Monthly Archives: July 2012

Buxton Festival: Richard Strauss waltzes off with the prize….best in festival

Richard Strauss:  Intermezzo   Christine Storch Janis Kelly Robert Storch Stephen Gadd Baron Lummer Andrew Kennedy Notary Jonathan Best Kammersinger Njabulo Madlala Commercial Counsellor Jeremy Huw Williams Stroh Richard Roberts Legal Counsellor Colin Brockie AnnaSusanne Holmes Notary’s wifeMartha McLorinan Conductor Stephen Barlow DirectorStephen Unwin … Continue reading

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Buxton Festival – A marriage made in heaven?

The Marriage of Figaro – Marcus Portugal   Figaro Nicholas Merryweather  Susanna Emily Rowley Jones  Marcellina Cara Curran Dr Bartolo Mark Saberton  Cherubino Joana Seara Don Basilio Robert Winslade Anderson Rosina, Countess Almaviva Lisa Wilson  Count Almaviva John-Colyn Gyeantey Antonio … Continue reading

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Buxton Opera Festival: Vivaldi L’Olimpiade – not a medal winner for Team Buxton

Antonio Vivaldi: L’Olimpiade   Clistene Stephen Gadd  Aristea Rachael Lloyd  Argene Sally Bruce-Payne Megacle Louise Poole  Licida Marie Elliott  Aminta Mhairi Lawson Alcandro Jonathan Gunthorpe  Director Richard Williams  Costume designer Olivia Wells Musical directors Adrian Chandler & James Johnstone   … Continue reading

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Buxton Opera Festival 2012: Jephtha – too hot for Handel?

Buxton Opera Festival: Jephtha by G.F. Handel Jephtha James Gilchrist  Storge Susan Bickley  Iphis Gillian KeithZebul Jonathan Best Hamor William Purefoy  Angel Elizabeth Karani   Conductor Harry Christophers, A Buxton Festival production, with the Orchestra of the Sixteen and Festival … Continue reading

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Buxton: Double Bill doesn’t double the pleasure or double the fun

Buxton Opera House:  Double Bill –  17th July   The Maiden in the Tower (Sibelius) & Kashchei the Immortal, Buxton Festival (Rimsky-Korsakov) Double bills present problems. Even Puccini’s relative success with Il Trittico hasn’t encouraged other composers into the genre. … Continue reading

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Happy Birthday, my dear Web Page

The Web page is now a year old….like me it’s a little tired and in need of a bit of a redesign but hey we’re still in there writing & publishing…a special thanks today to Greg Lakin…without whom I couldn’t have started … Continue reading

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Buxton Opera Festival: Turn of the Screw 16th July 2012

Benjamin Britten: The Turn of the Screw Governess: Fiona Murphy  Peter Quint: Andrew Tortise  Miss Jessel :Giselle Allen Mrs Grose: Yvonne Howard  Flora: Lucia Vernon  Miles: Thomas Copeland Conductor: Nicholas Chalmers Director: Oliver Mears Designer: Annemarie Woods Lighting designer : … Continue reading

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The Gershwins’ ® Porgy And Bess, Colosseum 11th July 2012

Porgy & Bess George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward and Ira Gershwin London Stage Premiere of Cape Town Opera’s production Performed by Cape Town Opera Presented by Askonas Holt and Raymond Gubbay Porgy: Xolel Sixaba Bess: Tsakane Velentine Masawangayi Crown: … Continue reading

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The Still Centre of the Electoral Storm

Electoral College Obama 293 Romney 241 Senate Democrats 47 Republicans 47 (toss ups 3) We have reached the fallow fields that always mark out any election in the United States. In the long lost days before Primaries governed the outcome of … Continue reading

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Joyce Didonato Wigmore Hall 6th July 2012

Joyce Didonato & David Zobel A Programme of songs by Venetian composers or inspired by Venice Joyce Didonato is a remarkable performer, a mezzo-soprano who has made the late baroque and early classical the core of her repertoire. She has an incomparable vocal … Continue reading

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