Longborough Festival Opera 2009

Until 22 July – Another season of theatrical drama and orchestral music comes to Gloucestershire this summer, as Longborough Festival Opera 2009 gets underway with a host of stunning performances.

Longborough Festival Opera has grown into an acclaimed summer celebration of the art over the years – offering Gloucestershire’s opera fans more than a month of performances from praised professionals in a purpose-built opera house, surrounded by stunning Cotswold scenery.

Bizet’s ever-popular Carmen is set to open the 2009 season at Longborough. One of the most performed operas of all time, Maria Soulis will be playing the title role, joined by Australian tenor Dwayne Jones as Don Jose and Dimitrie Lazich as Escamillo. The production is a new staging by director Alan Privett and will be conducted by Jeremy Silver. Carmen will be performed at 6.30pm on Wednesday 10, Thursday 11 and Saturday 13 June 2009, as well as Tuesday 7 and Wednesday 8 July 2009.

On Friday 12 June 2009, there will be a special concert of excerpts from Beethoven’s Fidelio and the entire first act of Wagner’s Die Walküre at 6.30pm. The concert is set to be conducted by Anthony Negus with soloists Alwyn Mellor, Andrew Sritheran and Geoffrey Moses with the Longborough Festival Orchestra.

Longborough will also play home to a new production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, directed by Jenny Miller and conducted by Gianluca Marcianò on Saturday 20 and Tuesday 23 June 2009 at 6.30pm, Sunday 21 June 2009 at 3pm, as well as Friday 10 and Saturday 11 July 2009 at 6.30pm.

Don’t miss a brand new Longborough Festival Opera production, Britten’s seasonal A Midsummer Night’s Dream, taking to the stage on Wednesday 1, Thursday 2 and Saturday 4 July 2009 at 6.30pm, and Sunday 5 July at 3pm for a magical performance featuring Shakespeare’s words.

Finally, there will be a chance to see young performers on the brink of their careers take to Longborough’s stage, in the Young Artists’ production of La Bohème. Featuring young singers from the Cotswolds, the opera will be directed by Maria Jagusz and conducted by Robert Dean on Saturday 18, Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 July 2009 at 6.30pm.

With each performance including a 90-minute interval, opera-goers have plenty of time to soak up the evening sun picnicking in the stunning grounds or dining in Longborough’s restaurant.

With a host of diverse performances scheduled, this summer’s Longborough Festival Opera looks set to be the best yet – for both aficionados of the art form and opera novices too.

Event: Longborough Festival Opera 2009
Venue: Longborough House, Longborough, near Moreton-in-Marsh
Dates: Wednesday 10 June to Wednesday 22 July 2009
Times: See above for specific times
Tickets: Cost between £30 and £100 per person, for more information contact the Longborough Festival Opera box office on (01451) 830292.

SoGlos.com
1 June 2009