Tag Archives: Kirklees Council

Orchestra: Orchestra of Opera North Conductor: Ruth Reinhardt Soloist: Marc-Andre Hamelin (piano) Reviewer: Ron Simpson The first concert of the Orchestra of Opera North’s Kirklees season was titled The Emperor. No wonder – Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, his Piano Concerto No. 5, dominated the evening. The customary arrangement of overture (or other shortish work), concerto and symphony was wisely abandoned in ...

Orchestra: Orchestra of Opera North Conductor: Dalia Stasevska Soloist: Ana Maria Labin (soprano) Reviewer: Ron Simpson For the final concert in the Kirklees 2018-2019 season, the Orchestra of Opera North presented a programme under the title “Reflections”. Given that it started with Lutoslawski’s Musique funebre, continued with Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs of which the final line translates as “Is ...

Musicians: David Greed (violin), Ian Buckle (piano) Reviewer: Ron Simpson The Dewsbury Lunchtime Concert Season is part of Kirklees Council and Opera North’s initiative to bring regular musical events to the area. Faced with continuing financial stringency, both the Huddersfield Concert Season and the Dewsbury lunchtime concerts rely ever more heavily on the host company, but this brings no reduction ...

Conductor: Aleksandar Markovic Soloists: Ellie Laugharne (soprano) & Heather Lowe (mezzo soprano) Reviewer: Ron Simpson As with Opera North’s Christmas Concert at Dewsbury, the company’s Viennese Whirl took a popular form and tweaked it, giving the less familiar material an airing and slipping in the occasional more challenging piece before serving up helpings of Sachertorte as 9:30 pm approached. Vienna-style New ...

Conductor: David Cowan Performers: Orchestra of Opera North Chorus of Opera North Opera North Youth Chorus Opera North Children’s Chorus Reviewer: Ron Simpson In recent years Opera North has received praise in abundance, for work in both theatre and concert hall, and this Christmas Concert was another reminder that one of the main reasons for so much success is canny, ...

Conductor: Stefan Blunier Reviewer: Ron Simpson Tales Beneath the Stars is the first of two concerts in the Orchestra of Opera North’s Kirklees season to transfer to the Spa, Bridlington. The East Coast audience will be treated to a series of dramatic musical narratives with more than a tang of the sea, performed by an orchestra on top form under ...

Presenter: Pui Fan Lee Conductor: Martin Pickard Soloist: Nicholas Watts (tenor) Reviewer: Ron Simpson The Orchestra of Opera North’s How it Works concert attracted a youthful audience, stretching to the occasional babe in arms. The programme, including some challenging 20th Century works, seemed aimed at a rather older age-group, but the gap was bridged by the introductions of Pui Fan ...

Orchestra: The Orchestra of Opera North Conductor: Aleksandar Markovic Soloist: Pavel Kolesnikov (piano) Reviewer: Ron Simpson Kirklees Council’s bold and far-sighted decision to continue its concert season despite financial cutbacks was rewarded with a well-filled Huddersfield Town Hall for the opening concert of the 2016-2017 season. And, the Orchestra of Opera North, under new Music Director Aleksandar Markovic, drew a ...