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THREE European opera stars paid the region's secondary schools a virtual visit in partnership with a Hexham-based arts charity. Samling Institute for Young Artists - working alongside three Music Education Hubs in the region - introduced the world-renowned trio of Louise Alder, Milan Siljano and Nicky Spence to eight students in the area to provide masterclasses in classical singing and opera. Louise, who currently appears in the Vienna State Opera and has previously won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the Year in 2017, worked with Hexham teenager Martha Cook on a Mozart aria to help her impr...

Opera North’s Fidelio at Leeds town hall. Photograph: Richard H Smith Beethoven’s 250th birthday finally arrived last week. We shouldn’t mind, for his sake, that so many brilliantly planned celebrations worldwide had to be spiked. There’s been enough Beethoven in the air, and on air – notably Donald Macleod’s year-spanning Composer of the Week on BBC Radio 3 – to confirm this unknowable genius as a fountainhead of western music. We should, and do, mind on account of the musicians for the loss of their art ...

Saturday, December 12, 2020 THE prisoners at the heart of Beethoven’s only opera emerge from the stygian darkness of lockdown into bright sunlight. “Oh what joy! In the open air, freely to breathe again! The dungeon is a grave.” Their fervent chorus embodies one of the most powerful expressions of release in all music. Opera North’s concert presentation of Fidelio was intended to be staged in front of a socially distanced audience limited to 250. Unfortunately the vagaries of Tier 3 necessitated a performance behind closed doors, but thanks to the technological wizardry of lives...

Fidelio, Opera North online review - less is really more | reviews, news & interviews Fidelio, Opera North online review - less is really more Fidelio, Opera North online review - less is really more Adaptation leaves Beethoven's music in all its glory by Robert BealeMonday, 14 December 2020 Space to act and interact: soloists, orchestra and chorus in Opera North's 'Fidelio' from Leeds Town HallAll images by Richard H Smith Adaptability is the name of the game for big companies in the music business now. And Opera North’s streamed presentation of Beethoven's Fidelio from i...

Last modified on Fri 18 Dec 2020 05.54 EST Opera North’s Fidelio went ahead in the teeth of the region’s tight pandemic restrictions. The concert performance, recorded in an empty Leeds Town Hall and available to stream, proved much more than merely a victory over challenging circumstances. The musical lineup had always looked pretty special on anyone’s terms, and the musicians duly delivered a gripping operatic experience in which every aspect of the show seemed to come together. What made the impact so strong? There was, of course, the excitement of a British company performi...