Music

Orchestra: Orchestra of Opera North Choirs: Chorus of Opera North              Opera North Youth Chorus              Opera North Young Voices Conductor: Garry Walker Reviewer: Ron Simpson Besides superb musical standards in a variety of forms and innovative stage productions, one of the main reasons for Opera North’s huge success – ...

Music and Lyrics: traditional festive songs and hymns plus music by Cara Dillon and Sam Lakeman Reviewer: Sheila Stratford Cara Dillon, the celebrated Irish folk singer originally from Derry, has a pitch-perfect, crystal clear voice. She is accompanied by her band and together they take the audience away from the hustle and bustle that can accompany the Christmas season to a ...

Composer: Kevin Puts Libretto: Mark Campbell Conductor: Nicholas Kok Director: Tim Albery Reviewer: Ron Simpson Opera North has established a tradition in recent years of so-called “concert” or “semi-staged” performances in Leeds Town Hall that often have a more emotional impact than fully staged productions. This is certainly the case with Tim Albery’s magnificent production of Kevin Puts’ remarkable first ...

Music: The Leylines Reviewer: Georgie Bird The Leylines are six-piece band from Weston Super Mare whose genre is hard to pin down, falling somewhere between folk and rock. They are comprised of Dan Thompson (electric guitar), Dave Burbidge (drums), Hannah Johns (violin), Matthew Wilkins (acoustic guitar), Sean Booth (bass) and Steve Mitchell on vocals. The addition of a violinist to ...

Writer: Jessica Walker Musical Director: Joseph Atkins Director: Jacqui Honess-Martin Reviewer: Ron Simpson Opera North’s commemoration of the end of the Great War peaks with two premieres in two nights: the world premiere of Not Such Quiet Girls and the UK premiere of Silent Night. For these, the Chorus is divided by gender and in Not Such Quiet Girls, a ...

Music: Adrian Sutton Writer: Michael Morpurgo Songs: John Tams Drawings and artwork: Rae Smith Conductor: David Angus Narrators: Michael Morpurgo, Juliet Stevenson Performed by: Orchestra of Opera North, St Peter's Singers Reviewer: Rich Jevons Michael Morpurgo's War Horse has been seen in both theatre and film to great success, not to mention being a best-seller. But War Horse: The Story in ...

Conductor: Vasily Petrenko Composers: Tchaikovsky, Korngold, Mussorgsky Reviewer: Rich Jevons The first part of this triple bill sees Tchaikovsky looking at forbidden love, notably Francesca's adultery which led to her incarceration in Dante's Hell. There is a brooding intro which then stirs into a tempest of frenzied and frenetic strings. And there are more reflective and solemn moments. But love ...

Orchestra: Orchestra of Opera North Conductor: Richard Farnes Soloists: Fflur Wyn (soprano), Johnny Herford (baritone) Chorus: Opera North Youth Ensembles Reviewer: Ron Simpson The Songs of War was remarkable in several ways. It included the world premiere of a “micro-opera”, Will Todd’s Songs of Love and Battle, commissioned by Opera North specifically for performance by its Youth Ensembles. It featured ...