Opening night of Dido and Aeneas, stage make-up done, excitement at boiling point, thank you all for your positive energy, feeling it 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
UPDATE
Here are some photographs taken by the RCS.
Here is the review from the The Herald written by Keith Bruce
The Opera Project, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow
Four Stars
The unassuming portmanteau title given to this double bill, featuring senior students at the Conservatoire, masks a very fine double bill of short operas written three centuries apart, which has further performances tonight and tomorrow and will more than reward the effort of catching at the Alexander Gibson Opera Studio.
Both crucially showcase the significance of the new name for “the Academy”, as they feature dancers from Modern Ballet course working alongside undergraduates and masters students of music. Kally Lloyd Jones has choreographed both the dancers and the singing company in both shows in what is an admirable example of integration at work.
The dancers crucially animate Mark Hathaway’s staging of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, a piece which is full of good music but only really has the one great tune, given a heart-breaking performance at the close of the tale by the full-voiced Eirlys Myfanwy Davies. She was very ably supported by Charlie Drummond, Jane Monari (Sorceress), Charlotte Hoather and Anna Churchill (coke-snorting witches) and particularly Victoria Stevens as her sister Belinda, whose bold first entrance signalled a skill for dramatic phrasing.
With a baroque band of seven and a chorus of eight, under the baton of Tim Dean, this was a well-resourced and very effectively, if minimally, staged Dido. Our Aeneas, Euros Campbell, however, looked much more comfortable as Le Directeur, opening proceedings for the juicy rarity that is Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tiresias. This outrageous post-Second World War appeal for French procreation, with a libretto by Apollinaire from his own First World War play requires a good deal of cross-dressing, much dada-ist larking about, and our heroine to liberate her balloon breasts from her bodice and become a proud, flat-chested, and, um, bearded, feminist.
In fact Le Directeur’s prologue (and another layer of satire about opera staging) is preceded here by tenor Matthew Thomas Morgan singing the rather more serious Apollinaire/Poulenc song Bleuet in a clever piece of period contextualising by musical director Oliver Rundell. Morgan returns later as Le Journaliste in the picaresque tale that incorporates vaudeville, a hilarious snippet of classical ballet, and a big mirrorball palais de dance finish. Barbara Cole Walton and Luke Sinclair are both excellent as the central couple in a company that includes fine performances throughout and is musically sure-footed over tricky terrain, accompanied by pianists Marija Struckova and Michal Gajzler in the version made by Benjamin Britten for Aldeburgh. The piece is a gem, and a real hoot to boot.
Just don’t disappoint yourself: enjoy every minute.
Thanks Martin I did enjoy every minute, it was a fabulous opportunity to work with everyone, I’ve put a copy of the program into the original blog post.
Best wishes
Charlotte
No, Thanks to you Charlotte, you are a fabulouse personne !!! All the very best for you !
Merci beaucoup Pascal. I liked your new website all the best for you too.
Best wishes
Charlotte
You rock!
Thank you, the whole team rocked 🙂 My final night was your birthday hope you had a great day too.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Thanks Charlotte and thanks for following the blog.
I took a whole week off work for my birthday and it was great. Mrs Harker took me out to buy running shoes, and I managed two miles round the park (albeit very slowly and with much huffing and puffing).
Are you going to post any of your performance on your blog?
go for it !!!
Thanks for the encouragement Bill 🙂 Had lots of fun.
Best wishes
Charlotte
the best times of our lives are not when we relax – they are when we strive with all our hearts for a goal. Good luck 🙂
Definitely 😀
May the Lord bless you as you look wonderful, and the best is yet to come.
The opportunity was surprising but brilliant thanks Rev Tim.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Kick some butt there Missy H…!
Ha, no kicking but I got to throw a ballerina onto the floor luckily we’re friends 🙂 and hold a knife to another’s chin lol, mean girl fun.
Best wishes
Missy H
oo-err….
You look lovely! You are going to do amazing!✿✿✿✿
Cheers Koko so lovely to hear from you, hugs to you and all the family.
Best wishes
Charlotte
I know it’s been a long time. Life you know!? Of course you do! I love seeing through your blog you are chasing your dreams! Hugs! Koko❀
Break the proverbial leg! Woof, woof, woof.
Still in one piece thank goodness 🙂
Woof and my
best wishes
Charlotte
You look every bit the part, have fun and enjoy the moment! 💐💐💐👏👏👏
I only wore those big false lashes the one night, they were so heavy and the glue made my eyes ache 🙂 Thank you it was fun.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Glad you had fun, saw you were name checked in the Herald. Well done you! 💐
I feel god to know you are lovely and happy. Ever possible fullfill your beauty with the joy of your contentment and self- realization.
You are very inteligent, smart and an awesome ever. All my best wishes for you like a brillant singer at your chosen career you’ve selected for your life. With greetings of cheers, from friend Telma.
Thank you Telma for your lovely message.
Best wishes
Charlotte
You look beeeeautiful!!!! Hope it goes amazing – have fun 🙂 XXXX
Cheers Karen a bit heavy for me but when the hair was backcombed and down it was effectively witchy 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Love it 🙂 really does look beautiful! Hope all went as planned! K xoxo
Reblogged this on antoniopedrojf.
Thank you for the reblog Antonio.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Enjoy your performance and the experience! It is kind of nice to think that for a night, people are forgetting about their day to day lives. All to have your company take them away and entertain them.
Thanks for your great message Steve, this is what helps me to keep my energy up right to the end of a run knowing that the third night in might be someone’s first night out in a long time.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Have fun and knock them dead! Xo
Thanks Janice, I’m hoping to get a few more photos to add into the blog post for future memories.
Best wishes
Charlotte
I hope all has gone well. You look fabulous!
We got several 4* reviews so that’s fabulous, it was a great show my parents really enjoyed it.
Best wishes
Charlotte
p.s. I have added one of the reviews to the bottom of my post 🙂
How wonderful! Congratulations 🙂 I will revisit and read the review asap Clare x
Good luck, you look great!
Thank you very much.
Best wishes
Charlotte
You look stunning and very happy. Hoping the evening was a great one! Your USA Friend, Chery
Thanks Cheryl, I was very happy to be asked to take part, it has been a great week.
Best wishes
Charlotte
You look wonderful dear Charlotte!Positive energy & my best wishes from me!
Greetings from Greece! 🙂
I clicked on your logo and it didn’t link to your gorgeous blog. Greetings to you thank you for thinking of me.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Hello Charlotte,
Thanks for the notice I will try -again- to fix it. I haven’t found the way.
Thanks so much for the interesting! 😊
It’s a setting in the gravatar if that helps 😊
When you click on my gravatar is opening the gravatar page. Below the image is the blog link.
But except that I will try to find the right way on the settings.
Thanks a lot!
Hope it all went great! You look splendid, and I’m sure sang more splendidly still!
All the best,
Cate
I was pleased with it and got some lovely comments from the teaching staff and some of my fellow students which was lovely.
Best wishes
Charlotte
What fun and excitement you must be feeling with this…wonderful and it would be something to get lost in such a performance. Cheers to a great adventure!
Oh yes, I did get lost in it, my parents thought I’d been a bit too realistic when I cut into my arm because the blood effects were soooo good. Here’s to more adventures 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Really cool!
Thank you 🙂 I’ve put some of the photos the RCS took in the original post if you haven’t seen them.
Best wishes
Charlotte
You’re beautiful!
Thank you 🙂 , I remember why I normally don’t wear much makeup it takes me too long to apply.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Sorry I missed sending you good luck. The photos look fabulous. You look fabulous. Hope it all went to plan.
It’s been a great week thanks Hilary, my friend Silvia came to watch tonight and said it was wonderful so that’s great, my parents are up in Glasgow for the final performance tomorrow. I have had tremendous help and support from the cast, dancers, director and choreographer to get into character helped along by great musicianship from the orchestra you’d love the show I’m sure. 4* review in The Herald ( added to the end of my post )
Best wishes
Charlotte
Stunning shots… and you look beautiful, almost like Aphrodite :star:
Best wishes Charlotte! Aquileana 😀
You are always so lovely thank you Aquileana, I take inspiration from your beautiful posts.
Best wishes
Charlotte
That is something so beautiful to know <3 Sending love, dear Charlotte! Aquileana 😀
Well done Charlotte, you look fabulous a true professional xx
Thanks Gill, wish you could have seen the show.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Wow Charlotte, you look fabulous, so pleased it went well, wish we could have been there. Roll on April see you then.xx😘😘
Very excited to see you in April can’t wait.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Nice Lighting…
The lighting was designed by the brilliant Simon Hayes he did both shows which had very different requirements.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Oh, you’re the Star?
The card with the star was a lovely gift 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
My son, James Darling, opens tonight in a rejuvenation of Bye Bye Birdie. I admire those who make theater come to life. I will be seeing the show on Sunday.
http://www.jamesdarling.net/BBB.htm
Good luck to James. Hope you have a great show.
Best wishes
Charlotte