Our one-of-a-kind production from director Guido Martin-Brandis, designed by Sophie Lincoln.
See this legendary story moved to a dreamy 1950s seaside, with a cast led by Galina Averina and Thomas Elwin, a new arrangement for chamber orchestra, and an ever-mischievous translation from Joseph Morris.
Sunday 18 June
20 | 22 | 24 | 25 June
Sunday 2 July
Friday 14 July
Friday 11 & Saturday 12 August
"A fresh and pungent delight. What you are achieving is remarkable."
Dominic Dromgoole
"Polished." "Sophisticated." "Engaging." "Delightfully inventive."
"A wonderfully enjoyable and engaging performance that really punched above its weight."
Robert Hugill (Read Robert's full review here)
Photo by Lucy J Toms
Nemorino is madly in love with Adina, but she is wealthy, popular, and beautiful, and he does not dare to declare his love. One day, Adina tells everyone the story of Tristan and Isolde, who only found love after drinking a magic potion. Nemorino wishes that he too could find a potion and win Adina’s love.
Suddenly the handsome and brash Captain Belcore arrives to a fanfare of trumpets and drums. The confident sailor almost immediately proposes to Adina, much to Nemorino’s despair, although Adina pauses to consider.
With another fanfare, a second stranger, one Dr Dulcamara, arrives and promises remedies for any ailment – mental or physical – that anyone may be suffering. Nemorino asks for a love potion and the Doctor hands one over, telling him it will only work after 24 hours. What Nemorino doesn’t know is that the potion is just wine.
Nemorino sips the “potion” and gradually feels its effect. He’s suddenly confident – after all, she’ll love him in 24 hours, whatever he does. Adina doesn’t understand what has changed in him and in order to test his loyalty she agrees to marry Belcore, but when new orders arrive instructing all the soldiers to depart, they are forced to marry that same eveneing. Nemorino desperately pleads with Adina to wait just one more day, but she refuses. As the preparations begin, he is in a deep misery.
All is ready for the signing of the marriage contract, but Adina keeps delaying the ceremony. Meanwhile, Nemorino begs Dulcamara for more potion, but has no more money. Belcore, suspicious of Adina’s uncertainty and keen to get rid of his rival, offers to pay him to enlist, and Nemorino agrees – signing away his life to the Navy.
News arrives that Nemorino’s rich uncle has died, suddenly making him a wealthy man. The others all hear the news and instantly turn their attention on Nemorino, who hasn’t been told, and believes that it is merely the effect of the love potion. Adina, who hasn’t heard the news either, is confused and annoyed, but when Dulcamara explains to her about the love potion and Belcore’s offer she finally understands Nemorino’s true feelings for her.
Paying Belcore back his recruitment fee, Adina returns the contract to Nemorino and they both finally admit their love. Belcore is irritated, but is certain that there will be plenty of other women. Dulcamara is overjoyed. Here is proof of the power of his potion – instant love and wealth!
All the village celebrates, each buying their own bottle of “potion”, just in case …
"A wonderful day. Loved all of it. We thought the musicians and singers were brilliant and it was such a lovely and intimate venue! Very special."
"Great. Amazing. That's all I have to say."
"Thank you so much for organising this brilliant event! Even the weather could not spoil it! I had seen the opera before but I enjoyed it so much more with this production - the singers were astonishingly brilliant and funny. Well done all!"
"What a fabulous afternoon! The production was wonderful. Such a treat, thank you. A triumph!"
"Rhyming ‘Vesuvius’ with ‘impecunious’ will forever resonate!"
"An excellent performance! Very professional, great singing and acting and music."
"From the outset they crackled and sparked together."
"This was an Adina of real personality, brought out in the music... [and] Elwin sang with richly luxurious tone and a wonderful sense of line, and was deft on his feet as well! His Una furtiva lagrima was rightly a hit of the evening, but the rest of his performance was on a par."
Robert Hugill
Orlando Jopling is a conductor and cellist, and the Founder and Artistic Director of Wild Arts. He has conducted and worked as music staff for the Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Garsington Opera, the English Chamber Orchestra, and many others. He co-founded the contemporary opera company Tête à Tête and summer o
Orlando Jopling is a conductor and cellist, and the Founder and Artistic Director of Wild Arts. He has conducted and worked as music staff for the Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Garsington Opera, the English Chamber Orchestra, and many others. He co-founded the contemporary opera company Tête à Tête and summer opera festival Stanley Hall Opera, and is the Artistic Director of Essex’s Roman River Festival.
Guido Martin-Brandis is an opera and theatre director with a particular passion for the German and Slavic operatic repertoire, and the operas of the French Baroque – forming The Opera Company in 2017 to put on productions of these works. As well as his work with that group, he has directed for and collaborated with Garsington Festival Ope
Guido Martin-Brandis is an opera and theatre director with a particular passion for the German and Slavic operatic repertoire, and the operas of the French Baroque – forming The Opera Company in 2017 to put on productions of these works. As well as his work with that group, he has directed for and collaborated with Garsington Festival Opera, Opera de Baugé, The Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Fulham Opera, and Darker Purpose Theatre.
Acclaimed productions include the UK premiere of the 1933 version of Strauss’s Die Ägyptische Helena (Fulham Opera), the UK premiere of the original version of Rameau’s Castor et Pollux (The Opera Company/Sheldonian Theatre), the world premieres of several award winning composers debut operas including The Child in Striped Pyjamas by Noah Max (Echo Ensemble/Cockpit Theatre), Grace-Evangeline Mason's The Yellow Wallpaper (Helios Collective, ENO Lilian Baylis House), and Cosi fan Tutte (Opera Kipling) for the Edinburgh Fringe 2019 (revived in 2022).
Laura joined Wild Arts for the 2023 season following a career of over 20 years in technical theatre, opera, and dance working both in the UK and internationally.
Her work has included productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Matthew Bourne's New Adventures, Wexford Festival Opera, The Milita
Laura joined Wild Arts for the 2023 season following a career of over 20 years in technical theatre, opera, and dance working both in the UK and internationally.
Her work has included productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Matthew Bourne's New Adventures, Wexford Festival Opera, The Military Wives Choirs, Sadler's Wells Theatre, and Opera Holland Park. Most recently Laura was Company Manager for the RSC world premiere of My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican Theatre.
After a period as a member of the soloists’ ensemble at the Perm State Opera Theatre, Galina Averina studied at the Royal College of Music International Opera School. She won the Bampton Classical Opera Young Singers Competition, the Audience Prize in the Francisco Viñas Competition at Liceu in Barcelona, and came second in the 2016 Handel Competition in London.
Her roles have included Mimi (La Bohème) for Mid Wales Opera, Marzelline (Fidelio) for Garsington, Magda (La Rondine) and Contessa Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) for West Green House Opera, and Pasiphae in the world premiere of Michael Zev Gordon’s Raising Icarus with the Barber Institute/Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. In October she will debut for Opera North, singing Magda in James Hurley’s new production of La Rondine.
Thomas Elwin began his musical life as a choirboy at St Paul’s Cathedral, and appeared regularly as a treble soloist, performing on Radio 3 and Classic FM, and singing at venues including Tokyo Opera City, the Barbican, and the Royal Festival Hall. Following his graduation from the Royal Academy of Music (where he was supported by the Kathleen Trust award, the Sally Ferrey Scholarship, the Drapers company scholarship, and several private supporters, as well as holding the Leverhulme foundation award) and the Solti Accademia Bel Canto, he joined the Opera studio at Oper Stuttgart. Thomas is a current Equilibrium Artist, a Classical Opera associate artist and was recently elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.
As well as concert performances with the Oxford Philharmonic, the Ulster Consort, and the City of London Sinfonia, and several performances abroad, in the UK he has sung Rodolfo (La Bohème) and Gennaro (Lucrezia Borgia) for ETO, Oronte (Alcina) with Glyndebourne, and Lensky (Eugene Onegin) with Opera Holland Park.
James Atkinson is a graduate of the Royal College of Music Opera Studio and winner of the Royal Over-Seas League Singers Prize 2022, first prize at the Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards 2018, and first prize and the Audience Prize at the Somerset Song Prize 2019.
Alongside performances at the Oxford Lieder festival, Wigmore Hall, the Gower Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, the London Song Festival and more, in spring 2022 James made his debut with Welsh National Opera as Masetto (Don Giovanni). Other roles have included Lysander (The Enchanted Island) with British Youth Opera, Boots (Der Rosenkavalier) with Garsington, and Papageno (Die Zauberflöte) and Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas) with Hurn Court Opera.
His September 2021 recital with Sholto Kynoch at the Lammermuir Festival was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 as a Lunchtime Live Concert.
Alex Jones studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he graduated with distinction from his Masters in Vocal Studies, and was awarded a Concert Recital Diploma for outstanding performance.
He enjoys a varied career working across the UK and internationally with ensembles such as The Dunedin Consort, Britten Sinfonia, The English Concert, and more. His solo work has taken him around the country performing works from Bach to Verdi and everything in between. He has worked with various opera companies in London and the South-East and is very much looking forward to adding Wild Arts to that list.
Sofia Kirwan-Baez studied music at Oxford University and Vocal Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where she graduated with distinction. She is currently a Huffner Scholar in the Royal College of Music Opera School, a Sybil Tutton Opera Award Holder, and has been supported by Rotary International.
As well as concert performances in Cadogan Hall and Birmingham Cathedral, her operatic roles have included Elle (La Voix Humaine), Adina (Elisir d’Amore), Venus (La Dafne), Juno (The Fairy Queen), and Papagena (The Magic Flute).
Rebecca Milford studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama where, supported by the Sheila White Scholarship, she graduated with a distinction in her Masters in 2022. As well as receiving the Anne Wyburd Prize for German Lied, she is a member of the Wild Arts Young Artist programme 2023 and their Education Manager, creating lessons and leading the Primary Schools Project, including workshops with over 300 students across 4 schools.
While at Guildhall she sang roles including Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Gretel (Hansel und Gretel), and Lucia (The Rape of Lucretia), and she has since worked with British Youth Opera, Hampstead Garden Opera, and Opera Brava, as well as performing as a soloist for Classic FM, Tonbridge Philharmonic, and several choral societies. She has recently sung the title role of Cinderella in The Merry Opera Company’s new production of John Ramster’s Cinderella ‘23.
Robert Garland is an International Opera Awards Young Artist and a previous recipient of the MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the Year Award. He studied first at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and then with the Royal Academy Opera Course.
As well as concert performances in venues such as Cadogan Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, St John’s Smith Square, and St Martin-in-the-Fields, his operatic roles have included Baron Douphol (La Traviata) and Don Giovanni (cover) for Nevill Holt Opera, Samuel (The Pirates of Penzance) for Opera Holland Park, Krusina (cover) (The Bartered Bride) for Garsington, Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) for Blackbird Opera, Figaro (The Barber of Seville) for Magnetic Opera, and Belcore (Elixir of Love) with Winterbourne. He has also sung with English National Opera, Grange Festival Opera, Nevill Holt Opera, Northern Ireland Opera, and Tête à Tête.
Harry Jacques studied music at Bristol University as a singer and organist, before becoming a Music Teacher and Organist for Oakham School, accompanying the school’s choirs and conducting the Oakham Choral Society.
After some time as a VOCES 8 choral scholar, he focussed on his singing, first coming to opera in a staged version of Britten’s Abraham and Isaac for Waterperry Opera Festival, and in the chorus of their production of The Magic Flute. In 2020 he sang the role of Evangelist in Bach’s St John Passion, and performed the Mass in B minor with the Seville Baroque Orchestra, and he is now studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, supported by the D’Oyle Carte Charitable Trust and the Edith Vogel Bursary. He joined the Wild Arts Young Artist programme this summer.
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