John Beard News
British opera singer
- tenor
- Kingdom of Great Britain
- opera singer
Last update
2024-03-14
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2024-02-28 07:37:00
Beauty and meaning: Handel's Theodora from Jonathan Cohen and Arcangelo with Louise Alder in the title role
[…] In Part Two, both 'Deeds of kindness' and 'Sweet rose & lily' combine poise with inner strength. And both he and Alder find a sense of meaning amidst the moving beauties of the final aria and duet.Stuart Jackson's finely sung Septimus is one of the delights of the set. The character can often seem a bit reactive, less than dramatic (it was written for Thomas Lowe rather than the more dramatically vivid tenor of Thomas Beard). But here, Jackson takes great care of the music throughout, combining a sense of line with vibrant tone and a technical expertise that makes the passagework a real joy. Yet he finds meaning in everything, allied always to finely expressed phrasing. You would hardly buy a recording of Theodora for the Septimus, yet Jackson makes his contribution to the drama something special indeed.Valens is simply the baddy and remains something of a cardboard character. Adam […]
2024-02-05 09:17:00
Low comedy & sophisticated satire: New Sussex Opera revives John Frederick Lampe's The Dragon of Wantley
[…] terrific new recording of the opera [see my review].The good news is that New Sussex Opera is presenting a new production of The Dragon of Wantley which is touring to Lewes, Hove, Tunbridge Wells, Winchester, Blackheath Halls (London) and Eastbourne from 14 April to 12 May 2024. Toby Purser conducts the Bellot Baroque Ensemble. Paul Higgins' production sets the opera in a South Yorkshire of the 1980's (against the background of the miners’ strike), and singers include Ana Beard Fernández, Magnus Walker, Charlotte Badham, and Robert Gildon.Full details from New Sussex Opera's website.
2023-12-06 07:44:00
A lifetime's experience: John Nelson finally records Messiah in a finely engaged performance, with a fantastic quartet of soloists
[…] and the solo alto version is one of the alternatives.At first Michael Spyres might seem a less usual choice for tenor, but there is no reason at all why a singer known for Donizetti, Bellini and Berlioz should not sing Handel and his background probably includes a fair number of bread and butter Messiahs. He makes a fine, firm tenor soloist, engaging and admirable, yet at the same time reminding us that the great John Beard sang this role whilst also singing the title roles in Samson and Jephtha. Here Spyres has that lovely combination of strength and line, with a sense that there is power under the bonnet for these bigger roles. All in all, I loved what he did, drawing us in with his opening sequence in Part One, and ending with a finally judged duet with Potter, 'O Death, where is the sting', the two voices contrasting yet […]
2023-12-03 09:15:00
Norwich-based music writer, Tony Cooper, offers an account of Organ Re-born! a mini-concert series mounted in celebration of the return and rebirth of Norwich Cathedral’s organ.
[…] music at Christmastide (ending on the feast of the Epiphany - Saturday, 6th January) and, of course, other such important dates in the Church’s calendar. Organ Re-Born! Nicholas Chalmers conducting the BBC Singers at the Herbert Howells concert (Photo: Bill Smith / Norwich Cathedral)A 102-stop wide-ranging pipe organ, the smallest pipe is the length of a pencil while the largest, a staggering 32 feet. It was originally built by the Norwich-based firm of Norman & Beard and installed in 1899 although parts of the organ date back to the 17th century But dig further into history and you’ll find that there are references to an organ in Norwich Cathedral (dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity) as far back as the 14th century. A rebuild came about in 1942 by Hill, Norman & Beard. Therefore, to celebrate the return of the organ to Norwich Cathedral a couple of concerts and […]
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