Dark Side of the Moon
2023-03-01 19:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | St George’s Bristol, Great George Street, Bristol, BS1 5RR, United Kingdom
Celebrating – to the day – the 50th anniversary of the release of Pink Floyd’s iconic album Dark Side of the Moon, the Bristol Ensemble – Bristol’s only professional chamber orchestra – performs an exhilarating chamber orchestral version for 17 players that accentuates the lush, multi-layered texture of the original. A true classic of 1970s prog rock given some very special classical treatment.
These concert are 1 hour straight through and also include classic Einaudi and Debussy.

Bath Choral Society: Verdi Requiem
2023-03-04 19:30 - 21:30
Katrine Reimers will conduct the Verdi Requiem in her first concert as Bath Choral Society’s Music Director.
From its quiet beginning, the piece’s unforgettable journey features some of the best-known moments in classical music. Bristol Ensemble will bring Verdi’s thrilling orchestration to life, carrying us through terrifying trumpet calls, Abbey-shaking choruses such as the ‘Dies Irae,’ heart-rending solos, and the plaintive and moving calmness of the ‘Lacrymosa.’
Soloists will be Soprano: Katherine Broderick Alto: Claudia Huckle Tenor: Andrés Presno Bass: Morgan Pearse.
Join Bath Choral Society for this well-loved choral masterpiece.
Tickets from £7 to £40 from Bath Box Office

Henleaze Concert Society: Under English Skies
2023-03-11 19:30 - 21:30 | Trinity-Henleaze URC, Waterford Road, Bristol, BS9 4BT, United Kingdom
Elgar Introduction and Allegro
Holst St Paul’s Suite
Vaughan Williams Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
Finzi Romance for String Orchestra Op.11
Showcasing the string section of the Ensemble, this programme features some of the string-only repertoire’s best-loved and engaging music. Vaughan Williams’ variations on the folk song Dives and Lazarus are richly scored, revelling in the uniquely English sound of his music, similar in expansiveness to Elgar’s rapturous Introduction and Allegro. Finzi’s Romance is also unmistakably English but with a poignant and elegiac quality, whilst Holst’s St Paul’s Suite draws on traditional ballads and dance for its inspiration.
Tickets
Season ticket for six series concerts £85 including membership
Annual Society Membership £12
Tickets for members £15Tickets for non members £18
Under 25 year olds £5
How to book
Book tickets online now at Eventbrite
Tickets are available from Henleaze Post Office.
You can also book by sending a cheque payable to Henleaze Concert Society, covering note and SAE to 2 Saville Mews, Kingsdown Parade, Bristol BS6 5UL
Season Tickets and Annual Society Membership
Season tickets are only £85 including Society Membership and admission to all six concerts from October to June. Alternatively, becoming a member of Henleaze Concert Society for £12 entitles you to book tickets for individual concerts at the members’ discounted rate. Season tickets and membership are available to buy by post by returning the Ticket Order Form with your payment and a stamped addressed envelope.

Preludes High Sheriff's Event
2023-03-14 19:00 - 20:00
Preludes children perform at the Bristol Beacon

Immersive Messiah
2023-03-17 19:00 - 22:00 | St George’s Bristol, Great George Street, Bristol, BS1 5RR, United Kingdom
Fitzhardinge Consort
Bristol Ensemble
Experience Handel’s Messiah from the inside out in this acclaimed production that includes projection, creative lighting design and historical glimpses into Handel’s Georgian London. Following its well received debut in 2022, this fresh and experimental take on Handel’s masterpiece provides an opportunity to soak up the glorious music whilst getting under the skin of the sung words and their meaning. Whether you’ve never heard this iconic work performed live before, or you’re returning to it as a much-loved favourite, there’ll be something in it for you.

Stroud Choral: St John Passion
2023-03-18 19:30 - 21:30
Stroud Choral Society
Bristol Ensemble
Michael Keighley Evangelist
Alan Fairs Christus
Nicholas Perfect Pilate
Hannah Grove soprano
Ben Sawyer alto
Tim Burton tenor
Simon Bell conductor
Stroud Choral Society is joined by Bristol Ensemble to perform Bach’s St John Passion in the wonderful setting of St John Baptist Cirencester.
Most appropriate for this time of Lent, the work tells the story of Christ`s passion and suffering leading to the crucifixion with strong drama, beautiful arias and memorable, hymn-like chorales.

Tea-Time Concert
2023-03-19 15:00 - 16:00 | Christ Church, Newmarket Road, Nailsworth, GL6 0DQ, United Kingdom
Holst St Paul’s Suite
Finzi Romance for Strings Op.11
John Marsh Quantocks Suite
Showcasing the string section of the Ensemble, this programme features some of the string-only repertoire’s best-loved and engaging music. Finzi’s Romance is also unmistakably English but with a poignant and elegiac quality, whilst Holst’s St Paul’s Suite draws on traditional ballads and dance for its inspiration. John Marsh’s Quantocks Suite is a set of evocative music portraits of the beautiful Somerset countryside.
Tea and home made cakes served at 4pm.
Tickets £15 (£13 for those on low incomes), available online from Eventbrite (plus booking fees) on the door. Under 18s free of charge.

Malmesbury Singers: Mozart and Salieri
2023-03-25 19:30 - 21:30
Malmesbury Singers and Bristol Ensemble perform Mozart’s Requiem and Vesperae solennes de Confessore KV339 together with Salieri’s De Profundis. More details at malmesburysingers.co.uk

Sound World: Student Composition Workshop
2023-03-26 09:00 - 15:00
A Sound World Student Composition Workshop at Churchill Academy

Tea-Time Concert
2023-04-02 15:00 - 16:00 | Christ Church, Newmarket Road, Nailsworth, GL6 0DQ, United Kingdom
Schubert Piano Trio No.2 in E flat major D.929
Rachmaninov Piano Trio Elégiaque in G minor No.1
Rachmaninov’s passionate and lyrical Piano Trio is paired with Schubert’s spirited and dramatic second Piano Trio, a substantial work written late in the composer’s life.
Tea and home made cakes served at 4pm.
Tickets £15 (£13 for those on low incomes), available online from Eventbrite (plus booking fees) on the door. Under 18s free of charge.

Bach by Candlelight
2023-04-05 19:30 - 21:30 | St George’s Bristol, Great George Street, Bristol, BS1 5RR, United Kingdom
The Well-Tempered Clavier (Book 1)
Air On The G String
Concerto for Piano in F minor BWV 1056
Concerto for Piano in D minor BWV 1052
Andrei Gavrilov – piano
The Bristol Ensemble
The virtuoso pianist Andrei Gavrilov returns to Bristol to perform an all Bach concert.
The Well-Tempered Clavier is widely regarded as one of the most important works in the history of classical music and second part of the concert features two of Bach’s most famous keyboard concertos along with his famous Air On The G String. For this concert St George’s will be transformed into a candlelit auditorium taking us back to St Jakob’s Church in Köthen, Germany, where J.S. Bach worked and composed many of his works.

University of Bristol Lunchtime Concert
2023-04-21 13:15 - 14:00
Bristol Ensemble
John Pickard conductor
John Pickard Verlaine Songs
Bristol Ensemble performs Verlaine Songs by John Pickard as part of the University of Bristol’s lunchtime concert series.
Lunchtime concerts are £5 admission (no concessions); Uo
B students are free, providing they present a valid UCard. The admission charge for this concert can be paid through the university’s online shop – visit this page for the link.

Music at Jopes Mill
2023-04-23 15:00 - 16:30
Roger Armstrong – flute
Helen Bishop – clarinet and basset horn
Sally Bartholomew – bassoon
A trio of woodwind principals from Bristol Ensemble travel to Jopes Mill’s music room in the beautiful, peaceful Seaton river valley in Cornwall to perform a varied and entertaining programme taking in music from Beethoven to the present day.
​To see a clip of the trio in rehearsal click here.
​A homemade cream tea will be served during the interval.
Tickets £15 (£5 for children aged 16 and under). To reserve your tickets please email music@jopesmill.co.uk

Tea-Time Concert
2023-05-07 15:00 - 16:00 | Christ Church, Newmarket Road, Nailsworth, GL6 0DQ, United Kingdom
Rossini Overture to The Barber of Seville
Ponchielli Dance of the Hours
Debussy Petite Suite
The woodwind have their chance to shine in this programme of colourful music from around Europe with Rossini’s effervescent Overture to the Barber of Seville as the perfect opener.
The Italian theme is continued with Dance of the Hours, a ballet from Amilcare Ponchielli’s opera La Gioconda, made famous by its inclusion in Disney’s 1940 film Fantasia with dancing and duelling hippos and alligators taking centre stage.
Debussy’s dance-like Petite Suite beautifully translates from the original piano duet to scoring for wind quintet. The first two movements are based on poems by the 19th century poet Paul Verlaine, from his 1869 collection Fêtes galantes. The poems evoke the era of 18th-century aristocrats on country outings, romantic trysts and languid evenings.
Tea and home made cakes served at 4pm.
Tickets £15 (£13 for those on low incomes), available online from Eventbrite on the door. Under 18s free of charge.

Henleaze Concert Society: Spring in the Air
2023-05-13 19:30 - 21:30 | Trinity-Henleaze URC, Waterford Road, Bristol, BS9 4BT, United Kingdom
Rossini Overture to The Barber of Seville
Ponchielli Dance of the Hours
Debussy Petite Suite
Mozart Serenade for 13 Wind Instruments K.361
The woodwind have their chance to shine in this programme of colourful music from around Europe with Mozart’s iconic and treasured Serenade for 13 Wind Instruments paired with works arranged for wind quintet. Rossini’s effervescent Overture to the Barber of Seville is the perfect opener, and the Italian theme is continued with Dance of the Hours, a ballet from Amilcare Ponchielli’s opera La Gioconda, made famous by its inclusion in Disney’s 1940 film Fantasia with dancing and duelling hippos and alligators taking centre stage. Debussy’s dance-like Petite Suitebeautifully translates from the original piano duet to scoring for wind quintet. The first two movements are based on poems by the 19th century poet Paul Verlaine, from his 1869 collection Fêtes galantes. The poems evoke the era of 18th-century aristocrats on country outings, romantic trysts and languid evenings.
Tickets
Season ticket for six series concerts £85 including membership
Annual Society Membership £12
Tickets for members £15
Tickets for non members £18
Under 25 year olds £5
How to book
Book tickets online now at Eventbrite
Tickets are available from Henleaze Post Office.
You can also book by sending a cheque payable to Henleaze Concert Society, covering note and SAE to 2 Saville Mews, Kingsdown Parade, Bristol BS6 5UL
Season Tickets and Annual Society Membership
Season tickets are only £85 including Society Membership and admission to all six concerts from October to June. Alternatively, becoming a member of Henleaze Concert Society for £12 entitles you to book tickets for individual concerts at the members’ discounted rate. Season tickets and membership are available to buy by post by returning the Ticket Order Form with your payment and a stamped addressed envelope.

University of the West of England
2023-05-13 19:30 - 21:30
A performance at the Centre for Music.

Music for a royal occasion
2023-05-14 18:00 - 20:00
Vivaldi Gloria
Purcell I Was Glad Handel Zadok the Priest
Handel Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Handel let the bright seraphim
Handel Eternal source of light divine Clarke Trumpet Voluntary
A programme of exuberant Baroque music by Handel, Purcell and Vivaldi celebrates the Coronation of King Charles III. Highlights include the thrilling ‘Zadok the Priest’ and ‘Let the bright Seraphim’ by Handel, Purcell’s joyful ‘I was Glad’ and Vivaldi’s irresistible setting of the Gloria. Featuring chorister soloists and the wonderful Naomi Harvey, all accompanied by the outstanding players of Bristol Ensemble this is a concert not to miss!
Tickets available online at www.trybooking.com

Tubular Bells - 50th anniversary
2023-05-17 19:30 - 21:30 | St George’s Bristol, Great George Street, Bristol, BS1 5RR, United Kingdom
Mike Oldfield’s groundbreaking album Tubular Bells was released on 25th May 1973 and to celebrate its 50th Anniversary – almost to the day – Bristol Ensemble performs a stirring chamber orchestral arrangement of the album, fleshing out the now iconic melodies with a bank of strings.
The record has sold over 15 million copies worldwide and is written into music folklore: a 19-year old Oldfield, searching in vain for a record label to back his experimental demos, was introduced to the boss of Virgin, aka Richard Branson, who gave him a week in the studio to do something. Oldfield plays almost all the many instruments on the record and his expansive musical vision, encompassing classical, jazz, rock and electronica, blazed a trail for hundreds of heavyweight artists since. It is a highly original work – famously used as the Exorcist soundtrack – perfect for orchestral treatment.
Approximately 1 hour, without interval.

Samuel Wesley by candlelight
2023-05-20 19:30 - 21:30
Bristol Ensemble
Roger Huckle director
Jonathan Price organ
Violin Concerto in D Major
Symphony in D major – ‘Sinfonia Obligato’
Symphony in A major
The Bristol Ensemble returns to John Wesley’s New Room with a candlelit evening of compositions from Samuel Wesley. Known as the ‘English Mozart’, Samuel Wesley was the nephew of John Wesley and his early musical education took place in Bristol.
Unreserved pew seating. Doors 7pm. Café-bar open from 6pm.
Tickets £20 / £18 concessions (over 65 / students)

Preludes concert
2023-05-22 12:45 - 13:45 | St Mary Redcliffe Church, Colston Parade, BS1 6RA
A concert given by Preludes children at St Mary Redcliffe Church

Henleaze Concert Society: Summer Serenade
2023-06-10 19:30 - 21:30 | Trinity-Henleaze URC, Waterford Road, Bristol, BS9 4BT, United Kingdom
William Boyce Symphony No.4
Ludovico Einaudi Time Lapse
Antonín Dvořák Two Waltzes Op.54
Pietro Mascagni Intermezzo
Astor Piazzolla Libertango
Samuel Wesley Symphony No.5
Max Richter On the Nature of Daylight
Dana Wilson Hungarian Folk Songs
Queen Bohemian Rhapsody
Astor Piazzolla Summer
A wonderful evening of light music, perfect for a Summer’s evening.
Tickets
Season ticket for six series concerts £85 including membership
Annual Society Membership £12
Tickets for members £15
Tickets for non members £18
Under 25 year olds £5
How to book
Book tickets online now at Eventbrite
Tickets are available from Henleaze Post Office.
You can also book by sending a cheque payable to Henleaze Concert Society, covering note and SAE to 2 Saville Mews, Kingsdown Parade, Bristol BS6 5UL
Season Tickets and Annual Society Membership
Season tickets are only £85 including Society Membership and admission to all six concerts from October to June. Alternatively, becoming a member of Henleaze Concert Society for £12 entitles you to book tickets for individual concerts at the members’ discounted rate. Season tickets and membership are available to buy by post by returning the Ticket Order Form with your payment and a stamped addressed envelope.

Tea-Time Concert
2023-06-11 15:00 - 16:00 | Christ Church, Newmarket Road, Nailsworth, GL6 0DQ, United Kingdom
Samuel Wesley Symphony No.5
Antonín Dvořák Two Waltzes Op.54
Max Richter On the Nature of Daylight
Dana Wilson Hungarian Folk Songs
Queen Bohemian Rhapsody
Astor Piazzolla Summer
A summer serenade to close this season’s series of tea-time concerts at Christ Church, Nailsworth. Tea and home made cakes served at 4pm.
Tickets £15 (£13 for those on low incomes), available to book online at Eventbrite (plus booking fees) on the door. Under 18s free of charge.

Voices for Life: Stardust
2023-06-13 19:00 - 20:00
Following hugely successful performances in Bath Abbey and Wiltshire Music Centre, Voices for Life brings Stardust to Wells Cathedral!

Join 200 local primary school children as they take you on a musically magical journey through space accompanied by musicians from Wells Cathedral School and conducted by Pete Harrison. Stardust tells the tale of 6 friends who, after a disastrous turn of events, each end up drifting alone through space. We follow their adventures as they find their way to planet Zarg through a musical journey made up of songs catchy, exciting, and funny as well as carrying a deeper message of resilience and hope.
Written by Jools Scott and Sue Curtis, Stardust was commissioned by Voices for Life in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In a series of school workshops, the children have explored the adventures of Stardust through wellbeing activities and music in preparation for a fantastic performance.
Proceeds from ticket sales will go towards future Voices for Life projects, helping children be happy and confident through singing.

1904 Arts Club Summer Serenade
2023-06-14 19:00 - 20:00 | 1904 Arts Club, The Red Lodge, Park Row, Bristol, BS1 5LJ, United Kingdom
First half, performed in the Knot Garden
Vivaldi – Alla Rustica
Bach – D major suite arr. strings
Albinoni – Oboe Concerto
Mozart – Divertimento
Second half, in the Performance Hall
Piazzolla – Libertango
Piazzolla – Oblivion
Gershwin – selection of popular songs arr. for ensemble
Piazzolla – Summer
A concert of chamber music celebrating a new partnership with the 1904 Arts Club. Bristol Ensemble as Musicians-in-Residence perform in the Red Lodge Knot Garden and in the iconic hall.
Tickets £15, available online at Eventbrite

Bath Choral Society: Carmina Burana
2023-06-17 19:30 - 21:30
Bath Choral Society
George Bevan and Maria Angel Garcia pianos
Percussionists from Bristol Ensemble
Rebecca Bottone soprano
Bonaventura Bottone tenor
Philip Smith baritone
Katrine Reimers conductor
Carl Orff ’s Carmina Burana sets 24 poems from the medieval collection of texts in Latin and High German and Old French. The work moves around the Wheel of Fortune and colourfully describes the joys and sorrows of living life to the full.
The first half of the concert features choral songs by Chilcott, Ives, Lauridsen, Barber and Whitacre.
The choir will be accompanied by two pianos played by George Bevan and Maria Angel Garcia, with percussionists from Bristol Ensemble, conducted by Bath Choral Society’s Music Director Katrine Reimers.

Preludes takeover day
2023-06-19 00:00 - 23:59 | St George’s Bristol, Great George Street, Bristol, BS1 5RR, United Kingdom
Children from Bristol Ensemble’s Preludes project take over St George’s Bristol

Dark Side of the Moon - POSTPONED TO 8th December
2023-08-06 20:00 - 21:00
This concert has been rescheduled for Friday 8th December – same time, same place. Anybody already with tickets for 6th August should hear from The Stables.
Celebrating 50 years since the release of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, the Bristol Ensemble performs a specially-commissioned chamber orchestral arrangement of this iconic album.
Dark Side of the Moon sits as a cultural heavyweight of British music and resonates across all sections of society. The album has sold over 45 million copies worldwide and is the 4th best selling album In history.

If Opera - Fedora
2023-08-24 19:00 - 21:30
Fedora Umberto Giordano
Opera in 3 acts
Libretto by Arturo Colautti, based on the play by Victorien Sardou
First performed at Teatro Lirico, Milan, 17 November 1898
Director John Wilkie
Conductor Oliver Gooch
With the If Opera Ensemble and resident orchestra Bristol Ensemble
Sung in Italian with English surtitles
Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon
In the late, great Italian operatic repertoire, alongside the ‘super-operas’, you will find a number of pearls that have grown in the consciousness of audiences around the world. These are operas that carry all the ingredients for spectacular and powerful evenings at the theatre; strong characters, stories of intrigue, love and tragedy and of course, lyrical, gorgeous music. Fedora by Umberto Giordano is one such opera and whilst the composer is probably better known for Andrea Chenier, Fedora isn’t far off. In the opera’s premiere, the role of Loris Ipanov was created by Enrico Caruso and ever since a procession of the most exalted singers in history have assumed the opera’s principal roles in all the great houses of the world and on recordings.
Fedora is an opera that encompasses love, murder, betrayal and tragedy, moving from Russia, to Paris and Switzerland. It is a world of royalty, aristocracy and privilege but none of this can protect its central characters from the vicissitudes of love and jealousy. When Princess Fedora seeks revenge on the man she believes murdered her betrothed, she sets in motion a train of tragic events that will ultimately cost her everything.
Fedora is an opera of sweeping melodies, febrile emotion and glorious orchestral colours. It includes one of the most intensely passionate tenor arias in the canon (Amor ti vieta), a mesmerising intermezzo and possibly one of the cleverest dramatic scenes in the repertoire.
Fedora has enjoyed recent, sell out productions at both The Met in New York and La Scala in Milan so its time has come once more. The If Opera ensemble are proud to bring this magnificent opera to audiences, offering a rare (it hasn’t been seen in the UK since 2006) but precious opportunity to see and hear it again.
If Opera’s new production of Fedora will be directed by John Wilkie and conducted by If Opera Artistic Director Oliver Gooch.
Image reproduced by kind permission of Leighton House, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

If Opera - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
2023-08-27 13:30 - 14:40
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Will Todd
Libretto by Maggie Gottlieb
Original commission by Opera Holland Park, based on designs by Leslie Travers
Director Lysanne van Overbeek
Conductor Mark Austin
With the If Opera Ensemble and resident orchestra Bristol Ensemble
Sung in English
Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon
Running time approx. 1 hour
“Beg, borrow or steal a ticket for Alice in Wonderland – this show is FANTASTIC, pure life-affirming joy.”
Suzy Klein, BBC Radio 3
“The show is such fun, and so well sung, that not even the youngest kids get bored… this is knock-out.”
Michael Church, The Independent
Eleven year old Alice is jolted out of her daydreams when she meets a talking rabbit who insists she follow him to a mysterious Wonderland. In this fantastical place, Alice comes across a number of peculiar characters, including a relaxed caterpillar, a happy cat, a depressive hare, a white knight, a romantic duchess, a mad hatter and a sleepy dormouse.
Staged originally at Opera Holland Park, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – by that globe-trotting choral, jazz and opera dynamo, the composer Will Todd – is perfect for little ones, and makes for a glorious, laugh-a-minute afternoon for the family. Described by the Daily Telegraph’s critic as ‘the most charming, least condescending opera for children I have seen’, and as ‘FANTASTIC, pure life-affirming joy” by Suzy Klein on BBC Radio 3, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland brings beautiful music and fast-paced excitement to Belcombe Court.
This reimagined production is directed by Lysanne van Overbeek and conducted by Mark Austin.
Bringing Alice to Bradford-on-Avon
If Opera is committed to introducing people of all ages to opera and we are proud to present – as part of our main season – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Will Todd’s magical opera of one of the world’s most enduring cultural icons. Originally commissioned and produced by Opera Holland Park in promenade performances in 2013, Alice went on to be performed for the stage at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio. If Opera will produce a new stage version, using original costumes.
The opera features a full compliment of the best loved characters from the story, all performed by the If Opera company ensemble and a wonderful orchestra that delivers the glorious music. A successful single from the opera ‘I flew High in my dreams’ is a signature moment from the score but all the characters enjoy their own fabulous moments.
Will Todd’s music for Alice is a wonderfully eclectic mix of jazz, musical theatre and opera – there’s the basso profondo caterpillar’s rumbling Wonderland Blues, a coloratura diva Drink Me Bottle and a furiously flustered pantomime dame of a Queen of Hearts. Gottlieb’s witty libretto moulds Carroll’s nonsense into a fun and engaging story that remains true to the original spirit of the book – and like all good children’s stories, the opera has LOTS for the adults to enjoy too!
Watch Will Todd introduce this family opera, first commissioned by Opera Holland Park – with excerpts of the music and insights into the creative and collaborative process here.
Visit our membership page to access Priority Booking and other benefits, or find out more about other opportunities for support.
Tickets available online or from Bath Box Office, telephone 01225 463 362
Image © Brenner

If Opera - Iolanta
2023-09-13 19:00 - 20:45
Iolanta Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky
Based on the play Kong Renés Datter by Henrik Hertz
First performed 18th December 1892 at Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg
Directed by Lysanne Van Overbeek
Conductor Paul Wingfield
With the If Opera Ensemble and resident orchestra Bristol Ensemble
Sung in Russian with English surtitles
Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford on Avon
Running time approximately 90 minutes, no interval.
Among Tchaikovsky’s canon sits what has become one of the most treasured of his operas – the fantastical, deeply moving Iolanta. This one act opera is a heartbreaking tale of the blind princess who is unaware of her disability as all those who care for her manage to keep it secret from her. Her world is one of darkness, and she believes that is how it is for everybody. Love, in the form of Count Vaudemont, however, comes to visit her and it is love’s embrace that brings back her sight.
Tchaikovsky’s ‘fairy tale’ has of course deeper meaning – the return of Iolanta’s sight is wrapped up in the notion of love’s true power but it was also in line with contemporaneous medical thinking. Whatever the background to the story, however, Iolanta is a relentlessly beautiful opera with aria after aria, and a central duet of such febrile, blistering gorgeousness that there is a growing belief that this opera sits among the very best of the composer’s work. The final exultant chorus is without question one of Tchaikovsky’s most beautiful and powerful creations.
This costumed and staged production, our first at the Wiltshire Music Centre, will create the magic of Iolanta’s kingdom and gives the If Opera ensemble a chance to sing one of the most exquisite of late 19th century Russian operas.
If Opera’s production will be directed by Lysanne van Overbeek and conducted by Paul Wingfield.
Visit our membership page to access Priority Booking and other benefits, or find out more about other opportunities for support.
Venue: Wiltshire Music Centre, Ashley Rd, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. BA15 1DZ
Tickets available online or from Bath Box Office, telephone 01225 463 362
Image ‘Silent Noon’ by John Byam Shaw Courtesy of Leighton House, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
