Opera North Live
with an audience
Harpist Céline Saout © Justin Slee
Multi-award-winning Opera North presents an exclusive film screening and live concert
Thursday 20th May
Middleton Hall, The University of Hull
In partnership with the University of Hull, these two FREE events were an opportunity for audiences to experience live music, in-person, and to enjoy a private screening and conversation with the maker of a new film commissioned by Opera North during lockdown. The concert was also livestreamed to global audiences, which is available to watch along with the La petite bohème Q&A on this page.
4.45pm: Screening of La petite bohème and virtual Q&A with film-maker Matthew Robins
5.30pm: Interval
6.00pm: Concert by members of the Orchestra of Opera North, brass, percussion and harp
7.00pm: Close
La petite bohème Screening and Q&A:
Audiences will be transported to a crisp winter evening in Paris to follow the once madly in love couple, Rodolfo and Mimì, who have fallen on hard times. Mimì’s illness is getting worse and Rodolfo is driven to jealousy and rage. In this famously heart-breaking act, the couple reaches their breaking point. Can their love survive the harsh winter?
Created by Opera North during national lockdown, La petite bohème is a unique 20-minute animation that flawlessly captures the emotion and humour to Act III of Puccini’s best-loved opera, La bohème. Animated by Matthew Robins and featuring a newly-recorded soundtrack by the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North and four soloists, this animation will delight both lovers of La bohème and opera newcomers in equal measure. Opera North Projects Director Dominic Gray introduced the film and hosted a virtual Q&A with film maker and animator Matthew Robins. This event was only available in-person at Middleton Hall.
Concert:
The Orchestra of Opera North holds a unique place amongst British orchestras as the only ensemble in the country to have a year-round dual role in the opera house and concert hall. Exclusively at Middleton Hall, members of The Orchestra of Opera North performed an enriching programme of repertoire including brass ensemble, harp solo and percussion duet, to live audiences both in-person and globally via livestream.
| Giuseppe Verdi (arr. Saurer) | Nabucco overture |
| Cécile Chaminade | Meditation (harp solo) |
| Howard Blake | Sinfonietta |
| Ney Rosauro | A Message to a Friend (percussion duet) |
| Pietro Mascagni (arr. André Becker) | Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana |
| Hoagy Carmichael (arr. Christopher Bradley) | Stardust |
| Maurice Ravel (arr. Mark Wagstaff) | Le jardin féerique from Mother Goose |
| John Bull (arr. Elgar Howarth) | Pavan & King’s Hunting Jigg |
Performers:
Trumpet:
Imogen Whitehead, Michael Woodhead, David Hooper, Jim Bulger
Horn:
Alex Hamilton
Trombone:
Blair Sinclair, Robert Burtenshaw, Tom Berry
Bass Trombone:
Christian Jones
Tuba:
Brian Kingsley
Percussion:
Christopher Bradley (conductor, Blake’s Sinfonietta), Mark Wagstaff
Harp:
Céline Saout
For more information about Opera North and their programmes, please visit the Opera North website.
*Please note that all events and performances were following relevant social distancing guidelines released by the Government.
This Project is proudly produced in Partnership and Collaboration with:
