Henry Herford News
British opera singer
- baritone
- United Kingdom
- opera singer
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2024-03-19
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2024-02-21 08:00:00
Revealing a remarkable talent: Solomon's Knot explore the Sacred Songs and Anthems of 17th century composer George Jeffreys
[…] which cycle over the Church year. These are mostly early compositions, with largely anonymous poetical texts (though one uses George Herbert). The second disc features four-voice anthems described by Jeffreys as 'Songs of 4. Parts For the Church', these set largely sacred texts culled from the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer.The music is performed by the eight singers of Solomon's Knot, Zoë Brookshaw and Clare Lloyd-Griffiths, soprano, James Laing and Kate Symonds-Joy, alto, Thomas Herford and Andrew Tortise, tenor Alex Ashworth and Jonathan Sells, bass with theorbo and organ, performing one voice to a part. Throughout they perform with flexibility, freedom and virtuosity, this is rightly given as music for a virtuoso vocal consort rather than solos with large choral ensemble. The result has a compelling vividness that makes the music really sing. That the performers have experience with the more virtuoso Italian style is a great help. This disc […]
2021-08-15 08:47:09
Making the most of opportunity: a brilliant young cast in Rossini's early farsa with British Youth Opera
[…] opera was one of the most popular of Rossini's operas during his lifetime. It is an engaging piece of fluff, yet like the best comedies requires to be taken seriously as does Rossini's vocal writing, which takes no prisoners. This isn't the first time that British Youth Opera has turned to Rossini's farse for repertoire (in 2009 they did a double-bill of Il signor Bruschino and La scala di Seta which featured Thomas Herford, Michel de Souza, Peter Brathwaite and Hanna Hipp), and for their Summer 2021 season at Opera Holland Park they paired it with their production of Hansel & Gretel [see my review]. Directed by Victoria Newlyn and conducted by Peter Robinson with Southbank Sinfonia, British Youth Opera presented Rossini's L’occasione fa il ladro at Opera Holland Park. We caught the first night of the blue cast on 13 August 2021 with Aimée Fisk as Berenice, […]
2021-06-29 06:47:42
Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Grange Festival
Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream - Alexander Chance, Chris Darmanin - The Grange Festival (Photo Simon Annand) Britten A Midsummer Night's Dream; Alexander Chance, Samantha Clarke, Chris Darmanin, Roberto Lorenzi, Angharad Lyddon, Peter Kirk, Alex Otterburn, Andela Simkin, Eleanor Dennis, Henry Waddington, William Thomas, Ben Johnson, Sion Goronwy, Gwilym Bowen, Johnny Herford, dir: Paul Curran, cond: Anthony Kraus; The Grange Festival Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 27 June 2021 Star rating: 4.5 (★★★★½) Britten's Dream in a strong ensemble production with a stylish, modernist twist, plus a notable debut from Alexander Chance Britten: A Midsummer Night's DreamHenry Waddington, Samantha ClarkeThe Grange Festival (Photo Simon Annand) Paul Curran's production of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream first appeared in Valencia and the director's re-working of this production for The Grange Festival was scheduled for last year. In the event, 2021 saw the production's debut at the festival with a […]
2019-12-10 10:10:36
In the salon of Mlle de Guise: Solomon's Knot take us to 17th century France with a pair of Christmas pastorals by Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Solmon's Knot (Photo Alexander Barnes / Apple and Biscuit.) Marc-Antoine Charpentier In nativitatem Domini canticum H.416 and Pastorale sur la naissance de Notre Seigneur Jesus-Christ H.483; Solomon's Knot; St John's Smith Square Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 9 December 2019 Star rating: 4.0 (★★★★) Two rarely performed Christmas pieces evoke 17th century France in highly engaging performances Marie of Lorraine, Duchess of Guise, Charpentier's patronness(Balthazar Moncornet) Having in previous year's explored Christmas in Leipzig via the music of J.S. Bach and his predecessors at St Thomas's Church, Solomon's Knot returned to St John's Smith Square's Christmas Festival on Monday 9 December 2019 with a pair of Christmas pieces by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, In nativitatem Domini canticum H.416 and Pastorale sur la naissance de Notre Seigneur Jesus-Christ H.483. The works were performed by the singers, Clare Lloyd-Griffiths, Zoe Brookshaw, Kate Symonds-Joy, Peter Davoren, Thomas Herford, Marcus Farnsworth, […]
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