Alumni Spotlight: Masterclass with Susan Bullock CBE
International Concert Series 2024-25
Thursday,30th January2025
PictureGallery, Founder’sBuilding with Susan Bullock CBE
Tom Jetsy Piano
andperforming: Esme Ellis
Lingling Bao-Smith
Dimitra-Efthycia Sotiropoulou
Alicia Hunt
Estimatedfinishtime:9 30pm
Pleasenoflashphotographyor visual/audiorecording throughouttheevent.
For news about our future events, please visit royalholloway.ac.uk/music/events
EVENT PROGRAMME
J.S. Bach (1685 – 1750)
‘Erbame Dich, Mein Gott’ , from St Matthew Passion, BWV 244
Performed by Esme Ellis
George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759)
‘Tornami a vagheggiar’ , from Alcina, HWV 34
Performed by Lingling Bao-Smith
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)
‘Dein blaues Auge’ , from 8 Lieder and Songs, Op. 59
Wie Melodien zieht es mir, Op. 105, No. 1
Performed by Dimitra-Efthycia Sotiropoulou
Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976)
‘Quint, Peter Quint’ , from The Turn of the Screw
Performed by Alicia Hunt
PROGRAMME
NOTES
George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) ‘Tornami avagheggiar’, from Alcina,HWV34
TEXT
Tornami a vagheggiar, Te solo vuole amar Quest' Anima fedel, Caro mio bene. Già ti donai ’l mio cor: Fido sarà el mio amor. Mai ti sarò crudel, Cara mia spene.
TRANSLATION
My soul is full of you alone, My dearest youth, You only can I love. Since now I’ve given you my heart, I never more will change, But ever will be kind and true, My dear, alone to you.
Handel’s Alcina (1735) is a Baroque opera full of enchantment, deception, and transformation. ‘Tornami a vagheggiar’ is a virtuosic soprano aria sung by Morgana, the sorceress Alcina’s sister. Overflowing with joyful passages and radiant energy, the aria expresses Morgana’s flirtatious excitement as she pleads for the return of her beloved’s affections. This piece showcases Handel’s ability to blend technical brilliance with deep emotional expression, making it a standout moment in Alcina. The lively orchestration and vocallinesreflectMorgana’splayfulyetpassionate nature, making this aria a favourite among both singers and audiences.
Johannes Brahms (1883 – 1897)
‘DeinblauesAuge’,from8Lieder andSongs,Op.59
TEXT
Dein blaues Auge hält so still, Ich blicke bis zum Grund. Du fragst mich, was ich sehen will? Ich sehe mich gesund.
Es brannte mich ein glühend Paar, Noch schmerzt das Nachgefühl: Das deine ist wie See so klar Und wie ein See so kühl.
Text by Klaus Groth
TRANSLATION
Your blue eyes stay so still, I look into their depths. You ask me what I seek to see? Myself restored to health.
A pair of ardent eyes have burnt me, The pain of it still throbs: Your eyes are limpid as a lake, And like a lake as cool.
Translation
by Richard Stokes
Johannes Brahms was a German composer, pianist, and conductor in the Romantic period; he wrote 8 Lieder and Songs, Op. 59, in 1873. The text of ‘Dein blaues Auge’ (‘Your Blue Eyes’) comes from Brahams’ good friend, Klaus Groth (1819 –1899). Groth was a German regionalist poet, meaning his work focused on a specific area's dialect, culture, and geography. Allegedly, this piece is written for Clara Schumann. In his letters, Brahms had admitted his love for her many times. Schumann and Brahms remained close friends throughout their lives and historians still debate whether or not the pair acted on their romantic feelings for each other.
Johannes Brahms
Wie Melodien zieht es mir,Op.105, No.1
TEXT
Wie Melodien zieht es Mir leise durch den Sinn, Wie Frühlingsblumen blüht es Und schwebt wie Duft dahin.
Doch kommt das Wort und faßt es Und führt es vor das Aug’, Wie Nebelgrau erblaßt es Und schwindet wie ein Hauch.
Und dennoch ruht im Reime Verborgen wohl ein Duft, Den mild aus stillem Keime Ein feuchtes Auge ruft.
TRANSLATION
Thoughts, like melodies, Steal softly through my mind, Like spring flowers they blossom And drift away like fragrance.
Text by Klaus Groth
Yet when words come and capture them And bring them before my eyes, They turn pale like grey mist And vanish like a breath.
Yet surely in rhyme A fragrance lies hidden, Summoned by moist eyes From the silent seed.
Translation by Richard Stokes
Wie Melodien zieht es mir (‘It moves like a melody’) features a teasingly abstract text, with a recurring reference to an unexplained “it” (es) that periodically moves the singer but the feeling doesn’t last. “It” wafts away like scent (Duft) when melody calls “it” forth. “It” vanishes like the greyness of mist (Nebelgrau) when captured in words or print. Only in the germinating bud (Keime) of lyrical poetry (Reime) is “it” (the poet’s message) revealed to the moistened eye of the receptive soul. A continuous flow of quavers in the piano accompaniment and constant small
inflections in the harmony express both the singer’s free flow of thoughts and the way those thoughts evaporate soon after they appear. The piano’s cascading arpeggios most often move in contrary motion to the melody line, as does the bass line, in keeping with good contrapuntal practice.
Programme Notes by The Vancouver Recital Society
Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976)
‘Quint,PeterQuint’,from The Turn of the Screw
TEXT
Quint, Peter Quint! The Master’s valet. Left here in charge. It was not for me to say, Miss, no indeed, I had only to see to the house.
But I saw things, elsewhere I did not like, when Quint was free with ev’ryone, with little Master Miles! Hours they spent together.
Yes, miss, he made free with her toowith lovely Miss Jessel, Governess to those pets, those angels, those innocent babesAnd she a lady, so far above him. Dear God! Is there no end? But he had ways to twist them round his little finger. He liked them pretty I can tell you, miss, and he had his will, morning and night.
The master I dared not tell him. 'Twas not my place. They were not in my charge. Quint was too clever I feared him, fear’d what he could do.
No, Mr. Quint, I did not like your ways! And then she went. She couldn't stay, not then. She went away to die.
inflections in the harmony express both the singer’s free flow of thoughts and the way those thoughts evaporate soon after they appear. The piano’s cascading arpeggios most often move in contrary motion to the melody line, as does the bass line, in keeping with good contrapuntal practice.
Programme Notes by The Vancouver Recital Society
Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976)
‘Quint, PeterQuint’,from The Turn of the Screw
Quint died too. Fell on the icy road, struck his head, lay there till morning, dead! Dear God, is there no end to his dreadful ways?
‘Quint, Peter Quint’ is a piece from Benjamin Britten's opera The Turn of the Screw The opera is based on and named after Henry James’s (1843 –1916) short horror story. The opera, which premiered on 14th September 1954, follows a young governess who is sent to a large country estate, known as Bly, to care for two children. She is given strict orders by their distant uncle to never write to him, to never ask about the history of Bly and to never abandon the children. The governess starts to see ghosts around the estate. After describing them to the housekeeper, the apparitions are identified as the previous governess Miss Jessel and the former valet Peter Quint. The two had an affair and had died in mysteriouscircumstancesnottoolongago. ‘Quint, Peter Quint’ is typically sung by a tenor
OUR PERFORMERS
Susan Bullock’suniquepositionasoneof the world’s most sought-after dramatic sopranos wasrecognised by the award of aCBEinJune2014
Of her most distinctive roles, Wagner’s Brünnhilde has garnered outstanding praise leading Bullock to becomethefirsteversopranotosingfour consecutive cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Royal Opera House under Sir Antonio Pappano. Appearances as Richard Strauss’ Elektra have brought her equal international acclaim and collaborations with some of the world’s leading conductors including Fabio Luisi, Semyon Bychkov, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Mark ElderandEdodeWaart.
In addition to her operatic achievements, Susan Bullock’s concert work has been extensive and diverse. She has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen and Zubin Mehta, for the Liebestod from Tristanund Isolde. Celebrated appearances have included the Last Night of the Proms in2011and aspecial appearance at the London2012Olympicsclosingceremony.
Inrecentseasons,Susanhasexplorednew repertoire, debuting her “chilling” Kabanicha (The Guardian) in Katya Kabanova at Grange Park Opera under Stephen Barlow, Klytaemnestra (Elektra) for the Canadian Opera Company under JohannesDebus,andwithOperFrankfurt in Claus Guth’s new production under Sebastian Weigle. Further debuts include intheroleofKostelnička(Jenůfa) for Den
Norske Opera and Grange Park Opera; bothGertrudeandTheWitch(Hänselund Gretel) for Opera North and Grange Park Opera, andas Mrs Lovett (SweeneyTodd) for Houston Grand Opera and Bergen National Opera; and acclaimed appearances with Scottish Opera include Mark Anthony-Turnage’s Greek at the Edinburgh International Festival andBAMand The Old Lady in their new production of Candide. Susan Bullock debuted as an actor in Keith Warner’s unique staging of King Lear in which she playedGonerilattheGrangeFestival.
Other notable recent collaborations includeOperFrankfurtforthefirstrevival of Elektra under their new music director Thomas Guggeis, singing the role of Klytämnestra, and reprising Kostelnička in Jenůfa at the English National Opera withKeri-LynnWilson.
This season, Susan Bullock will return to Scottish Opera as Lady Billows in Daisy Evans’ new production of Albert Herring under William Cole and joins La Monnaie/DeMuntfortheworldpremiere
of Mikhale Karlsson’s Fanny and Alexander as Helena Ekdahl, directed by Ivo van Hove and conducted by Ariane Matiakh. Her season concludes at Longborough Festival Opera for theUKpremiere of Wahnfried, singing Cosima Wagner underJustin Brown and directedbyPollyGraham.
Bullock’s significant discography includes Der Ring des Nibelungen with OperFrankfurtunderSebastianWeigleon Oehms Classics (also available onDVD), and the title role in Salome with Philharmonia Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras for Chandos. In August2024, Bullockreleasedhernewalbum SongsMy Father Taught Me on the Champs Hill RecordswithpianistRichardSisson,which featuresworksfromSondheimtoRichard MaltbyandBurtBacharach.
Beyond her performing career, Susan Bullock is committed to nurturing young talent, actively contributing to the National Opera Studio’s Sounding Board and conducting workshops and masterclassesthroughouttheUK
Tom Jesty beganhismusicaleducationby singing as a Quirister in the Winchester College Chapel Choir from the age of 8. Tom went on to study piano with Nick Salwey at Winchester College, where he gainedanFTCLperformancediploma,and performed Rachmaninov's second piano concerto with the school orchestra. Tom studiedforabachelor'sdegreeinmusicat StPeter’sCollegeOxford,andduringthis time he sang as a choral scholar in the collegechapelchoir.
Since graduating, Tom has worked as a piano teacher and accompanist. Tom recently completed a masters course in piano accompaniment at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studied with Pamela Lidiard and Iain Burnside.
In March 2023, Tom won the Paul Harmburger Prize for Voice and Piano, accompanying baritone George Robarts. Tomdrawsonhischoralexperienceacting as accompanist for the City Chamber Choir,directedbyStephenJones,andthe Hampshire Youth Choirs, directed by KerryKenwardandAndrewHayman.Tom also works as music director at St Mary's churchinIslington,andisamemberofthe Guildhall Session Singers, a jazz choir directed by Clare Wheeler. At Royal Holloway, Tom took up the post of Graduate Fellow in Collaborative Piano at Royal Holloway University at the beginning of this academicyear.
