English Touring Opera Archives

5Apr

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Lucrezia Borgia – Storyhouse, Chester

Oozing intrigue, darkly dramatic and set against a backdrop of 14th century Italy, English Touring Opera bring all they have to the party in this production. Composed by Gaetano Donizetti - whose opera works are often overlooked in the canon - this 1833 offering focuses on historical figure, Lucrezia Borgia. Surrounded by myth and misadventure, the opera provides an interpretation of her life. Is this femme fatale wrongly recorded in the history books? Or is she as scheming and murderous as the archives make out? Directed by Eloise Lally and conducted by Gerry Cornelius, this Lucrezia Borgia quickly absorbs the audience. The curtain rises to show what initially looks like a simple set, with a full moon in the distance and a decorative gondola in the foreground. However, you soon r...

La Bohème – Storyhouse, Chester

Stories of love and endurance always capture the spirit and Puccini’s La Bohème is arguably one of the most famous operatic pieces on this theme. Opening on Christmas Eve in a 19th century Parisian garret, we witness the ebb and flow of two couples - Rudolfo (Thomas Elwin) Marcello (Michel de Souza) Musetta (Jenny Stafford) and Mimi (Francesca Chiejina) - with fates entwined in a storyline that stands as well today as when it was first written. Picture two lovers meeting on a snowy night against the backdrop of the famed ‘city of romance’. Where should we assume their meeting will take them in life? In this classic tale of love, friendship and mortality, the audience are faced with a stark social picture of what it’s like to live on the breadline. Be prepared to meet the highs with the ...

English Touring Opera prepare for the return of live performances this Autumn

English Touring Opera are working to produce a live season of lyric theatre this Autumn, touring in October and November. This programme is being designed to observe social distancing guidelines, in the interest of the safety of our artists and audience. For this reason, English Touring Opera have had to put aside for the moment the ambitious season of three twentieth century British operas (The Turn of the Screw, The Knot Garden and Greek) which the company was scheduled to produce this Autumn. Instead it hopes to create a series of lyric monodramas, made of 20th century operas and song cycles composed for solo singer and accompanist by composers such as Dominick Argento, Benjamin Britten, Francis Poulenc, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Michael Tippett. The company hopes to be able to bring ...