Così fan Tutte - Opera Holland Park

Così fan Tutte is one of three operas written by composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. Written in Italian, it translates as “Thus do all women” or “All women are like that”.  It tells the story of two sisters; Dorabella and Fiordiligi, their lovers Ferrando & Guglielmo and their friend, the old philosopher Don Alfonso.  Following a proclamation made by the young men that the affections of their sweethearts are unwavering, Don Alfonso places a bet with the young men. Given one day and providing the young men do everything he says, he will prove that their sweethearts are fickle (as all women are).

Opera Holland Park’s production of this well- known opera is given a traditional 18th century setting in terms of costumes but with a modern twist in terms of staging. Don Alfonso is the first character we the audience are introduced to and together with the chorus singers (seated on the stage like an audience) are let in on the experiment he is about to conduct. The staging thereafter is reminiscent of a cross between the Truman Show and Big Brother as we watch the main protagonists and the supporting cast caught up in Don Alfonso’s experiment.

I have been to several of Opera Holland Park’s productions and have never been disappointed. The outdoor setting provides a welcome change to a theatre or opera house and has a more intimate feel to it. The cast and chorus are always very strong vocally especially when you consider that like most operas the singers don’t wear microphones and given the outdoor setting have to project their voices in a different way. In this setting you can also see the orchestra which again makes a change from them being in a pit or hidden off stage – you really get to see a full performance in every sense.

Whilst Cosi fan Tutte is not one of my favourite operas (I find the storyline somewhat melodramatic) I was nevertheless eager to see this production by Opera Holland Park. The fact that they always put on operas to such a high standard – and given the fact that my good friend Nick Garrett was performing the role of Don Alfonso added to its appeal. I had read several reviews of the performance before attending and so was anticipating a great performance – I was not disappointed.

The singers all performed to an extremely high standard and were amusing, eloquent and emotional.  Each of the singers performed their solo parts so well that it would be hard to pick out any one as a highlight of the opera .Whilst I could not remember many of the songs from the opera , I did enjoy Soave sia il Vento performed by Don Alfonso, Dorabella and Fiordiligi. There were also several comedy moments – usually involving Don Alfonso and Despina which I thoroughly enjoyed.At times it seemed they were delivering the lyrics with such speed that it became a tongue twister of words which added to the comedic value of the piece

Although the opera did seem quite long at times, I enjoyed the innovative staging and thought that setting it in such a way as to reproduce a big brother sort of feel, gave it a very modern and contemporary twist. I would gladly have seen this production again had it not been for the travel distance from my home and the fact that like Opera Holland Park’s many other productions, it was sold out!

Conductor Thomas Kemp
Director Harry Fehr
Designer Alex Eales
Lighting Designer Colin Grenfell
Fiordiligi Elizabeth Llewellyn
Dorabella Julia Riley
Ferrando Andrew Staples
Guglielmo Dawid Kimberg
Despina Joana Seara
Alfonso Nicholas Garrett
With the City of London Sinfonia and the Opera Holland Park Chorus


For further information on Opera Holland Park and their forthcoming productions see www.operahollandpark.com.

Blake - Love Lifts us Up Tour 2012

Recently I have been delighted to catch up with two of my favourite sets of artists; Blake and Nick Garrett. I have known both for approximately six years and although I’ve not been able to see either of them as much as I’d like lately, this past month I have fortunate enough to see them both.

Ollie Baines, Humphrey Berney, Jules Knight and Stephen Bowman, collectively known as Blake, are currently touring the UK with their Love Lifts us Up Tour. The concert features many of the well-known and best-loved songs from their previous three albums, but also gives us an opportunity to take get a glimpse into the new direction they are going with their forthcoming fourth album.
What I enjoy about Blake’s performances are the incredible harmonies they produce. Whether they are performing a pop song, a ballad or a classical piece, the harmonies have an inimitable quality to them which enhances each of the songs in a different way, emphasizing the beauty and emotion of each piece.

Tracks from their previous albums included; She, Nessun Dorma, Hallelujah, Moon River, Chasing Cars, And So It Goes and God Only Knows, proving that they are equally adept at performing different genres of music both accompanied and a Capella. The choice of songs was also important in that many of the people at the concert were seeing Blake for the first time that evening and so whilst they may have been unfamiliar with the group, the repertoire provided a familiar reassurance. Many members of the audience joined in, encouraged by Blake, particularly in numbers like Up Where We Belong and Jerusalem.

I had been rather sceptical about the direction that the fourth album was headed given that it was to be all original material and more pop based. I have great faith in the musical abilities of the group and so it wasn’t the fact that they were composing songs themselves that worried me but rather that the wonderful harmonies would be lost in the process. I needn’t have worried though as the song Start Over proved, the harmonies are still present and Stephen assured me after the concert, that harmonies will remain very much a trademark part of their music. Start Over is the first song I have heard from their forthcoming album and if the rest of the songs are like this one, then we are really in for a musical treat.

It was also lovely to hear them perform other new material at this concert – new to their repertoire as opposed to new original material. These included the beautiful Billy Joel song Lullaby and the deeply moving Peter Gabriel song Father, Son both of which were sung so expressively that the emotions of each piece combined with the beautiful harmonies made them truly heart-rending. For me, Father, Son which Jules dedicated to those in the audience who had lost a parent really struck a chord in my heart as my father died when I was young. Watching them perform this knowing that Jules had also lost his own father just a year before also added to the poignancy of the piece especially when he sang the words “with my dad by my side”. I am sure that Jules' father would be extremely proud of his son and what he has accomplished and will still be "by his side" watching over him.

What I also enjoy about Blake’s performances is the way they perform as a group – not just vocally but in their support for each other. There’s a real sense of camaraderie when they are together and whilst all their vocal styles and sounds are individual, they all come together to produce an incredible song as a group and no one voice is more predominant than the other. I also still admire the fact that despite numerous tours throughout the UK and abroad and their many successes, they still take the time to meet and greet their fans at the end of their performances and are happy to sign autographs and pose for photos. It’s a sign that they remain grounded and haven’t let the fame change them – something which I know the fans appreciate and love about them.

Blake’s Love Lifts us Up Tour continues throughout the UK at various venues and dates. For more information see their website www.blakeofficial.com or follow them on Twitter www.twitter.com/thebandblake