| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 1-Dec-2012 Sheldonian Theatre | Superlative Britten in Oxford: World première of Two Psalms |
 With his centenary year fast approaching, Saturday night’s concert was a celebration of all things Britten. The festivities have certainly begun in style in Oxford, with Nicholas Cleobury leading the Oxford Bach Choir, the English Chamber Orchestra and soprano Elizabeth Atherton in some truly outstanding music-making. Mixing works by Britten himself with those by composers who influenced him, the performances of the majority of the pieces were dynamic and committed, and certainly made for a memorable evening.
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| 2-Jun-2012 Grange Park Opera, Northington | Madama Butterfly at Grange Park |
 If your favourite part of opera is a soaring melody which stays in your head long after the opera is over, they don’t come much better than Un bel dì in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, in which our enraptured heroine sings of the day that her husband’s ship will reappear on the horizon. At Grange Park last night, Claire Rutter did it full justice. She has a strong voice well able to rise above the orchestral swell of Puccini’s soaring highs or sink down to a perfectly controlled pianissimo, all with beautiful warmth of tone.Read full review... | |
| 10-Dec-2011 Leeds Town Hall | Leeds Festival Chorus and the English Chamber Orchestra perform Handel's Messiah |
 Since its first performance in 1742, Handel's Messiah has become one of the world's most popular and widely performed oratorios. With a biblical libretto which tells the story of Jesus from the Nativity to the Ascension, and stunning, joyous choral parts that lend themselves equally well to small and large choirs, the Messiah has become a festive must-hear. In fact, for many lovers of classical music, Christmas just wouldn't be the same without it.
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| 30-Jun-2011 Grange Park Opera, Northington | “Such dangerous fascinations” Tristan & Isolde at Grange Park Opera |
 History has cast a complex light on Wagner’s music and on Wagner the man. But Tristan & Isolde (Wagner’s enormous vision of erotic love) is an opera that can still resonate today. Nietzsche referred to its “dangerous fascinations”, “spine-tingling and blissful infinity“ and “voluptuousness”. This was Grange Park Opera’s first foray into Wagnerian opera. They are based in an award-winning built opera house tucked away behind the imposing bulk of The Grange, a partially ruined mansion in glorious Hampshire countryside.Read full review... | |
