Programme (PDF 1 MB) - Cambridge Philharmonic Society

Saturday 19 December 2009 – West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
Cambridge
Philharmonic
Society
Puccini La Bohème
Linda Richardson
Mimì
Bonaventura Bottone
Rodolfo
Nicholas Garrett
Schaunard
Graham Stone
Benoît, Alcindoro
Tinuke Olafimihan
Musetta
Mark Holland
Marcello
Stephen Richardson
Colline
Steve Jones
Parpignol,
Customs Sergeant
Timothy Redmond
Conductor
Steve Bingham
Leader
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Programme
PUCCINI
La Bohème
ACT 1 – A Garret, Christmas Eve
ACT II – The Latin Quarter
Interval
ACT III – At the Toll Gate
ACT IV – The Garret, Some Months Later
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to tonight’s concert performance of
La Bohème.
It’s probably true to say that the three greatest Puccini operas – Bohème,
Butterfly and Tosca – offer many of us our first introduction to opera. La
Bohème was certainly one of the first productions I saw (WNO on tour in 1987)
and it has gone on to feature strongly throughout my musical career.
The first opera scene I conducted whilst studying was Mimì and Rodlfo’s Act I
finale, the first aria I conducted with a professional orchestra was Mimì’s Donde
Lieta and the first track I recorded at Abbey Road was Musetta’s Quando m’en
vo. However, tonight’s performance is the first time I have conducted the entire
work – so I am delighted that we are being joined by such an experienced and
glittering cast!
Whether tonight is your first experience of Puccini’s masterpiece, or whether
you have been weeping at it since Pavarotti’s Covent Garden debut, we hope that
you enjoy the show.
Timothy Redmond
Principal Conductor
Cambridge Philharmonic
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La Bohème
Giacomo Puccini
(1858-1924)
An Opera in four acts.
Libretto by Guiseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
Based on La Vie de Bohème by Henry Murger
Background
The title page of La Bohème gives the source of the libretto as La Vie de Bohème by Henry
Murger. However the novel, which was published in 1851, is a compilation of earlier
Murger stories rather a single narrative, and it seems that the librettists also used
material from an 1849 play, La Vie de la Bohème, which was also based on the stories and
was attributed to Murger and his playwright collaborator, Théodore Barrière. Like the
opera, the play focuses specifically on two of the characters from the stories, Rodolfo
and Mimì, with the librettists also adding new material to flesh out the drama. La Bohème
was first performed in Turin on 1 February 1896 under Arturo Toscanini, thereafter
rapidly gaining worldwide popularity, and today it remains one of the most frequently
performed operas in the repertoire.
The Plot
The term La Bohème – literally Bohemia – refers to the notional world occupied by nonconformist artists who gathered in and around the Latin quarter of Paris in the 19th
century, and it is here that the opera is set. The story centres on the tragic love affair
between Rodolfo, a poet, one of a group of four impoverished artists, and Mimì, a
seamstress, who lives nearby.
Act I opens on Christmas Eve in the freezing cold garret where the four friends live.
Rodolfo and Marcello, a painter, are trying to keep warm while the other two Schaunard, a musician, and Colline, a philosopher - are out trying to earn money.
Schaunard returns, having been successful in getting a job with an eccentric Englishman,
and the friends decide to dine out on the proceeds. However Rodolfo stays behind to
finish some work, and as a result meets Mimì, who calls to get a light for her candle. She
is already ill from consumption, and faints into Rodolfo’s arms, dropping her key and
candlestick in the process. Rodolfo finds the key, but pretends to go on searching with
Mimì, as a result of which their hands touch, and by the end of the Act they have pledged
their love for one another.
Act II is set later the same evening in a café in the Latin Quarter where the friends are
dining out. In the café, Marcello encounters his former lover, Musetta, who is with an
aging councillor of state, Alcindoro. She stages a scene, and dupes Alcindoro into going
off to get her some new shoes by pretending that one of hers is pinching, and while he is
away, she and Marcello make up. The four friends, plus Mimì and Musetta, then make
off, leaving the unfortunate Alcindoro to pay the bill.
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Act III is set on a cold February morning at a toll gate near to the Latin Quarter, close
to where Marcello and Musetta now live. Rodolfo has left Mimì, apparently jealous of
Mimì’s flirting. Mimì seeks help from Marcello, and Rodolfo admits to him that the real
problem is that Mimì’s illness is getting worse because of their living conditions. Rodolfo
and Mimì decide that they cannot live together, but agree to wait until the spring before
parting. Meanwhile, in an ironic twist, Marcello and Musetta also quarrel, and split up.
In Act IV we are back in the garret in a repeat of the opening scene, with Rodolfo and
Marcello, both alone once again, anguishing over their misfortune. Mimì, who is by now
mortally ill, is brought to the garret by Musetta, who has found her, pale and weak,
asking to be with Rodolfo again. She is brought inside, and the opera ends with Mimì and
Rodolfo being reconciled before Mimì dies, surrounded by her bohemian friends.
The Music
Puccini’s style was strongly influenced by Wagner, both in his orchestration and in the
way he matches the music to the unfolding drama. Like Wagner, Puccini also writes in a
continuous style, and the great triumph of La Bohème is the way that the music carries
through the story of the two lovers, with glorious arias etc. being woven into the fabric
of the music.
There are a number of well-known pieces in the opera, notably Che gelida manina (Your
little hand is frozen) and O soave fanciulla (O sweet maiden), and the final scene as Mimì
dies is one of the most famous in opera. Puccini was himself said to have shed copious
tears in the course of writing La Bohème, and it continues to move audiences wherever it
is played.
The Principal Characters
Rodolfo (a poet)
Marcello (a painter)
Schaunard (a musician)
Colline (a philosopher)
Benoît (their landlord)
Mimì (a seamstress)
Musetta (a singer)
Alcindoro (a state councillor)
Parpignol (a toy seller)
A Customs Sergeant
Bonaventura Bottone (tenor)
Mark Holland (baritone)
Nicholas Garrett (baritone)
Stephen Richardson (bass)
Graham Stone (bass)
Linda Richardson (soprano)
Tinuke Olafimihan (soprano)
Graham Stone (bass)
Steve Jones (tenor)
Steve Jones (bass)
Students, working girls, townsfolk, shopkeepers, street vendors, soldiers, waiters etc.,
and children
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The Four Acts
Paris, ca 1830
Act I – A Garret, Christmas Eve
It is Christmas Eve and bitterly cold. Rodolfo and Marcello are in their garret which looks out
over the snow-covered roofs of Paris. Marcello is working on his painting ‘The Passage of the Red
Sea’.
1. Questo Mar Rosso... (This Red Sea...)
Marcello says that looking at his painting makes him feel even colder, and they despair
that they haven’t even enough money to light the stove. It is as cold as his former lover
Musetta’s heart, sings Marcello. Love is a stove, they sing, a stove that burns too much,
where man is the fuel and woman the spark.
2. Aguzza l’ingegno (Sharpen your wits!)
Marcello makes as if to burn a chair on the stove, but Rodolfo has a bright idea, and
decides to burn the manuscript of his latest play instead. As they start putting the pages
onto the stove, Colline appears, numb with cold, complaining that he hasn’t been able to
pawn his books. But then he sees the fire, lit, and they celebrate as each successive Act
of the play goes on the flames.
3. Legna! Cigari! (Firewood! Cigars!)
Two boys then enter, carrying firewood, cigars, food and wine, followed by the fourth of
the bohemians, Schaunard. He has managed to earn money from a job with an eccentric
Englishman. They put the firewood on the fire and start on the food as Schaunard goes
through the story, telling them how he was instructed to play to a parrot in a cage until
it died. But the food is for the dark days to come, he sings: on Christmas Eve they must
dine out!
4. Si Può? - Chi È Là? (May I...? - Who is there?)
But before they can go, there is a knock on the door. Benoît, the landlord, has come to
collect the rent. He sees the money, but the four manage to divert him by plying him
with wine. Marcello sings of how he saw Benoît with a woman, and, yes, the landlord
admits that he is getting bolder with age, and has a liking for women that are not fat but,
well, not thin either, like his wife! What scandalous behaviour for a married man, sing
the four friends, and they throw him out.
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5. Al Quartière Latin Ci Attende Momus (To the Latin Quarter and the Café Momus)
And now, sings Schaunard, it is time to go to the Café Momus, as they divide the money
in preparation for the delights of the evening to come. Rodolfo, however, says he has to
stay behind to write a report, and so the other three go off, saying that they will wait for
him in the hall.
6. Chi È Là? - Scusi (Who is there? - Excuse me)
Rodolfo cannot settle to writing. There is a knock on the door. It is Mimì, a neighbour,
asking for a light for her candle which has gone out on the draughty stairs. She is clearly
unwell, and faints, dropping her key and candlestick as she falls into Rodolfo’s arms.
Rodolfo offers her wine, and then, when she recovers, he picks up the candlestick,
relights the candle, and helps her to the door.
7. Oh! sventata, sventata (Oh how stupid, how stupid)
But how stupid I am, says Mimì, realising she has dropped her key. They look for it, but
both candles are blown out. Eventually Rodolfo finds the key, but he puts it in his pocket
before pretending to go on searching with Mimì.
8. Che gelida manina (Your little hand is frozen)
Their hands touch, and then, taking hold of her hand, Rodolfo sings the famous Che gelida
manina, telling her of his dreams: though he is but a poor poet, none is richer than he,
though a pair of pretty eyes can rob him of his treasure... . And what of her?
9. Si, mi chiamano Mimì (I am known as Mimì)
Mimì says that her real name is Lucia, but she is always called Mimì. She lives on her
own, working at embroidering, making flowers, flowers that speak to her of love and
springtime. And when spring comes, its first sweet kiss is hers, and when the flowers
open, she rejoices in the perfume that her own flowers cannot match.
10. Ehi! Rodolfo! (Hey! Rodolfo!)
Marcello, Schaunard and Colline shout for Rodolfo to hurry up. But someone is with
me, he says, telling them to go on ahead.
11. O soave fanciulla (O sweet maiden)
Then as Rodolfo turns to Mimì, he sees her framed in the moonlight, and is overcome.
He puts his arms around her, and together they sing the famous love duet O soave
fanciulla, before they finally leave together to join the others.
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Act II – The Latin Quarter
A square in the Latin Quarter. On one side is the Café Momus. Mimì and Rodolfo move about
with the crowd. Colline is nearby at a rag shop. Schaunard is buying a pipe and a trumpet.
Marcello is being pushed hither and thither by the throng.
1. Aranci! Datteri! (Oranges! Dates!)
Amongst the hurly-burly of the crowd, street vendors are shouting their wares, while
from the Café Momus comes the sounds of diners placing their orders. Schaunard and
Colline haggle with the shopkeepers, Rodolfo buys Mimì a pink bonnet, and Marcello
ogles the girls.
2. Chi guardi? (Who are you looking at?)
In Chi guardi? we hear the first hint of Rodolfo’s jealousy as the friends take their seats
outside the café. Rodolfo introduces Mimì, saying that whereas he is a poet, she is
poetry. Parpignol, the toy seller, whom we have heard in the distance, arrives in the
square, and the children flock round him, their mothers trying to keep control, as the
friends place their orders for the meal.
3. Viva Parpignol! (Long live Parpignol!)
Viva Parpignol! sing the children, and they run off, following the toy seller. Marcello asks
Mimì about the bonnet that Rodolfo has given her. She replies that she has wanted it for
months and in buying it Rodolfo has read what was in her heart, and that anyone who
can do that knows love. But Marcello is not so sure, and when Mimì says that love is
sweeter than honey, Marcello says, ominously, that it all depends – it is either honey or
gall.
4. Oh! Musetta! (Oh! Musetta!)
Then to Marcello’s dismay his former lover, Musetta, enters, with a pompous state
councillor, Alcindoro, in tow. ‘Who is she?’ asks Mimì, to which Marcello replies that
her first name is Musetta, but her last name is Temptation. Musetta, realising that they
have seen her, stages a scene, much to Alcindoro’s embarrassment.
5. Quando m’en vo’soletta (As I walk alone) – ‘Musetta’s waltz’
Musetta then launches into a waltz song, singing of how it delights her how people stop
to wonder at her beauty, clearly aiming her song at Marcello. The others tell Mimì how
Marcello once loved Musetta, but how she then ran off. Meanwhile Musetta continues to
work her charms on Marcello, and then, to get rid of Alcindoro, she pretends that a
shoe is pinching, and when Alcindoro goes off to fetch another, she falls into Marcello’s
arms. ‘What a finale!’ Schaunard exclaims, as the waiter brings the bill.
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6. Chi l’ha richiesto? (Who asked for it?)
‘So who asked for the bill?’ asks Colline. They claim they cannot pay, as we hear the
sounds of a military tattoo approaching, with the children and townspeople excitedly
looking to see which way it is coming. Musetta tells the waiter that Alcindoro will pay
when he returns, and they all make good their escape, Marcello and Colline carrying
Musetta, with her one remaining shoe, shoulder high out of the café as the soldiers
march past.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interval ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Act III – At the Toll Gate
A toll gate at la Barrière d’Enfer, a gate into Paris near to the Latin Quarter. It is early dawn
towards the end of February and everything is covered in snow. To the left is a tavern outside
which hangs Marcello’s painting of the Red Sea. Some customs officers are asleep around a
brazier, and beyond the gate are street sweepers, stamping their feet in the cold, waiting to be
admitted through the gate.
1. Ohè, là, le guardie - Aprite! (Hey, there, guards – Open up!)
The street sweepers shout to the guards to open up until finally a sleepy customs official
opens the barrier. Singing is heard from the tavern, among which is the familiar voice of
Musetta. A group of milkmaids is allowed through the gate, followed by peasant girls on
their way to market.
2. Sa dirmi, scusi, qual’è l’osteria...? (Excuse me, which is the tavern...?)
Mimì enters, looking around and trying to recognise the surroundings. She asks the
customs sergeant for directions to where Marcello the painter works. He points
towards the tavern, and Mimì asks a waitress to find Marcello and tell him that she is
waiting.
3. Mimì?! - Speravo di trovarvi qui (Mimì?! – I hoped I’d find you here)
Marcello comes out of the tavern and sees Mimì. He explains that he and Musetta are
staying here for a month, earning his keep from his painting while she sings to the
customers. She asks if Rodolfo is there and, yes, says Marcello, he came last night, and
asks her to come in. But Mimì says she cannot, saying that although Rodolfo loves her,
he also flies into jealous rages, and tells her to find someone else. What is she to do?
Marcello says that if they are so unhappy they should not live together. Rodolfo starts to
wake, and Marcello says it would be better if Mimì were to leave. She makes as if to go,
but lingers outside, listening.
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4. Marcello. Finalmente. (Marcello. At last.)
Rodolfo now at last has Marcello alone, and tells him that although he loves Mimì, he
cannot live with her. But Marcello begs Rodolfo to change his ways and stop being
jealous.
5. Mimì è una civetta... (Mimì is a flirt...)
Rodolfo protests that Mimì is a flirt, but Marcello says that he is just making excuses.
Yes, sings Rodolfo, he accuses her wrongly...
6. Mimì è tanto malata (Mimì is so ill)
... and the truth is that she is so ill, and can’t last much longer, and he sees that he is only
making it worse by having her live in a cold draughty room. But Mimì has overheard, and
the three sing together of the tragedy of the situation until a fit of coughing finally gives
Mimì away. Rodolfo takes her in his arms. Then from the tavern, Musetta’s brazen voice
is heard, and Marcello goes back inside.
7. Addio... Donde lieta usci al tuo grido (Goodbye... Back from whence I came at your call)
Having now heard what Rodolfo has said, Mimì decides that they must indeed part, and
says goodbye to Rodolfo, singing of how she will return to her scentless flowers to live
with her memories. Only one thing, she asks, gather my few treasures together, and she
will send someone for them, and keep the pink bonnet as a remembrance of their love.
8. Dunque è proprio finita? (So it is really over?)
So Rodolfo and Mimì sing together of parting, of farewell to dreams and farewell also to
quarrels, and of how sad and hopeless to be alone in winter. Still, in spring, sings Mimì,
the sun will be their companion and consolation.
9. Che facevi? Che dicevi? (What were you doing? What were you saying?)
Marcello and Musetta come out of the tavern. Musetta has been flirting, and she and
Marcello argue whilst Rodolfo and Mimì, in stark contrast, reaffirm their love for one
another. The Act ends with Marcello and Musetta splitting up in a fury, and Rodolfo and
Mimì agreeing to wait until spring before they, too, will finally part.
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Act IV – The garret, some months later
The scene is as in the opening of Act I, in the garret, with Rodolfo at the table and Marcello at
his easel.
1. In un coupë? (In a coupë?)
Rodolfo and Marcello are trying to convince each other they are working, but in truth
are merely talking, anguishing over their misfortune. Rodolfo pretends that he has seen
Musetta in a coupé, dressed like a princess. Marcello counters by saying that he has seen
Mimì in a carriage, dressed like a queen. Both pretend not to care, and try to go on with
their work.
2. O Mimì, tu più non torni (O Mimì, you won’t return!)
But the memory is too much for them and Marcello, looking at a ribbon of Musetta’s,
and Rodolfo, looking at Mimì’s pink bonnet, sing of their longing for their lost loves.
3. Che ora sia? L’ora del pranzo ieri (What time is it? Time for yesterday’s dinner)
Rodolfo, trying to hide his feelings, casually asks Marcello the time. Time for dinner, he
replies, as Schaunard and Colline enter with four bread rolls and a herring. They imagine
that they are eating a sumptuous meal, a bottle of water serving as champagne. Colline
then pretends that he has been summoned to see an imaginary king, having just been
made a minister, and Schaunard proposes a toast to his good health.
4. Gavotta, Minuetta, Pavanella (Gavotte, Minuet, Pavanella)
Rodolfo, Marcello and Schaunard propose various dances. Rodolfo and Marcello,
pretending to be man and woman, dance together while Schaunard and Colline end up
having a mock duel while Rodolfo and Marcello look on in amusement.
5. C’è Mimì, c’è Mimì (It’s Mimì, it’s Mimì)
But then Musetta appears, in a state of great agitation. She has brought Mimì, who has
only just managed to reach the top of the stairs. Mimì is brought inside and they place
her gently on the bed. Musetta tells how she found her, pale and weak with exhaustion,
asking to be with Rodolfo again. Schaunard, in an aside to Colline, observes that she
won’t live an hour.
6. Ho tanto freddo! Se avessi un manicotto! (How cold it is! If only I had a muff!)
Mimì says how cold she is. If only she had a muff! Rodolfo takes her hands to warm
them, just as he did when they first met. Mimì calls to each of the friends in turn, and
they come to her. ‘Your Musetta is good’, she tells Marcello. He leads Musetta away.
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She takes off her earrings and asks Marcello to sell them to buy some medicine, and to
call for the doctor. She will buy the muff. Marcello and Musetta leave.
7. Vecchia zimarra (Old coat)
Colline takes his overcoat, his faithful companion, to pawn it, and rolling it under his arm,
makes as if to leave. He bids Schaunard to come with him so that Rodolfo and Mimì can
be together. He agrees, and they leave, gently closing the door.
8. Sono andati? Fingevo di dormire... (Have they left? I was pretending to be asleep...)
Mimì says she was not really asleep, and tells Rodolfo that she will always love him.
‘Lovely Mimì!’, he sings. ‘Am I beautiful still?’ she asks. ‘Beautiful as the dawn’, he replies.
‘No’, says Mimì, ‘you should have said beautiful as the sunset’.
9. Mi chiamano Mimì, il perché non so (They call me Mimì, but I don’t know why)
And Mimì repeats what she said when they first met in the garret, that she is always
known as Mimì, but doesn’t know why. She has come home, sings Rodolfo, and puts the
pink bonnet on her head. They remember how it was when they first met, how Rodolfo
hid the key, as she repeats, faintly, his words – Che gelida manina – before coughing and
falling back, exhausted. Terrified, Rodolfo supports her, as Schaunard returns, followed
by Marcello and Musetta.
10. Dorme? Riposa (Is she asleep? She’s resting)
Musetta has brought the muff, which Mimì takes. At last, she says, her hands will be
warm. Rodolfo bursts into tears. Mimì’s voice fades, and she falls asleep. Musetta
warms up the medicine that Marcello has brought, and prays that Mimì will recover: but
going to her bed, she sees that she is dead. Look, she is peaceful, sings Rodolfo, but then
gradually becomes aware that she is no more, and finally throws himself on her lifeless
body as the others look on.
Chris Fisher
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LINDA RICHARDSON
Soprano - Mimì
Linda Richardson was born in Cheshire and studied at
the Royal Northern College of Music‚ where she was a
Peter Moores Foundation Scholar and winner of the
Frederic Cox Award‚ and then at the National Opera
Studio.
As an English National Opera Company Principal‚ her
roles have included Virtue in The Coronation of Poppea‚
Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte‚ Lauretta Gianni Schicchi‚
Micaela in Carmen‚ Gretel in Hansel and Gretel‚ Gilda in
Rigoletto‚ Zerlina in Don Giovanni‚ Sophie in Der
Rosenkavalier‚ Mimì in La Bohème‚ title roles The Fairy Queen and Alcina‚ Violetta in La
Traviata‚ Woglinde in Rhinegold‚ Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Donna Anna in
Don Giovanni. Elsewhere she has sung Karolka in Jenufa‚ Mimì‚ Nanetta in Falstaff‚ Pamina
in Die Zauberflöte and Violetta with Opera North‚ Lisetta in La Vera Constanza at
Garsington‚ Norina in Don Pasquale for Clonter Opera‚ Fairy Queen in Barcelona‚ First
Niece in Peter Grimes at Netherlands Opera and Amina in Opera Holland Park’s La
Sonnambula.
She performs extensively on the oratorio and concert platform‚ and is a frequent
recitalist‚ having sung at the Newbury‚ Three Choirs and Arundel Festivals. She was a
regular soloist with the English Haydn Festival where she sang in world and British
premieres of Haydn’s unknown works. Other concert work includes Missa Solemnis‚
Brahms Requiem with the Northern Sinfonia‚ Messiah with the English Chamber
Orchestra in Spain and Britten’s Les Illuminations with the Netherlands Radio Chamber
Orchestra. Recent concerts include an Italian Gala with the City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra conducted by Carl Davis‚ Carmina Burana at the Royal Festival Hall
and she has appeared as a guest soloist on Friday Night is Music Night on BBC Radio 2.
Linda appeared as Annie in Jonathan Dove’s TV opera When She Died on Channel 4.
Recordings include Hearts and Flowers‚ a collection of Victorian Parlour Songs‚ and Oscar
in Un Ballo in Maschera for Chandos. Linda recently recorded the music for an audio play
of The Phantom of the Opera broadcast on BBC7 and available on CD.
Most recent and current plans include the Countess in Marriage of Figaro and Gilda at
Opera North‚ Violetta at English National Opera‚ Countess throughout UK and France
with Diva Opera‚ Katya Kabanova with ETO and Mimì in La Bohème with Opera Holland
Park.
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TINUKE OLAFIMIHAN
Soprano – Musetta
Tinuke Olafimihan studied at the National Opera Studio
and made her debut in Les Huguenots at the Royal Opera
House, Covent Garden. Subsequently invited to give a
Young Artists' Recital at Covent Garden, she has since
returned to Covent Garden as Pamina and Papagena in Die
Zauberflöte , Ismene in Mitridate and Clara in Porgy & Bess.
Ms Olafiminan's international engagements include Le
Nozze di Figaro as Barbarina at Aix-en-Provence and at De
Nederlandse Opera, and Dido in Dido and Aeneas at the
Opera Comique, Paris. Tinuke Olafimihan sang Nedda in
Pagliacci for New Sussex Opera and The Indian Queen at
the Glasgow International Early Music Festival. Further
international engagements include Violetta in La Traviata at the Coliseu Opporto and
performances at the Opera National de Lyon and the Grand Theatre Geneva Opera and
Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen in a concert performance conducted by Tim Redmond.
Tinuke Olafimihan has performed at the Albert Hall, St John's Smith Square, the
Barbican, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Symphony Hall Birmingham and the Philharmonic Hall
Liverpool, with conductors such as Sir David Willcocks, Carlo Rizzi, Nikolaus
Hamoncourt, Andrew Parrot, Robert Shaw, Karl Anton Rickenbacher and Andrew
Litton. She has made numerous broadcasts for BBC Radio and TV, Classic FM, Swiss,
French, Brazilian, Turkish, Nigerian and Canadian Radio and TV. Her recordings include
Maria in West Side Story on the Jay label and the Saint-Saens Requiem with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra for Cala Records. Her recording of Eliza Doolittle from My Fair
Lady won her the Gramophone Award for Best Recording for Music Theatre.
BONAVENTURA BOTTONE
Tenor - Rodolfo
Bonaventura Bottone is recognised as one of the
leading tenor-actors of his generation, and has
performed at many of the world’s leading opera
houses. He trained at the Royal Academy of Music in
London. The Academy honoured him with a
fellowship in 1998.
Bonaventura Bottone’s European engagements include:
Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier and Capriccio, Alfred
in Die Fledermaus, Raoul in Les Huguenots, Cassio in
Otello, Count Libenskof in Il Viaggio a Reims, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd and Torquemade in
L’Heure Espagnole at the Royal Opera Covent Garden; Alfred in Die Fledermaus at the
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Opera National de Paris Bastille; Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier and Alfred in Die
Fledermaus at the Bayerische Staatsoper München; Nanki-Poo in The Mikado at the
Teatro La Fenice di Venezia; and Italian Singer in Capriccio at the Glyndebourne Festival.
Bonaventura Bottone’s North American engagements include: Italian Singer in Capriccio
and Incredible in Andrea Cheniér at the Metropolitan Opera New York; Italian Tenor in
Capriccio, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Loge in Das Rheingold and Pirelli in Sweeney Todd at the
Lyric Opera of Chicago; and Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at Houston Opera.
Bonaventura Bottone has enjoyed a long and creatively rich partnership with English
National Opera. He has created more than twenty roles with the company and is widely
recognized as one of their leading exponents in the Italian lyric tenor repertoire. He has
also sung with Welsh National Opera and Opera North. His Loge in Das Rheingold for
Scottish Opera is described as ‘magnificent’ by the Grove Dictionary of Opera. He
revived the role to critical acclaim in season 2004-5 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Bonaventura Bottone has an extensive concert repertoire which has taken him to many
of the world’s leading concert halls. He has sung with numerous prominent international
conductors, including: Richard Bonynge, Andrew Davis, Jacques Delacote, Edward
Downes, Mark Elder, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Bernard Haitink, Richard Hickox,
Vladimir Jurowski, James Levine, Charles Mackerras , Neville Marriner, Carlo Rizzi and
Jeffrey Tate. In April 2009, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra invited Bonaventura to sing
Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and String and Carmina Burana under the baton of
William Eddins following a successful Canadian premier of Lili Boulanger’s Faust et
Hélène in 2008.
Recent engagements include La Bohème as Rodolfo in Brisbane, Menelaus in La Belle
Helene for English National Opera, Alfred for the Glyndebourne Festival, Glyndebourne
on Tour and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Torquemade in L’Heure Espagnole at the Royal
Opera Covent Garden, his debut at La Scala in five pivotal roles in Bernstein’s Candide
and his debut at Los Angeles as Licht in Zerbrochene Krug, Nick in Fanciulla del West for
the Royal Opera Covent Garden and the Duke of Dunstable in Patience for the BBC
Proms 2009.
Future engagements include revivals of L’Heure Espagnole for the Royal Opera House,
Covent Garden and Candide in Hyogo and Tokyo, Japan.
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MARK HOLLAND
Baritone - Marcello
With recent performances of La Traviata for
Birmingham Opera Company and also for the Polish
National Opera; the title role Rigoletto and his role
debut as Gianni Schicchi in Koblenz; Andrej in Tre Sestri
at the Hamburgische Staatsoper; and in Peter Grimes as
Balstrode in Modena, Ferrara and Reggio-Emilia;
Scarpia in Tosca at Novi-Sad and his US debut as Tonio
in I Pagaliacci in Seattle, Mark Holland has consolidated
his position as one of Britain's most sought-after
baritones. Born in Salford, he studied with John
Cameron at the Royal Northern College of Music, was
awarded scholarships by the Royal Society of Arts and received a grant from the Peter
Moores Foundation, enabling him to study in Italy with Roberto Benaglio.
Mark began his career with the Welsh National Opera. His many roles for WNO
include the Count in Mozart’s Nozze di Figaro, Figaro in Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia,
Enrico in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor the title role in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin,
Baron Douphol in Verdi’s Traviata, Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff, Schaunard in Puccini’s Bohème,
the Sacristan in Puccini’s Tosca, and Sonora in Puccini’s Fanciulla del West (which was
performed at the Theatre des Champs Elysées in Paris). Holland has also appeared at
Opera New Zealand, in Singapore with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and with
numerous festivals and touring productions in Europe.
NICHOLAS GARRETT
Baritone - Schaunard
Nicholas Garrett studied at Trinity College of Music
and was the recipient of a Wolfson Foundation Award.
He has sung over forty stage roles including Baron
Duphol in La Traviata for the ENO, Don Giovanni for
Opera Holland Park, Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi at the
Royal Opera House, Angelotti in Tosca for the ENO,
Escamillo in Carmen for Opera North, Federzoni and
Sagredo in Galilee for Grand Theatre de Geneve,
Laurent in Therese Raquin for Linbury Studio, Gralsritter
in Parsifal for Scottish Opera, Nikitich and
Chernikovsky in Boris Godounov for Opera de Nantes, Fiorello in Il Barbiere di Siviglia,
Flemish Deputy in Don Carlos for Opera National de Paris, Wolf and Cinderella’s Prince
in Into the Woods for Linbury Studio.
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Nicholas most recently sang Scarpia in Tosca for Opera Holland Park, Escamillo in La
tragedie de Carmen for English Touring Opera and was involved with the inaugural 5:15
project for Scottish Opera.
Nicholas has recorded Zuniga from Carmen; Ernesto from The Thieving Magpie for
Chandos and was the narrator for Enoch Arden in Richard Strauss for Litmus records.
He has also arranged and recorded for Sony/BMG.
Future plans include Count Carl Magnus Malcolm in A little Night Music at the Paris
Châtelet and the title role in Don Giovanni at Holland Park in 2010.
STEPHEN RICHARDSON
Bass – Colline
Stephen has performed with all the major British Opera
companies and abroad he has worked with Opera
Australia, Netherlands Opera, De Vlaamse Opera, Opera
National de Paris, Teatro alla Scala, Oper der Stadt Bonn,
Istanbul Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Salzburg Festival
and Nationale Reisopera.
Recent engagements have included Monterone in Verdi’s
Rigoletto, Hobson in Britten’s Peter Grimes and Dikoy in
Janáèek’s Katya Kabanová for Opera North; the role of
Time in Barry’s The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit with
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group conducted by
Thomas Adès at Carnegie Hall and also with the Ives
Ensemble at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw; Trulove in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress
with Garsington Opera; a return to the Royal Opera, Covent Garden for Adès’s The
Tempest; Kaspar in Weber Der Freischütz for Danish National Opera; and his role debut
as Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust with Den Jyske Opera.
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GRAHAM STONE
Bass - Benoît, Alcindoro
Graham was born in Devizes, Wiltshire and
studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama
with Laura Sarti and Johanna Peters. He joined
the Glyndebourne Festival Chorus understudying a
number of roles and singing two roles in the GTO
production of Death in Venice.
He has worked for a number of Companies
including Scottish Opera as Kommisar in David
McVicar’s production of Der Rosenkavalier, and Dr.
Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro, D’Oyly Carte in Wilfred Shadbolt & Mikado, with Jasper
Carrot, Carl Rosa in Dick Deadeye on tour in Australia & New Zealand, with Timothy
West). Most recently he has played Truelove in Rakes Progress and Antonio in Nozze for
Opera East, directed by Jeff Clark and conducted by Oliver Gooch.
Abroad, Graham’s engagements have included singing the role of Don Pasquale in Sri
Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Turkey and The Philippines. He sang both Benoît and
Alcindoro in La Bohème for the Macau International Festival with the Orchestra of the
Rome Opera, and Sacristan in Tosca for The Holders Opera Season in Barbados directed
by Christopher Biggins. In 1985 he performed Pistola in Falstaff at the Teatro Farnese,
Parma (1st Arturo Toscanini Conducting Competition), and more recently, Dracula in
Horratorium and Beckmesser in Lets Fake an Opera with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra in
the Gasteig Hall in Munich..
In Music Theatre he played Pedro in Man of La Mancha at the Peacock Theatre for the
Covent Garden Festival, broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and recorded by TER. Graham has
also taken part in a number of BBC Radio 2 broadcasts of Musicals. Also a member of
the West End Phantom of the Opera Company, he played M. Lefevre and Don Atillio and
doing many performances of M. Firman. In addition to various Opera Broadcasts from
Glyndebourne, Graham appeared in Opera Factory’s Channel 4 film of Don Giovanni, and
also portrayed Sir Winston Churchill in a TV ad for British Airways. Most recently he
played Mr Joe Brundit in BBC Radio 3’s revival of The Good Companions with the BBC
Concert Orchestra and John Wilson.
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STEVE JONES
Tenor, Bass - Parpignol, Customs Sergeant
Born in Sydney, Australia, Stephen spent his early singing
days as a chorister in his local parish church choir. He
was awarded a choral scholarship to Guildford
Cathedral Choir, studying with Andrew Philips, and
made his solo debut in 1990 as Christus in Bach St John
Passion.
Past performances include Monteverdi Vespers of 1610
with Bedford Choral Society, Mozart Requiem with
Harlow Chorus, Handel Messiah, Bach Mass in B Minor,
Brahms German Requiem, and Haydn Creation with King’s
Lynn Festival Chorus, Durufle Requiem with Cambridge
Voices, Charpentier Te Deum with Hertfordshire Choral Society, and Orff Carmina
Burana with Cambridge Chorale, The Fairhaven Singers and King’s Lynn Festival Chorus.
Stephen sings with a number of choirs, including Cambridge Chorale, Cambridge Voices,
Brentwood Cathedral Choir and Cambridge Taverner Choir. He has performed in St
Paul’s Cathedral, London, St Mark’s, Venice, St Etienne du Mont, Paris, St Paul’s
Cathedral, Sydney, Bruges & Antwerp Cathedrals, Belgium, and Cervo International
Chamber Music Festival, Italy.
Upcoming projects include concert for baritone and marimba with internationally
acclaimed Marimba artist Daniella Ganeva.
TIMOTHY REDMOND
Conductor
Timothy Redmond has been principal conductor
of the Cambridge Philharmonic since 2006. He
conducts concerts with many of the UK's leading
orchestras, including the London Symphony
Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Orchestra, the Ulster and BBC Philharmonic
Orchestras, Northern Sinfonia and the
Orchestra of Opera North.
His 2009/10 season includes the world premiere
of Peter Ash and Donald Sturrock’s The Golden
Ticket with Opera Theatre St Louis, concerts in Finland with the Oulu Symphony
Orchestra and Slovenia with the Maribor Symphony Orchestra as well as regular
appearances in this country with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Manchester
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Camerata. He returns to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for the revival of
Thomas Adès' Powder Her Face and releases three new recordings with the Philharmonia,
RPO and Northern Sinfonia.
Recently he made his debut at St Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, conducting the Russian
premiere of Powder Her Face, and was immediately invited back to conduct at Gergiev’s
Stars of the White Nights festival. Other recent operatic engagements include Kurt Weill's
Der Silbersee in Wexford, Richard Ayres' The Cricket Recovers in Bregenz and the world
premiere of Raymond Yiu’s The Original Chinese Conjuror for Almeida Opera and the
Aldeburgh Festival. He has also conducted opera for Opera North, English Touring
Opera, Tenerife Opera, Glyndebourne, Strasbourg and in New York.
In 2010/11 he returns to Wexford for the European premiere of The Golden Ticket.
STEVE BINGHAM
Orchestra Leader
Steve Bingham studied violin with Emmanuel
Hurwitz, Sidney Griller and the Amadeus Quartet at
the Royal Academy of Music from 1981 to 1985,
where he won prizes for orchestral leading and
string quartet playing. In 1985 he formed the
Bingham String Quartet, an ensemble which has
become one of the foremost in the UK, with an
enviable reputation for both classical and
contemporary repertoire. The Quartet has
recorded numerous CDs and has worked for radio
and television both in the UK and as far afield as Australia. The Quartet has worked
with distinguished musicians such as Jack Brymer, Raphael Wallfisch, Michael Collins and
David Campbell.
Steve has appeared as guest leader with many orchestras including the BBC Scottish
Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, English National Ballet and
English Sinfonia. He has given solo recitals both in the UK and America and his concerto
performances include works by Bach, Vivaldi, Bruch, Prokofiev, Mendelssohn and
Sibelius, given in venues as prestigious as St John’s, Smith Square and the Royal Albert
Hall. Steve is also Artistic Director of Ely Sinfonia.
In recent years Steve has developed his interest in improvisation, electronics and World
music, collaborating with several notable musicians including guitarist Jason Carter and
players such as Sanju Vishnu Sahai (tabla), Baluji Shivastrav (sitar) and Abdullah Ibrahim
(piano). Steve’s debut solo CD Duplicity was released in November 2005, and has been
played on several radio stations including BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. The Independent
gave it a 4-star review. Steve released his second solo CD, Ascension, in November
2008. You can find out more about Steve on his web site at www.stevebingham.co.uk.
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LEO TOMITA
Chorus Master
Leo Tomita joins the Cambridge Philharmonic this
season as Chorus Master. He was Organ Scholar at
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where in
addition to conducting and running the choir and
playing the organ for services, he conducted the
college orchestra. He is now a counter-tenor Lay
Clerk at St John’s College, Cambridge, where he
sings in the choir in their daily services including
their weekly webcast services, Radio 3 broadcasts,
concerts and tours.
Leo is Assistant Conductor of the Cambridge University Chamber Choir and has been
Assistant Conductor for several operas including the Yorke Trust’s production of
Rameau’s Castor et Pollux. Future projects include the Cambridge Festival’s production of
Britten’s Noye’s Fludde in November.
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ORCHESTRA
First Violins
Steve Bingham (leader)
Kate Clow (co leader)
Graham Bush
Naomi Hilton
Jeanette Langford
John Richards
Pat Welch
Merial Rhodes
Sean Rock
Nichola Roe
Sarah Ridley
Maydo Pitt
Second Violins
Emma Lawrence
Jenny Barna
Joanna Baxter
Vincent Bourret
Leila Coupe
Hilary Crooks
Rebecca Forster
Sian Gauci
Ariane Leroy
Anne McAleer
Katrin Ottersbach
Clare Simmonds
Violas
Ruth Donnelly
Liz Andrews
Janet O’Boyle
Dominic de Cogan
Jeremy Harmer
Robert Heap
Jo Holland
Cellos
Vivian Williams
Sarah Bendall
Angela Bennett
Helen Davies
Eugenie Degan
Melissa Fu
Clare Gilmour
Helen Hills
Richard Merriam
Katharine Mitchell
Lucy O’Brien
Alex Sicola
Sarah Warren
Double Bass
Sarah Sharrock
Stephen Beaumont
Elspeth Cape
Kate Merrington
Susan Sparrow
Flute
Cynthia Lalli
Alison Townend
Piccolo
Sally Landymore
Off-stage Piccolo
Julian Landymore
Lyn Welland
Oboe
Jenny Sewell
Rachel Dunlop
Cor Anglais
Gareth Stainer
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Clarinet
Sarah Whitworth
Jocelyn Howell
Bass Clarinet
Stephanie Reeve
Bassoon
Neil Greenham
Jenny Warburton
Horn
Carole Lewis
Martin Childs
Stephen Orriss
Paul Ryder
Trumpet
Andrew Powlson
Paul Garner
Naomi Wrycroft
Trombone
Denise Hayles
Nicholas Byers
Sarah Minchin
Timpani
Dave Ellis
Percussion
Zoe-Laura Bridel
Louise Morgan
Catherine Ring
Harp
Sophia Asbjornsen
CHORUS
First Soprano
Jeanine Billinghurst
Erica Bowler
Jane Cook
Ros Mitchell
Jan Moore
Ruth Pegington
Caroline Potter
Amanda Price
Gina Radford
Anne Sales
Pat Satori
Paddy Smith
Philippa Storer
Alison Vinnicombe
Rebecca Wood
Second Soprano
Cathy Ashbee
Eleanor Bell
Pippa Bell
Susannah Cameron
Joanne Clark
Hannah Curtis
Jennifer Day
Susan Earnshaw
Christine Halstead
Maggie Hook
Caroline Jestaz
Diana Lindsey
Ursula Lyons
Valerie Mahy
CHESTERTON
SINGERS
Damian Thompson
Rima Hore
Laura Warwick
Saly Caton
Meg PJ
Ann Read
Sheila Rushton
Pip Smith
Clara Todd
First Alto
Nicola Bown
Margaret Cook
Caroline Courtney
Alison Dudbridge
Leonie Isaacson
Janet Mills
Julia Napier
Alice Parr
Caroline Shepherd
Sarah Upjohn
Helen Wheatley
Patricia Wyman
Second Alto
Jane Bower
Elisabeth Crowe
Alison Deary
Tabitha Driver
Jane Fenton
Jane Fleming
Hilary Jackson
Sue Purseglove
Gill Rogers
Amanda Van de Poel
Abbie Peake
Katherine Cook
Eve Smyth
Esther Brassett
Suzanna Wolff
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Tenor
Aidan Baker
Colin Dewar
Geoff Forster
David Griffiths
Ian MacMillan
Alistair Morfey
Jim Potter
David Reed
Martin Scutt
Margaret Thwaites
Graham Wickens
Bass
Richard Birkett
Magnus Borgh
Neil Caplan
Chris Coffin
Dan Ellis
Chris Fisher
Patrick Hall
Simon Merrington
Martin Pennell
Harrison Sherwood
Herve Van de Poel
Mike Warren
David Watson
David White
Patrick Woodburn
Dani Ward
Mary Lavelle
Lilith Scott
Cambridge Philharmonic Society
2009 – 2010 Season Programme
31 January 2010
Corn Exchange, Cambridge
Children's Concert - includes Roald Dahl's Three Little Pigs (as set
to music by Paul Patterson), J Williams Harry Potter (excerpts),
R Lane music from Merlin, Adams Short Ride in a Fast Machine
21 March 2010
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
Bach Mass in B Minor, with sopranos Ruth Jenkins and Katie
Bray, Mezzo-Soprano Natalia Brzezinska, tenor Stuart
Haycock and baritone Marcus Farnsworth
9 May 2010
West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge
Brahms Violin Concerto, with soloist Ruth Palmer, Elgar
Symphony No.1 and a new work by Tom Curran
10 July 2010
Ely Cathedral
Verdi I Vespri Siciliani (Sicilian Vespers): Overture, Te Deum and
Stabat Mater, Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas
Tallis and Dona Nobis Pacem; with soprano Joan Rodgers and
baritone Roderick Williams
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