Sir Bryn Terfel premieres John Rutter’s ‘Joseph’s Carol’, dedicated to the Oxford vaccine team in celebratory concert from the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
In recognition of the formidable work accomplished by the team of scientists at the University of Oxford on their Covid-19 vaccine, the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra will stream a celebratory concert on Friday 18 December, recorded in the city’s historic Sheldonian Theatre. Performed by bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, the short concert features the premiere of John Rutter’s Joseph’s Carol, written in tribute to the Oxford Vaccine Group, the Jenner Institute and the RECOVERY team. The words by John Rutter recount the long and weary journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem before the birth of the baby Jesus, echoing the programme’s journey from struggle through to hope.
Read more250 years after the premiere of Salieri’s Armida, Les Talens Lyriques release first full recording and give first modern performances
250 years after its first performance at Vienna’s Burgtheater in 1771, Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques revive Salieri’s Armida with a new recording and the first modern performances of the composer’s first breakthrough success. Armida is released on disc on 22 January 2021 on Aparté, following recording sessions in July 2020. In concert, Les Talens Lyriques return Armida to Vienna (Theater an der Wien) on 19 February 2021, following performances at the Paris Philharmonie (2 February 2021) and in Caen (30 January 2021).
Read moreOxford Philharmonic Orchestra releases family-friendly videos to entertain children this Winter
This Winter, the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra releases family-friendly music videos with members of the Orchestra online, designed to entertain and infuse music-making with a sense of fun. The four videos follow the success of their summer ‘OP at Home’ series and will be released on the Orchestra’s YouTube Channel. Due to the coronavirus crisis, musicians are unable to continue their usual work in schools meaning that, without these videos, children might miss out on these music-making activities.
Read moreOperaStreaming broadcasts Massenet’s Werther live from the Teatro Comunale di Modena on Friday 4 December
The latest production to be streamed live on OperaStreaming’s YouTube channel from the historic opera houses of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, Massenet’s Werther will be broadcast from the Teatro Comunale di Modena on Friday 4 December. Internationally-renowned tenor Francesco Demuro takes the title role in Massenet’s opera, inspired by Goethe’s novel The Sorrows of Young Werther, with Veronica Simeoni as Charlotte, the object of his tragic affections. Since making his professional debut in Parma, Francesco Demuro has performed widely, including at La Scala, Teatro Real, Vienna State Opera, and as Alfredo in La traviata at London’s Royal Opera House. Veronica Simeoni has made her name in French repertoire, and has sung Charlotte for the Metropolitan Opera, in addition to Palermo, Lisbon and Rome.
Read morePianist Cordelia Williams performs works from her upcoming album, Night Light, live online from Nottingham
On Monday 23 November, pianist Cordelia Williams performs works from her upcoming album, Night Light, in concert live online from Nottingham. Williams will chart a journey from the depth of night towards dawn in Night Light, to be recorded at Turner Sims in Southampton on 11-12 December 2020. The album will include poetry by Michael Symmons Roberts and Lord Rowan Williams. The recording will be released in Summer 2021 with SOMM Recordings.
Read moreThis Sunday, OperaStreaming broadcasts Handel’s Aci, Galatea e Polifemo live from the Teatro Municipale, Piacenza
This Sunday, OperaStreaming will broadcast Handel’s Aci, Galatea e Polifemo live from the Teatro Municipale in Piacenza with a young cast including Raffaele Pé as Aci, Giuseppina Bridelli as Galatea, and Andrea Mastroni as Polifemo. The dramatic cantata was adapted regularly in the years following its 1708 premiere, written by the young Handel in Naples. This new production by Gianmaria Aliverta represents the first performance in modern times of the version written for the famous castrato singer Senesino – Francesco Bernardi – in the reconstruction and critical edition by Fabrizio Longo, Raffaele Pé and Luca Guglielmi, who conducts the baroque ensemble La Lira di Orfeo from the harpsichord.
Read moreThis Sunday, OperaStreaming broadcasts Dido and Aeneas with director Stefano Monti live from the Teatro Comunale di Modena
This Sunday, OperaStreaming will broadcast Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas live from the Teatro Comunale di Modena with a cast including Michela Antenucci as Dido and Mauro Borgioni as Aeneas. The straight-to-streaming production by director Stefano Monti uses an expanded stage that includes the stalls of the theatre.
Read moreVanessa Benelli Mosell puts Italian opera centre stage in a new album entitled Casta Diva
Italian pianist Vanessa Benelli Mosell turns from Stockhausen to the drama of Italian opera for her new album Casta Diva, to be released on Decca Classics on Friday 13 November 2020. Benelli Mosell has assembled a collection of popular arias, overtures and themes from Norma, La Bohème, Barbiere di Siviglia, Guillaume Tell, Madama Butterfly and more in virtuosic arrangements by some of great pianists of the 19th and 20th centuries. From lyrical variations by Chopin and Wittgenstein to pyrotechnics from Liszt, Thalburg and Ginzburg, these piano renditions unleash the instrument’s full capabilities, taking on the might of the orchestra. Often unapologetically flashy, these transcriptions provided not just a demonstration of technical prowess but also served as a haunting memory of opera in the days before recordings.
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