And we’ve only just started the summer!
Hi Everyone,
Well here we are in the middle of June and I alresdy feel like I’ve done 2 summer seasons.
Easter was mostly taken up with my choir. We had a performance of Stainer’s Crcifixion in which I both conducted and sang the Tenor solos. Simon Thorpe sang the Baritone solos splendidly and the choir were great. We had a scare on the day as the organist was taken in to hospital. Sometimes it helps to be married to a fabulous pianist, and, even though she doesn’t really do organs, Audrey sight read it wonderfully. Three days later we were off to sing choral evensong at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. I’ve done that sort of thing many times but for many of the choir it was totally new. It was lovely to see the effect it had on some members. It’s a different kind of scary being a conductor, but the more I do, the more I like it.
I finished my covering with Covent Garden and went up to Opera North to cover the Duke in Rigoletto. I had mixed feelings about covering there but it was a good chance to get the role learned in Italian (I’d only done it in German & English before), and it was nice to make contact with that company again. It was lovely to see some old friends and great to hear Linda Richardson (Gilda) sounding so beautiful. During the rehearsal period I popped off to Macedonia to sing the same role for Macedonian National Opera. It was really interesting, 1 music call, 1 staging rehearsal, 1 General & 1 performance. Lovely country, lovely people, a Gilda in Ana Durlovski who had recently sung Queen of the Night at the Vienna Staatsoper (and sounded like it) and Mark Holland in terrific form as Rigoletto.
Since then I’ve been down to Truro to do my first Cavaradossi. Duchy opera is small, but my friend Eddie Wade, who was a great Scarpia, got me involved and it turned out to be great circumstances in which to try the role out. The Tosca was a local girl called Suzanne Manuuelle who proved that she should be far better known than she is and made a wonderful heroine.
Since we came back from there I’ve been concentrating mainly on concerts and supporting Audrey. Her mother died suddenly in April, which couldn’t have come at a busier time. She was coaching playng for Jaques Imbraiglio in Cardiff singer of the World, who won the audience prize, and also managed to fit in a bit of coaching for the wonderful Liz Watts, who won the Lieder Prize and whom I personally think should have won the whole thing.
Well that’s probably enough for now. I’ll see you next time you log on.
All the best!