I am sitting in the shade where the temperature is 34 - in the delightful Hotel Notre-Dame de Lumières. I am here for just four days to join Errol and Susie Girdlestone at the Ristretto Summer Academy. This place is a paradise with the hotel attached to the chapel and as I sit here the sound of the chorus rehearsing for the concert tomorrow evening has a unique magic.
This is a good way to get away from some apparently ghastly weather in England this week. The chorus come from all over the world, even from northern Alberta in one case! But certainly the majority are enthusiastic amateur chorus singers from England including members of the Bach Choir and similar outstanding British choruses. With a programme at the concert tomorrow including music by Arvo Pärt, James McMillan, Robert Schumann, J.S.Bach and others, we are in for a delicious evening - followed by a delicious dinner!! It is France after all.......and then I will be back to London on Sunday evening on the Eurostar from Avignon. A perfect break.
My week began with two visits to Glyndebourne, my last of the season. Monday was the dress rehearsal of Robert Carsen's 2011 production of Rinaldo, its second revival. I did not see it on either previous outing so was delighted to be able to get to see it at last - with an outstanding cast and exceptional young conductor, Maxim Emelyanychev, the production was beautifully revived by Bruno Ravella in Robert's absence.
The cast included three old friends, one from Chicago Opera Theater, Tim Mead, and two from Neue Stimmen, Kristina Mkhitaryan and Jakub Józef Orliński. Jakub auditioned for me in Warsaw in 2013 at the age of 22 and it was already clear that this young man was set for stardom. He was one of the very rare countertenors that we brought to the finals and, although he did not win in 2013, he has gone on to be one of the most sought after young people in his field. He sang the title role and I have little doubt that he will have had a great success with this at the opening last night.
The Almirena was a terrific Italian soprano Giulia Semenzato - lovely singing from her, not least in Lascia io pianga. Good for Glyndebourne to have unearthed an Italian - only too difficult these days sadly!
The following evening I was at the controversial Zauberflöte. It must have been a hugely expensive production - it had its moments and I greatly enjoyed Brindley Sherratt's singing of Sarastro. But I have to say that I found that much of it was buried under a mountain of "production". But I guess that Mozart can survive pretty well anything - almost!
More from here tomorrow!
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