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ISCA Voices |
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Recital
Mark Bebbington, piano |
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Tuesday 27 July
St. Peter's Church
The New Devon Opera's production of
La Traviata
Giuseppi Verdi
Conductor and Director of Music: Dr Paul Foster
Director: Martyn Harrison
Violetta: Sarah Helsby Hughes
Alfredo: Ben Kerslake
Germont: Bruce Graham
The Opera
Synopsis
La Traviata
ACT I. In her Paris salon, the courtesan Violetta Valéry greets party guests, including Flora Bervoix, the Marquis d'Obigny, Baron Douphol, and Gastone, who introduces a new admirer, Alfredo Germont. This young man, having adored Violetta from afar, joins her in a drinking song (Brindisi: "Libiamo"). An orchestra is heard in the next room, but as guests move there to dance, Violetta suffers a fainting spell, sends the guests on ahead, and goes to her parlor to recover. Alfredo comes in, and since they are alone, confesses his love ("Un dì felice"). At first Violetta protests that love means nothing to her. Something about the young man's sincerity touches her, however, and she promises to meet him the next day. After the guests have gone, Violetta wonders if Alfredo could actually be the man she could love ("Ah, fors'è lui"). But she decides she wants freedom ("Sempre libera"), though Alfredo's voice, heard outside, argues in favor of romance.
ACT II Some months later Alfredo and Violetta are living in a country house near Paris, where he praises their contentment ("De' miei bollenti spiriti"). But when the maid, Annina, reveals that Violetta has pawned her jewels to keep the house, Alfredo leaves for the city to settle matters at his own cost. Violetta comes looking for him and finds an invitation from Flora to a party that night. Violetta has no intention of going back to her old life, but trouble intrudes with the appearance of Alfredo's father. Though impressed by Violetta's ladylike manners, he demands she renounce his son: the scandal of Alfredo's affair with her has threatened his daughter's engagement ("Pura siccome un angelo"). Violetta says she cannot, but Germont eventually convinces her ("Dite alla giovine"). Alone, the desolate woman sends a message of acceptance to Flora and begins a farewell note to Alfredo. He enters suddenly, surprising her, and she can barely control herself as she reminds him of how deeply she loves him ("Amami, Alfredo") before rushing out. Now a servant hands Alfredo her farewell note as Germont returns to console his son with reminders of family life in Provence ("Di Provenza"). But Alfredo, seeing Flora's invitation, suspects Violetta has thrown him over for another lover. Furious, he determines to confront her at the party.
At her soirée that evening, Flora learns from the Marquis that Violetta and Alfredo have parted, then clears the floor for hired entertainers - a band of fortune-telling Gypsies and some matadors who sing of Piquillo and his coy sweetheart ("E Piquillo un bel gagliardo"). Soon Alfredo strides in, making bitter comments about love and gambling recklessly at cards. Violetta has arrived with Baron Douphol, who challenges Alfredo to a game and loses a small fortune to him. Everyone goes in to supper, but Violetta has asked Alfredo to see her. Fearful of the Baron's anger, she wants Alfredo to leave, but he misunderstands her apprehension and demands that she admit she loves Douphol. Crushed, she pretends she does. Now Alfredo calls in the others, denounces his former love and hurls his winnings at her feet ("Questa donna conoscete?"). Germont enters in time to see this and denounces his son's behavior. The guests rebuke Alfredo and Douphol challenges him to a duel.
ACT III. In Violetta's bedroom six months later, Dr. Grenvil tells Annina her mistress has not long to live: tuberculosis has claimed her. Alone, Violetta rereads a letter from Germont saying the Baron was only wounded in his duel with Alfredo, who knows all and is on his way to beg her pardon. But Violetta senses it is too late ("Addio del passato"). Paris is celebrating Mardi Gras and, after revelers pass outside, Annina rushes in to announce Alfredo. The lovers ecstatically plan to leave Paris forever ("Parigi, o cara"). Germont enters with the doctor before Violetta is seized with a last resurgence of strength. Feeling life return, she staggers and falls dead at her lover's feet.
courtesy Opera World
Conductor and Director of Music: (Dr Paul Foster)
Paul has been Director of Music for New Devon Opera for the past three seasons. He read music at the University of London (Master of Music) and then followed vocal studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. He studied composition with Edward Gregson and Philip Grange and conducting with Sir Arthur Davison. He has a PhD in Musical Composition from the University of Manchester.
During his seventeen years in London, Paul conducted many orchestras, opera and musicals, as well as working on a variety of musical projects – including some at the Royal Opera House, Queen Elizabeth Hall and with the London Sinfonietta.
His work as a pianist has ranged from playing for the Sir Peter Maxwell Davies birthday celebrations at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, to accompanying Ruth Henshall in concert.
As a composer, many of Paul's works have been inspired by Cornwall and Dartmoor and they have been performed on the South Bank, at the Royal Colleges of Music and, abroad. One of his recent works, Inverted Cathedrals, a tone poem based on the cliff-edge mines in Cornwall, has won him a coveted place on the promotional shortlist for the Society for the Promotion of New Music.
Paul is also a published poet.
Director (Martyn Harrison)
Martyn Harrison combines his career as a professional opera singer with that of Stage Director.
After taking his degree in Applied Biology, Martyn first specialised in Parasitology at the Natural History Museum. His professional singing career began with Glyndebourne and, since then, he has sung with all the major UK opera companies (Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Kent Opera and the New D'Oyly Carte) as well as in major houses across Europe. He has directed over 135 productions, ranging from opera through to pantomime, both for professional and community theatre companies and regularly runs opera/musical theatre masterclasses.
Martyn was Artistic Director of CAMEO Opera Group [Essex]; he still has a very busy concert diary and undertakes frequent operatic voice-over work for TV advertisements. He is a regular speaker on opera, operetta & musical theatre for many organisations including Universities, Colleges, University of the Third Age, ABTA, the Freemasons, Probus, major retail names and other professional bodies.
Martyn has directed the previous three summer operas for NDO and is delighted to accept the challenge of Rigoletto.
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ISCA Voices
Stephen Tanner is the Director of Music at Exeter Cathedral School and Assistant Organist at Exeter Cathedral. In 1994, he founded the girl choristers section of Exeter Cathedral Choir and has directed it ever since. In addition to the regular round of service singing, the girls have appeared in numerous concerts, broadcasts and recordings and have toured in the USA, Holland, Cyprus, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Tenerife and Norway.
Unlike the girl choristers at many other cathedrals, the Exeter girls leave the choir at the age of thirteen. At the end of 2008, Stephen Tanner decided to create an opportunity for former girl choristers who live locally to continue singing together and “Isca Voices” was born.
After some four years as cathedral choristers, the girls are very experienced performing musicians both vocally and instrumentally. Isca Voices aims to perform not only from the vast wealth of religious choral music from across the centuries but also to sing music from the folk, jazz and popular repertoires in close harmony.
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