The Invader, WOH Friday 30th of May.

 

The Invader,  a new Irish opera comes to Wexford Opera House on Friday 30th of May. A modern take on the classic Greek play The Bacchae by Euripides, The Invader is described as a powerful tale of passion, intrigue, revenge and seduction. Being directed by renowned Wexford Theatre Director Ben Barnes, The Invader is the creation of composer Eric Sweeney with the libretto by award winning poet Mark Roper. With an orchestra lead by the RTE ConTempo Quartet, and an award winning creative team, it promises to be a feast for the senses!

 

Barnes and his team have placed the opera in a modern setting and he feels the production will provide the audience with an experience that appeals to all the senses noting: “In his libretto, Mark (Roper) has provided a sensitive and insightful framework on which to hang Eric’s (Sweeney) music. The composition is strikingly beautiful, melodic and bold and the set design from Monica (Frawley) is dramatic and sharp. Combined with sensual, liberating and dynamic choreography from Libby Seward we hope that the whole package will make for a very enjoyable, powerful and stimulating night at the theatre!”

The Invader will bring an international cast to Wexford; with Italian, English, Armenian, American and Irish singers and musicians coming together for the production. Armenian tenor Telman Guzhevsky will play the role of The Invader. Soprano, Natasha Jouhl, Irish baritone Joe Corbett and the Irish mezzo soprano, Alison Browner also star in the production.

 

Tickets can be booked on the Wexford Opera House website.

 

Wexford's Violetta in Opera North La Traviata

Anna Jeruc-Kopec as Violetta, WFO 2013

I don't know about you, but each year when the various opera houses are announcing their upcoming seasons, I always look to see if any of the singers we have heard in Wexford are featuring in their casts. I was hugely excited to see that for their Spring 2015 production of Verdi's La Traviata, Opera North have announced that the wonderful soprano Anna Jeruc-Kopec will sing the role of Violetta.

From Olecko, Poland, Anna first appeared at Wexford in 2012, and was the recipient of that season's Gerard Arnhold Award. Returning in 2013, Anna sang Violetta in the Short Works production of La Traviata, and was a firm favourite with both audiences and critics. Details about dates and venues for the Opera North season are available on their website .   This is a great opportunity to hear a really exciting voice.  

Friends Recital National Concert Hall, June 4th

On Wednesday June 4th, the National Concert Hall in Dublin will be the venue for the 2014 Friends Summer Recital. This year, our Friends will be entertained by soprano Helena Dix and baritone Igor Golovatenko, with piano accompaniment by Audrey Hyland.

Helena and Igor played the roles of Cristina and Gustavo respectively in the 2013 award winning production of Cristina regina di Svezia by Foroni (pictured).




The program will be as follows;

Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart
Porgi Amor
Hai gia vinta la causa

Don Giovanni by Mozart
La ci darem la mano

Trois chansons de Don Quichotte by Ravel

Morgen by Strauss
Ich bin der welt abhanden gekommen by Mahler
L'ile Inconnue by Berlioz

Cristina regina di Svezia by Foroni
Vorrei poter di magici raggi

Alma rea

Il Trovatore by Verdi
Il balen del suo sorriso

Arabella by Strauss
Das war sehr gut Mandryka

Herodiade by Massenet 

Vision fugitive

Tristan und Isolde by Wagner

Liebestod 

The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky

Yeletsky's aria 

Porgy and Bess by Gershwin
Summertime 
Bess you is my woman 

If you would like to participate in these unique events, why not look at the website for details of how to become Friend. 

Upcoming broadcasts of Cristina regina di Svezia

The award winning Cristina regina di Svezia by Foroni from last year's festival, will be broadcast on various networks in the coming days and weeks. If you missed this stunning work last year, now is the chance to catch up with it. If you were at Wexford last year, this is an opportunity to relive the thrill you experienced in October !  

On Saturday 17th  and Sunday 18th of May, Sylvia L’Écuyer will present the opera on the Canadian station  ESPACE MUSIQUE . Details of times and listening options will be available on their website.

BBC Radio3 will broadcast Cristina during Afternoon on 3, at 2.00pm (BST) on Thursday June 5th. Details are available from their website.

Happy listening !

European Opera Day at Wexford Opera House.

Wexford Opera House will mark European Opera Day on Saturday May 10th with a series of free events. The acclaimed 2012 production of La Traviata by Verdi from the Metropolitan Opera will be screened at 3pm in the O'Reilly Theatre.

Other events include a screening of the 2005 film Joyeux Noël which inspired the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night, which will receive its European premiere at Wexford this October.

In the Jerome Hynes Theatre, composer Eric Sweeney, librettist Mark Roper and producer Joan Dalton, will discuss their new opera  The Invader, coming to Wexford Opera House on Friday May 30th.

 

 

For further details of these events and on how to book, please check the website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

European Friends Concert in Paris, April 26th.

Last Friday evening, having already enjoyed two nights at the opera and a trip to Versailles, our Friends gathered at the Embassy of Ireland, for the final event of this tour. Our Friends were greeted by the Ambassador,  His Excellency Rory Montgomery, after which they were treated to a magnificent recital by mezzo-soprano Lucia Cirillo accompanied by Janet Haney on piano. Pictured above we see Lucia and Janet during the recital.

The program for the evening included arias and songs by Mozart, Tosti, Rossini,  and Montsalvatge. All our Friends were thrilled by this wonderful evening of music, which brought the tour to a fitting close. Next year's tour is already in the planning stages and is very much anticipated !

Lucia, Janet and the Ambassador are pictured here after the recital.

Our next Friends event will be the Dublin recital on June 4th at the National Concert Hall. This recital will be given by soprano Helena Dix, who sang the title role in our award winning production of Cristina regina di Svezia by Foroni at last season's festival. Helena will be accompanied on piano by Rosetta Cucchi.

If you would like to participate in these unique events, why not look at the website for details of how to become Friend.