Bradford Opera Festival stage The Barber of Seville…but with a distinctive local twist
The opening event of the newly created Bradford Opera Festival is the world premiere of a Yorkshire dialect version of The Barber of Seville.
To make this happen the festival team have been working with legendary Yorkshire poet Ian McMillan and conductor Ben Crick, who has long had a dream to stage a version of Rossini’s classic tale of class, lust and betrayal performed in the local vernacular.
Alex Chisholm who has been a stalwart of the Bradford artistic scene for many years is directing, and she told our Features Editor Paul Clarke why this festival will help democratise a misunderstood art form for local audiences.
Of all the great operas, why did you choose The Barber of Seville?
This really came from Ben, and he has had this dream for the last 20 years, so it's not just...