I have been pretty quiet over the last couple of weeks for multiple reasons, largely due to family duties (which are all a pleasure), but also to belt tightening during the weeks prior to settling my tax bill for the year, due on Wednesday next! So it has been austerity January - but to be followed by a leap back into action in February with three days in Lisbon, nine in Izmir, and three on the Côte d'Azur, I hope, to round the month off. So no February blues for me!
I was at another charming recital at the V and A last week when the ever delightful Alison Rose was joined by her namesake Nicola and Louise Innes in a varied programme of Handel, Mozart, Strauss, Debussy, Bizet and Ravel. Here was another excellent demonstration of the achievements of the National Opera Studio over the years since its founding, as successor to the London Opera Centre, in 1977.
I was not able to get to the V and A last Thursday as there was a rival NOS event at their home base in Wandsworth - but this coming Thursday can not be missed - Winterreise with Matthew Rose and Tom Poster.
© NOS/Marc Gascoigne
The rival event was "Americana" - a cleverly devised programme of scenes from pieces by Avner Dorman, Stephen Flaherty, Ricky Ian Gordon, John Harbison, Stephen Sondheim, Gian Carlo Menotti, Tobias Picker, Jake Heggie, and Leonard Bernstein. The only person missing was America's greatest living opera composer Carlisle Floyd!
The range of exceptional talents in the current team of NOS Young Artists was put on excellent show. I have mentioned in the past the merits of the three remarkable mezzos. On this occasion they shone again (unforgettable was Sinéad O'Kelly's Ladies Who Lunch complete with a martini and a refill......) and I will invidiously also pick out Satriya Krisna, Emyr Wyn Jones, and Daniel Shelvey for additional mention. But in truth it was a splendid panorama of the virtues of these young people, each of whom flowered under the special direction of Keith Warner. How good it was to catch up with Keith who around 27 years ago did a Ballo for us in Toronto when I was General Director of the Canadian Opera Company.
You can see this excellent show at St John's Smith Square on April 24 - well worth taking the trouble.
Today it is a family lunch, preceded by Roger Federer and Marin Cilic battling for the Australian Open title!
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