THE LONDON OPERA COMPANY

The London Opera Company formed in the summer 2020 to give fellow musicians and international opera singers who had lost their work to the Covid pandemic the opportunity to keep performing and to give music lovers a first class treat after a summer devoid of live concerts.

In October 2020, the LOC gave its inaugural performance: a sold-out and rapturously received chamber concert of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde at The Warehouse, London. 

Opera magazine said, of this performance, 'Not only was there no weak link in the cast; strength of ensemble and dramatic interaction rendered it considerably more than the sum of its parts...Above all, this was an accomplished and moving company debut.'

Peter Selwyn will be Music Director for this project, and together with Kelvin Lim, he will be arranging a version of the opera for two pianos and percussion. 

Having assisted on productions of Die Walküre at Bayreuth and Covent Garden, and having also conducted the Jonathan Dove reduction, Peter is now excited by the challenge of conveying the essence of Wagner’s powerful and beautiful score on two pianos. Born of the necessity in Covid times of keeping orchestral forces small, the large orchestral moments such as the ‘Ride of the Walkyries’ and ‘Magic Fire’ music are ideally suited to 4-handed treatment, and the use of percussion will, both forcefully and subtly, add to the range of colours.

Cast:

SIEGMUND – BRIAN SMITH WALTERS

SIEGLINDE - GWENETH-ANN RAND

HUNDING – SIMON WILDING

WOTAN – SIMON THORPE

BRÜNNHILDE – CARA MCHARDY

FRICKA – HARRIET WILLIAMS

GERHILDE – TANYA HURST

ORTLINDE – PHILIPPA BOYLE

HELMWIGE – NATASHA JOUHL

WALTRAUTE – SARAH PRING

SIEGRUNE – CAROLYN DOBBIN

ROSSWEISSE HARRIET WILLIAMS

GRIMGERDE – KATHERINE TAYLOR JONES

SCHWERTLEITE – ANGHARAD LYDDON