New York’s Lincoln Center or in Lincolnshire’s Crowland Abbey. Britten Sinfonia musicians are deeply rooted in the communities they work with, with an underlying philosophy of finding ways to reach even the most excluded individuals and groups.

Today Britten Sinfonia is heralded as one of the world’s leading ensembles and its philosophy of adventure and reinvention has inspired a new movement of emerging chamber groups. It is an Associate Ensemble at London’s Barbican, Resident Orchestra at Saffron Hall in Essex and has a regular season in Norwich. It performs regularly at London’s Wigmore Hall and at major UK festivals including the Aldeburgh, Brighton, Norfolk and Norwich Festivals and the BBC Proms. The orchestra has performed

a live broadcast to more than a million people worldwide from the Sistine Chapel, and toured to the US, Asia and much of Europe. It is a BBC Radio 3 Broadcast Partner and has an impressively broad discography on labels such as Hyperion, Harmonia Mundi and Signum – from Handel’s Messiah with Stephen Layton and the complete Beethoven symphonies with Thomas Adès to Vaughan Williams, Britten and MacMillan.

Recent and current collaborators include Keaton Henson, Abel Selaocoe, Anoushka Shankar and Alison Balsom. Britten Sinfonia has been involved in over 200 commissions and world premieres, most recently working with composers such as Thomas Adès, Gerald Barry, Shiva Feshareki, Emily Howard, Brad Mehldau, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Dani Howard, Alissa Firsova and Tansy Davies. The orchestra was a commissioning partner in a ground-breaking partnership between minimalist composer Steve Reich and visual artist Gerhard Richter in a new work that was premiered in October 2019.

ONLINE

Join us outside the concert hall to share your thoughts on the performance and stay up to date with the latest Britten Sinfonia news. For videos, podcasts, recordings, news stories and links to our blog visit brittensinfonia.com or follow our social media pages.

Outside the concert hall, Britten Sinfonia musicians work on creative and therapeutic projects with pre-school children, teenagers, young carers, people living with dementia, life-time prisoners and older people at risk of isolation. The orchestra has two talent development schemes for composers: Opus 1, for composers near the start of their compostion journey and Magnum Opus, for composers who have achieved some success and are looking for more support to take the next step in their career. INSTAGRAM

FIRST VIOLINS

Thomas Gould Leader

Supported by Charles Rawlinson MBE & Jill Rawlinson

Jacqueline Shave Leader

Supported by Richard Plaskett

Marcus Barcham Stevens Co-Leader

Supported by Barry & Ann Scrutton

Róisín Walters

Clara Biss

Ruth Ehrlich

Supported by Janis Susskind OBE

Martin Gwilym-Jones

Beatrix Lovejoy

Fiona McCapra

Katherine Shave

Supported by Penelope Robson

SECOND VIOLINS

Miranda Dale

Supported by an anonymous donor

Nicola Goldscheider

Supported by Andrew & Rosemary Tusa

Alexandra Caldon

Supported by Patrick Meehan

Anna Bradley

Marcus Broome

Suzanne Loze

Judith Stowe

Supported by William & Judith Bollinger

VIOLAS

Clare Finnimore

Supported by Anna & Kamal Ahuja

Sascha Bota

Bridget Carey

Supported by David Green

Rachel Byrt

CELLOS

Caroline Dearnley

Supported by Elizabeth Goodchild

Ben Chappell

Joy Hawley

Supported by Elizabeth Goodchild

Julia Vohralik

Supported by anonymous donor

DOUBLE BASSES

Stephen Williams

Supported by Dr & Mrs Jerome Booth

Roger Linley

Benjamin Russell

FLUTES

Emer McDonough

Supported by Delia Broke

Thomas Hancox

Supported by Richard Plaskett

Sarah O’Flynn

OBOES

Nicholas Daniel

Peter Facer

Emma Feilding

CLARINETS

Joy Farrall

Supported by Andrew & Jane Sutton

Oliver Pashley

Supported by Richard & Fiona Walford

BASSOONS

Sarah Burnett

Simon Couzens

HORNS

Martin Owen

Supported by Dame Mary Archer DBE

Tom Rumsby

Alex Wide

TRUMPET

Paul Archibald

Supported by Lord Archer

TIMPANI

William Lockhart

HARP

Lucy Wakeford

PIANO

Huw Watkins

HARPSICHORD

Maggie Cole

Supported by Roger Bamber

BRITTEN SINFONIA VOICES DIRECTOR

Eamonn Dougan

Supported by an anonymous donor

MANAGEMENT

Meurig Bowen CEO & Artistic Director

Supported by Hamish & Sophie Forsyth

James Calver Concerts Director

Hannah Bates Orchestra

Personnel Manager

Hazel Shah Concerts & Tours Manager

Rachel Wilkinson Creative Learning

Manager

Cheryl Davis Production Assistant

Lauren Hill Production Assistant

Elaine Rust Finance Manager

Nick Brealey Development Director

Shoël Stadlen Marketing Director

Anna Kent Marketing Coordinator

Alice Walton Special Projects Advisor

Sophie Cohen National Press & PR Agent

TRUSTEES

Janis Susskind OBE Interim Chair

Professor Helen Odell-Miller OBE

Professor John Last OBE

Sreeja Nedungadi

Richard Plaskett

Judith Serota OBE

Rebecca Trumper

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Judith Serota OBE Chair

Anna Gustafson

Caroline Jarrold

Patricia Morison

Sreeja Nedungadi

Barry Scrutton

Thank you

Britten Sinfonia is proud to acknowledge the support of numerous individuals, trusts and foundations, corporate partners and public funders who enable us to play outstanding concerts to audiences across the UK and the rest of the world.

Everything we do – each and every concert, project, collaboration and partnership – benefits from the vision and generosity of all those listed and those who wish to remain anonymous.

For more information about giving to your orchestra, please contact the Development Team on 01223 558501 or email support@brittensinfonia.com

PRINCIPAL FUNDER

BENEFACTORS

Rob Hammond & Charlotte Sankey

Nicholas & Caroline Dixey

Susan May

Sue & Frank Paice

Dr Peter Stephenson

Thomas Ward

GOLD FRIENDS

Chris & Mary Ash

Sarah Knights & Tony Barnett

Susan Costello

Sally & Michael Fowler

Professor John Last

Isobel Lee

Diana Hiddleston

Robert Burton

Roger Rowe

SILVER FRIENDS

Sue & Tim Burton

Sarah Garnier

Mike Holley

Michael & Patricia McLaren-Turner

John Robins & Patricia Morison

TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS

Britten Sinfonia is a PRS Foundation Talent

Development Partner supported by PPL

Mila Charitable Organisation

Cockayne - Grants for the Arts

The London Community Foundation

The Patrick Rowland Foundation

John S Cohen Foundation

The Behrens Foundation

The Paul Bassham Charitable Trust

Hinrichsen Foundation

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR

Dave Plummer & Lesley Whitby

Christine & Peter Wall

S Bradfield

Janet Brealey

J Ceybird

Dennis Davis

Shirley Ellis

Dr Anna Guy

Maureen Hanke

Richard Hopkin

Susan Maddock

Dr Colin Matthews

Ruth Rattenbury

PUBLIC FUNDERS & PARTNERS

Cambridgeshire Music Partnership

Norfolk & Norwich Festival Bridge

Norfolk Music Hub

Peterborough Music Partnership

SINFONIA CIRCLE

Dr Claire Barlow & Professor Jim Woodhouse

Barry & Ann Scrutton

Dame Mary Archer DBE

Hamish & Sophie Forsyth

Dr & Mrs Jerome Booth

Charles Rawlinson MBE & Jill Rawlinson

Judith Rattenbury

Dr Paul A Sackin

Alan Sainer

Richard Somerford

Mary Anne Sutherland

Kay Warbrick

Merlin & Imogen Waterson

Christine Webber

Colin Willis

Paddy Wilson

Plus Bronze Friends and anonymous donors