British Choral Classics food!!

An unexpected but welcome offer was made to us by a local Beckenham chef and caterer Maria Abrahams to cook a delectable range of British fusion cuisine to be served in the interval of our concert at St Barnabas, Beckenham called British Choral Classics

Wine will be served to compliment the treats made by our bespoke caterer.

This is our first try with an online ticket seller but thought we should move with the times. Please click on the banner below to purchase tickets for our next concert at St Barnabas Beckenham

Tickets now available for
Beckenham St Barnabas Church
from www.WeGotTickets.com

British choral classics - InstantEncore

St Barnabas Church, Beckenham
London, England
Saturday, 27 October 2012 - 7:30 PM

Pinnacle Ensemble

Conductor: Michael Waldron
Artist: Max Pappenheim (Organ)

This special performance of choral music celebrating 450 years of British composers will include works by Weelkes, Purcell, Harris, Stanford and Holst amongst others who have left an indelible mark on the musical life of London. London Lyric Opera and the Pinnacle Ensemble look forward to their first collaboration. Stunning music sung by an ensemble of exceptional singers with Max Pappenheim, Organ. Experience the sounds of the British choral tradition at St Barnabas Church, Beckenham.

Tickets: £10, £8 conc

Tickets from: tickets@pinnacle-ensemble.com or at the door. Book early to avoid disappointment. This will be a very popular concert.

British choral classics - InstantEncore

The Pinnacle Ensemble

Attached is the link to listen to this gem of a choir created by our newly appointed Musical Director, Michael Waldron

Listen to the Pinnacle Ensemble

This is a taster for the quality of singing you can expect from this choir of virtuoso singers. Michaelwill lead our first concert of the 2012/2013 season in a celebration of 400 years of English Choral Music with the Pinnacle Ensemble at St Barnabas Church in Beckenham, Kent on the Saturday 27th October at 7.30pm.

New Beginnings

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Michael Waldron as the Musical Director of London Lyric Opera. Michael brings a wealth of choral and orchestral experience which will be crucial to the success of future LLO events.

Michael is the founder and conductor of the critically acclaimed Pinnacle Ensemble and will lead our first concert of the 2012/2013 season in a celebration of 400 years of English Choral Music with the Pinnacle Ensemble at St Barnabas Church in Beckenham, Kent on the Saturday 27th October at 7.30pm.

We have some exciting plans for the rest of the season which will be announced shortly.

Website back online

Sorry for the long delay getting the site back. Our previous ISP was DNbuy.com who seemed to think that an email is something you ignore. What began as a simple matter of an expired card number turned into a saga which has gone on for 6 weeks. DNBuy Inc are the resellers ( I know I had never heard of this before either) for Enom. Thankfully enom.com were able to help me out and now LLO has migrated to an UK provider.My last word on DNBuy is DON'T!! Keep shopping around. No excuse for such poor customer service. Enom were terrific.

The downside of this is the galleries which we had stored in the former LLO site which have now gone. The current page is a simple wordpress layout which is still being built so please understand if it takes a while to create

Website down

The LLO site is down for the moment.

Important LLO links are:

Issuu http://issuu.com/londonlyricopera
Instant Encore http://www.instantencore.com/contributor/contributor.aspx?CId=5127199
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/London-Lyric-Opera/77563041686

Vale Elizabeth Connell (1946 - 2012)

In February 2009 London Lyric Opera mounted an ambitious concert performance of Beethoven's, Fidelio at the Cadogan Hall. Elizabeth Connell was an early adviser and supporter when I established the company and to my delight and amazement said that she would love to sing Leonora again.

Conducted by Madeleine Lovell and with the support of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Chorus and Queens College Chapel Choir and soloists including Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts, Andrew Staples, Sarah Nicholls, Richard Wiegold and myself the evening was one of the highlights for the company.

Singing to a sold out Cadogan Hall the concert was an undoubted success. From the very beginning she was ever helpful even to the point of suggesting we use the dialogue version that she had perrformed in Hamburg in the 70's which she offered to us at an early meeting. Her advice and encouragement during our piano rehearsals will never be forgotten by the cast. From beginning to end Miss Connell was the perfect colleague.



Last week Elizabeth Connell passed away after a long and brave battle with cancer. I, like many of her friends, colleagues and fans, was terribly saddened by her death. Her voice was unique. For a singer of the 'big' roles by Verdi and Wagner it was always a revelation to hear her sing again as the voice never lost its youthful brilliance or delicacy yet had an incredible ability to cut through the largest of orchestras with a blade of tone that too was always beautiful and impeccably controlled.



I last saw her at a Tait Memorial Trust concert at 49 Queen's Gate Terrace in December 2011. As ever we had a good chat and the inevitable, "What are you planning James?" came up. I told her that Tosca was being seriously considered. We had a conductor, orchestra but just needed to cast it oh plus little things like a venue, funding, artwork. I almost fell off my chair when she said that Tosca was one of her favourite roles but she had not yet had the opportunity to sing it. "James, I would love to sing Tosca with you..." Christmas, New Year, Kids back to school etc filled the coming months. I was about to call her about the time her brother Paul posted his message on facebook announcing that she was 'gravely ill'. She was gone a few days later.

Now hearing her singing 'Vissi d'arte' that would have been something...

Tomorrow a requiem mass will given for her. May god bless and keep her and if possible let her know how her wonderful bubbly and ever joyful personality is missed by so many people all over the world.

James Hancock

A tribute site has been created by her friend and agent, Helmut Fischer

http://www.elizabeth-connell.co.uk/

Ruthless Jabiru at the City of London Festival

Pinnacle Ensemble

Ruthless Jabiru, Lovelady/ Pearson/ Sculthorpe/ Barber/ Copland/ City of London Festival - InstantEncore

Looking forward to this concert at LSO St Lukes on the 9th July London's all-Australian chamber orchestra Ruthless Jabiru makes their dynamic City of London Festival debut with a programme honouring their esteemed patron, Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe. A selection of Sculthorpe miniatures shares the platform with two vintage American masterworks, Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Copland's Appalachian Spring, parallelling the iconic soundworlds of these two vast countries.

With the stunning young Australian Soprano, Emma Pearson singing Knoxville: Summer of 1915 Op 24 by Samuel Barber. A former winner of the More than Opera award for a contract at the Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden. http://www.mto-gaog.com/

New beginnings

We are delighted to confirm that LLO is producing some wonderful concerts and will be announcing details very soon. Hurrah!

Go Traviata - InstantEncore

Go Traviata - InstantEncore

Opera London

Opera London are an exciting new company about to produce Verdi's, Il Trovatore at the Camden Fringe Festival

Der Freischütz - Postponed

Regretfully London Lyric Opera must postpone our forthcoming concert performances of Der Freischütz in the Autumn due to factors beyond our control. It was the most difficult decision that we have ever had to make but the funding that we expected didn't materialise and the costs to mount a production of this scale were too high to contemplate without a sound financial base.

LLO's Radio on InstantEncore

Above is link to an easy way to listen to a sample of tracks from our previous concerts. Over time we will add content but there is already excerpts from The flying Dutchman conducted by Lionel Friend with the RPO...the overture is stunning

Die Fledermaus - Was it really over a week ago?

Company Bow

Producing a concert at this level is never easy and you are never certain how it will all turn out. So many elements to be considered ie Singers, Orchestra, Chorus, Movement, Artwork etc. Our recent Die Fledermaus was a major jump for us; not one but two performances plus the addition of a world famous concert pianist for good measure. I am happy to say that Die Fledermaus was one of LLO's greatest successes and provided a fitting end to our first season.


Charne Rochford - Eisenstein

"Charne Rochford, as Eisenstein, showed a special gift for comic roles: he has a huge talent for physical comedy, creating an expressive, hilarious and appropriately ridiculous portrait of the character." Seen and Heard. Margarita Mota-Bull


The performance was a great success on so many levels. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played beautifully. This is the RPO's third opera with us and each time they astound me with their dedication to the score and commitment to the performance. I don't believe that we would have reached such artistic heights without them. The scoring requires outstanding playing from all sections:


Leslie Howard with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

"The real stars of the night though, were not the solo singers but Strauss’s music and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, who delivered an excellent performance, under Madeleine Lovell's baton."
Seen and Heard, Margarida Mota-Bull



Philharmonia Chorus

"The Philharmonia Chorus did full justice to the music too, giving a solid, excellent rendition of their powerful pieces during Act II, as various guests and servants at Prince Orlofsky's party." Seen and Heard, Margarida Mota-Bull


Lise Christensen - Prince Orlofsky

"Lise Christensen created an interesting Prince Orlofsky, particularly when singing the difficult high notes of Chacun à son gout, as the higher register of her voice is solidly assured." Seen and Heard, Margarida Mota-Bull


Debra Morley - Ida
Nicky Spence - Dr Blind

"and of course Nicky Spence extracted every inch as the muddlesome lawyer."
Serena Fenwick, Musical Pointers



Garrie Davislim - Alfred

"Garrie Davislim was the attractively sung and personable Alfred, and he managed to convey that slight disdain of an opera tenor slumming it in operetta. " Peter Reed, classicalsource.com


Simon Thorpe - Falke
Jeffrey Black - Frank

"Jeffrey Black’s warm baritone made an agreeable Frank and Simon Thorpe was a convincing Dr Falke." Seen and Heard, Margarida Mota-Bull


Debra Morley - Ida
Ana James - Adele

Pictured above are Debra Morley and Ana James. Debra gave a wonderfully rich account of Adele's sister, Ida. I hope that she will work with us again as she truly gave this relatively small role life and was an asset in every scene she was in. Oh and her top notes are stunning and sounded superb in the big finales.

"Ms James delivered possibly the outstanding performance of the evening. She was a member of the Royal Opera's Jette Parker Young Artist Programme and its influence showed throughout. She gave an accomplished, dramatically expressive performance, playing a sassy, very funny Adele, with some superb singing, especially in her final big moment, during Act III."
Seen and Heard, Margarida Mota-Bull



Sarah Redgwick - Rosalinda

"Sarah Redgwick’s warm lyric soprano had the poise, good taste and understated humour of the role; her looks were a bit too English and wholesome for her to be entirely convincing as the mysterious Hungarian countess, but when she sang it was another matter, with the ‘czardas’ agreeably insinuating and instinctive." Peter Reed, classicalsource.com



Leslie Howard played with the grace and style of a great virtuoso. His performance of the Liszt, Hungarian Fantasies was mesmerising. The change of mood was accepted readily by the audience who all sat back and watched and listened to one of the worlds great Lisztians playing a devilishly difficult piece for piano and orchestra. He was a revelation to us all. The reviewers all agree with me on this point:



Leslie Howard - mozbphotography.com

"The mystery guest was not a star singer but a star pianist, Leslie Howard, who continued the Hungarian tendency with a performance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liszt’s Hungarian Fantasy, very much in the heavily melancholic ‘rhapsody’ style and thrillingly played by this great Liszt virtuoso. It sat rather oddly within the context of champagne and decadence, but who cares? It’s a terrific piece." Peter Reed, classicalsource.com

"Act II traditionally includes a guest celebrity making a cabaret appearance. On this occasion Liszt specialist pianist, Leslie Howard, gave a rare performance of the Fantasie uber ungarische Volksmelodien, one of the few works that Liszt composed for piano and orchestra, which raised the loudest applause of the evening." Serena Fenwick, Musical Pointers

We were terribly lucky to find Bernard Horsfall to play Frosch, the gaoler. Bernard has a rich pedigree acting with the RSC, Dr Who, James Bond etc He agreed to be our dialogue coach, in hindsight this was one of the most important decisions we made. He came to every rehearsal and took detailed notes which he methodically passed on to the cast. His influence was vital to the dramatic integrity we were seeking and ensured that the dialogue reached the same level as the music.


Bernard Horsfall - Frosch

"The speaking part of Frosch, the gaoler, was wonderfully played by Bernard Horsfall; his appearance though brief was unforgettable."
Seen and Heard, Margarida Mota-Bull

Last but not least I must mention our conductor Madeleine Lovell. This was really her baby. Her fingerprint could be found in every element of the evening. It was a pleasure to develop this project with her.

"She is a young, graceful and exciting conductor who led the orchestra and the chorus into an intelligent, expressive and elegant rendition of this popular work. Ms Lovell had an intuitive understanding of Strauss’s witty score and ensured that the music made its full impact on a delighted audience. "
Seen and Heard, Margarida Mota-Bull


Madeleine Lovell - Conductor

"Madeline Lovell, who was highly praised for her “Fidelio” with LLO earlier this year, conducted superbly, with her fresh, springy and spontaneous approach to the Overture energising the whole evening with an instinctively light Viennese lilt that was very engaging." Peter Reed, classicalsource.com



Post Concert Reception - Mick Hurrell, Wardour; Sarah Redgwick; Liz Hughes, HSBC.




Reviews to date courtesy of www.theoperacritic.com


Sponsored by Wardour www.wardour.co.uk
Photography: www.mozbphotography.com
Venue: Cadogan Hall www.cadoganhall.com

A teaser from Act 1 - Recorded at the Vernon Ellis concert on Monday 8th June

I wish I had some clever excuse for offering only a small 'snippet' of the Act 1 trio with Eisenstein, Adele and Rosalinda but I am afraid it is nothing more exciting than running out of room on the memory card.

This was recorded at the Vernon Ellis concert on Monday 8th June. Once again I admit my bias but Sarah Redgwick is singing the role of Rosalinda beautifully. Sarah, a Guildhall Gold Medal winner, has made her reputation singing Marzelline, Susanna, Zerlina for Scottish Opera, Opera Holland Park, Clonter Opera, Welsh National Opera etc and has recently started singing Violetta for Scottish Opera and Opera de Bauge. Many singers reach a point in their careers where they have to change repertoire as their voices develop and grow. This is such a case. What makes us so happy is the fact that Sarah still performs with the joie de vivre of a Soubrette but with the voice of a Diva. I think this is evident in the clip attached.

Charne Rochford has been a revelation to Madeleine and me. His biography is impressive. He sang First Armed Man at Glyndebourne and for English Touring Opera and sang the 1st Priest in Kenneth Branagh's film of the Magic Flute but his strong assumption of the role of Eisenstein with a voice that matches his dramatic resolve is wonderful to see...and hear. Only a small clip here so you will have to come to one of our performances if you wish to hear more of this exciting young tenor.

Ana James is, to me, the perfect Adele but I think I have already made my feelings about this exceptional soprano clear in the previous post. Unfortunately you don't get to hear much of her in this clip. :( I really should get a larger memory card.

Introducing our lovely Adele, Miss Ana James

Rehearsals are in full swing and the cast are working hard to make our performances as good as they possibly can. Ana James was cast relatively late. Our original choice had a clash with the Buxton Festival so we reluctantly agreed that we had to find a new Adele. Luckily we were told about this beautiful soprano from New Zealand with the gorgeous voice and magnetic stage presence. A few days later Ana came, sang for Madeleine and was promptly engaged on the spot.

We have been incredibly lucky with our cast. Simon Thorpe and Charne Rochford work together as if they were brothers and Lise Christensen plays the bored and world weary character of Prince Orlofsky with aplomb. Jeffrey Black brings real experience to Frank with the bonus of a beautiful baritone voice and has a perfect foil in Bernard Horsfall playing Frosch.

Nicky Spence is a younger than usual Blind. He is playing him like a young turk lawyer who unfortunately... isn't very good at his job. Debra Morley who I have worked with on several occasions is luxury casting as Ida. Debra has sung most of the lyric coloratura repertoire with great success. The fact that she is a wonderful colleague is another matter.

Garrie Davislim has spent most of his career in Vienna, Milan and guesting in Germany singing most of the lead romantic tenor roles of his Fach. A graduate of the National Opera Studio he is a perfect Alfred and a very believable 'lover' of our Rosalinda, Sarah Redgwick.

I will stop babbling on and let you enjoy the film.

Wait until you here Ana sing...