- WNO Music Director Tomáš Hanus returns to the International Concert Series at St David’s Hall
- WNO Conductor Laureate Carlo Rizzi conducts at the 70th anniversary of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
- WNO collaborate with BBC National Chorus of Wales for Handel’s Messiah in December
- WNO Orchestra head to Morocco’s Academie Royale for the first time, performing the Journey to Vienna programme before returning to tour the UK in 2020
Welsh National Opera’s Orchestra is primed for a new season of concerts and special events, which will draw 2019 to an exhilarating close while looking ahead to 2020 with a ‘Journey to Vienna’…
In October, WNO Orchestra will return to the International Concert Series, with critically acclaimed WNO Music Director Tomáš Hanus conducting at St David’s Hall, Cardiff. Featuring the renowned German cellist Daniel Müller Schott, the performance will open with Vltava from Smetana’s Má Vlast, followed by Debussy’s symphonic masterpiece La Mer and closing with Dvořák’s spiritual tribute to his homeland, his Cello Concerto.
WNO Music Director Tomáš Hanus said, “Whilst already well-known for its brilliant operatic performances, WNO Orchestra’s world-class qualities have been proved many times on the concert stage. I would like to warmly invite all people, even those who would not usually consider going to a symphonic concert, to come along and experience the international language of music. Together at the International Concert Series this October, we can experience Smetana’s enduringly popular Vltava. You will also hear Debussy’s La Mer, which demonstrates the ability of music to paint pictures with exceptional intensity. We then finish with one of the best pieces ever written for cello - Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, performed by International cello star Daniel Müller-Schott. I am so looking forward to sharing with you some of the music from the country where I was born.”
As we move into November, WNO Conductor Laureate Carlo Rizzi conducts WNO Orchestra in a very special gala concert celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Join the extraordinary young singers of the David Seligman Opera School in an incredible evening of scenes and arias showcasing the very best of emerging operatic talent.
The Orchestra then looks to the festive season, heading to Morocco’s capital Rabat for two concerts, the first of which, at the Academie Royale. A full scale event follows at the Mohammed V Theatre featuring both soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams and tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones. The Orchestra and soloists will be conducted by Carlo Rizzi.
The Orchestra will also collaborate with BBC National Chorus of Wales in December for Handel’s Messiah. An essential Christmas tradition for lovers of classical music, this emotive portrayal of the nativity is brought to life through one of the most beloved choral works in Western culture.
And what better way is there to start 2020 than with a Journey to Vienna? WNO Orchestra celebrates some of Europe’s finest music under the direction of Leader and Concertmaster David Adams. The audience will be transported to all corners of Europe with a range works by Mozart, Offenbach, Dvořák, Brahms and Strauss. The Orchestra will again be joined by the soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams, following her recent success in WNO productions of Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino, and Die Fledermaus. The Journey to Vienna programme will also be performed by the Orchestra’s in Morocco.
WNO Orchestra Manager Peter Harrap said, “Year on year, WNO Orchestra deliver extremely rich and varied operatic, symphonic and chamber orchestra concerts throughout Wales and England. Alongside our chamber ensemble work and school and family performances, WNO Orchestra perform for an extensive portfolio of venues, promoters and festivals. We are delighted to be visiting Morocco in December, which will extend the growing international profile of WNO’s Orchestra. This visit follows our successful partnership with Dubai, established at a New Year’s Concert in 2015, which paved the way for two further WNO seasons of opera in the Emirates. In recent years, WNO Orchestra’s family concerts have also featured as part of the company’s tour to the Sultanate of Oman and the Hong Kong Festival. WNO is committed to extending the concert profile of the company and we are thrilled to be pioneering a fresh relationship with Morocco.”
For more information, visit wno.org.uk
Full Programme Details
International Concert Series
St David's Hall, Cardiff - Sun 27 Oct, 3.00pm
Conductor Tomáš Hanus
- Smetana Má Vlast 'Vltava'
- Debussy La Mer
- Dvořák Cello Concerto Op 104
70 years of the Royal Welsh College
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff - Fri 15 Nov 2019, 7.30pm
Conductor Carlo Rizzi
SingersDavid Seligman Opera School
Morocco
Self-Drive Concert, Royal Academy, Rabat – Wed 4 Dec
Opera Gala Event, National Theatre, Rabat – Thurs 5 Dec
A Journey to Vienna programme (listed below)
Messiah | Handel
St David's Hall, Cardiff - Wed 11 Dec, 7.30pm
WNO Orchestra and BBC National Chorus of Wales
Conductor Christoph Poppen
Soprano Soraya Mafi
Mezzo Madeleine Shaw
Tenor Trystan Llŷr Griffiths
Bass James Platt
A Journey to Vienna
St George's Bristol - Fri 3 Jan, 7.30pm
The Great Hall, Swansea - Sat 4 Jan, 7.30pm
St David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire - Wed 8 Jan, 7.30pm
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff - Thu 9 Jan, 7.30pm
Pontio, Bangor - Fri 10 Jan, 7.30pm
The Hafren, Newtown - Sat 11 Jan, 4.00pm
The Riverfront, Newport - Tue 14 Jan, 7.30pm
Programme
- Offenbach Orpheus in the Underworld: Overture
- Offenbach La Grande-Duchess de Gérolstein: Ah! Que j'aime les militaires
- Faure Pavane
- Faure Apres un reve
- Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik Mov 1
- Strauss Morgen
- Dvořák Slavonic Dance Op 72 No 7
- Brahms Hungarian Dance No 1 in G minor
INTERVAL
- Dvořák Songs My Mother Taught Me
- Strauss Magyar Polka
- Strauss Die Fledermaus: Czardas
- Strauss Emperor Waltz
- Lehar The Merry Widow: Vilja
- Strauss The Blue Danube
Notes to Editors
- Welsh National Opera is the national opera company for Wales. WNO is funded by the Arts Councils of Wales and England to provide large scale opera across Wales and to major cities in the English regions.
- WNO production images are available for download at http://www.wno.org.uk/press
- For more information, photos or interviews please contact Rachel Bowyer or Penny James, Press Manager (job share) on 029 20635038 or rachel.bowyer@wno.org.uk / penny.james@wno.org.uk or Rhys Edwards, Press Officer on 029 2063 5037 or rhys.edwards@wno.org.uk
- The role of WNO Music Director is supported by Marian & Gordon Pell.
- WNO ICS concerts are supported by Mathew and Lucy Prichard.