Chorus!
Archived: 2014/2015Overview
A fully staged extravaganza of some of opera's greatest moments, starring Lesley Garrett.
The talents of soprano Lesley Garrett, centre stage with the stunning WNO Chorus, make this a uniquely entwined and magnificent spectacle.
Lesley's natural rapport with an audience reaches far beyond the opera house. Her superb voice, in union with the Chorus, brings every song to life in a delightful cocktail of music and performance.
Chorus! features over 20 works, including Il trovatore, Madam Butterfly, The Pirates of Penzance and Peter Grimes.
With moments of wonder, humour and reflection seasoned operagoers will be reminded why they fell in love with it in the first place. Newcomers to the genre will be left wanting more.
Part One
War and Peace Epigraph / Music Prokofiev / Libretto Mendelson & Prokofiev.
Peter Grimes Who holds himself apart / Music Britten / Libretto Slater
The Flying Dutchman Spinning chorus / Music & Libretto Wagner
Macbeth Murderers’ chorus / Music Verdi / Libretto Piave
Il trovatore Anvil chorus / Music Verdi / Libretto Cammarano
La forza del destino Rataplan / Music Verdi / Libretto Piave / Preziosilla Lesley Garrett
The Fairy Queen Hush, no more / Music Purcell / Libretto anon. after Shakespeare / Sleep Martin Lloyd
Madam Butterfly Humming chorus / Music Puccini / Libretto Giacosa & Illica
The Rake’s Progress With air commanding / Music Stravinsky / Libretto Auden & Kallman
The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny Alabama song / Music Weill / Libretto Brecht / Jenny Lesley Garrett
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk Police scene / Music Shostakovich / Libretto Preis & Shostakovich / Translation David Pountney / Chief of Police Stephen Wells
Carmen Cigarette chorus / Music Bizet / Libretto Meilhac & Halévy
The Pirates of Penzance A policeman’s lot / Music Sullivan / Libretto Gilbert / Sergeant Stephen Wells
The Tales of Hoffmann Barcarolle / Music Offenbach / Libretto Barbier / Carré Lesley Garrett
The Cunning Little Vixen Wedding scene / Music & Libretto Janáček
Interval
Part Two
Carmen Les voici / Music Bizet / Libretto Meilhac & Halévy
The Pirates of Penzance With cat-like tread / Music Sullivan / Libretto Gilbert / Samuel George Newton-Fitzgerald
Macbeth Witches’ chorus / Music Verdi / Libretto Maffei & Piave
La forza del destino La vergine degli angeli / Music Verdi / Libretto Piave / Leonora Lesley Garrett
Messiah Hallelujah chorus / Music Handel / Text Jennens
Panis angelicusMusic Franck / Text Aquinas / Lesley Garrett
Khovanshchina Wailing chorus / Music Musorgsky / Libretto Musorgsky & Stasov / Translation Carol Borah Kelly / Khovansky Alastair Moore / Kuzka Simon Crosby-Buttle / Scribe Michael Clifton-Thompson
Nabucco Va, pensiero / Music Verdi / Libretto Solera
Man of La Mancha The Impossible Dream / Music Leigh (arr. Bateman) / Lyrics Darion / Lesley Garrett
Candide Make our garden grow / Music Bernstein / Lyrics Bernstein, Hellman, Latouche, Parker, Sondheim, Wheeler & Wilbur / Cunegonde Lesley Garrett / Candide Howard Kirk
Excerpts from War and Peace, Peter Grimes, The Rake’s Progress, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Khovanshchina and Candide by permission of Boosey and Hawkes Music Publishers Limited; excerpt from The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny by arrangement with European American Music.
Good to know
Sung in various languages with surtitles in English (and Welsh in Cardiff and Llandudno)
Please note that strobe lighting will feature in the production