Opera Holland Park
Encyclopedia
Opera Holland Park is a summer opera
company which produces an annual season of opera performances staged under a temporary canopy in Holland Park
, a public park in a wealthy district of west central London
of the same name. The venue is fully covered but is open at the sides.
The canopy was installed in 1988 and was initially used for a variety of music. Concerns about noise levels led to an increasing focus on opera from 1989, with productions staged by a variety of small opera companies. For the 2007 season, the theatre was expanded by the addition of a spectacular new canopy underneath which is new seating and other improved facilities. There are now 1,000 seats.
As part of a drive to improve artistic standards "Opera Holland Park" was established in 1996 to produce all future productions, and in recent years the company has enjoyed a long string of hits with major achievements in productions of more obscure repertoire such as Mascagni
's Iris
, Cilea
's L'arlesiana
, and many others. It is now considered one of the most accomplished non-state opera companies in the UK. The resident orchestra is the City of London Sinfonia
.
Each season around half a dozen operas are staged. Most of them are well known classics but the company has developed a reputation for producing works from the verismo
repertoire and a very adventurous production policy. There are nearly fifty performances in the season. They are sung in the original language and surtitling is used.
The venue and company are famed for a warm informality coupled with serious artistic intent and dedication. Pricing is determinedly accessible and the company even has a "Free Tickets for young people" scheme that offers 1200 free seats to people aged between 9 and 18 years old. All of these tickets are for normal performances, not rehearsals.
, plus a number of corporate sponsors, including Investec Wealth & Investment, a new title sponsor in 2011.
There is also a vibrant Friends organisation attached to the company who raise significant funds for development and who perform a central educational role as well. There are nearly 2,600 Friends of the company as well as nearly 100 elite donors called "Ambassadors".
While it is owned by the Royal Borough, it is characterised by the two people who run it: Michael Volpe (general manager) and James Clutton (producer).
The company reflects their image and philosophies, although both have backgrounds very far removed from the world of opera. Clutton inculcates a strong team atmosphere backstage and manages to persuade international singers to give their time at lower remuneration than they might ordinarily expect, whilst Volpe drives the business, has a penchant for obscure late Italian opera which Clutton translates brilliantly to the stage, and develops the audience and sponsors along similar dedicated lines. Both will be seen at the theatre on most nights - if not every night - and are always mixing with audience members, open to discussion and the odd glass of champagne. It is the bold, indefatigable spirit (and some say sheer madness) of these two individuals that has made the company such a success with productions even larger house will not approach.
In 2007 the company produced Italo Montemezzi
's thrilling rarity L'amore dei tre re
to great acclaim. The production was regarded as one of the most exciting in the company's history. In the same season OHP's production of Janáček's Jenůfa
was widely regarded as one of the best realisations of the opera ever seen in London.
In March 2008, Opera Holland Park's 2007 season was nominated in the category of Concert Series and Festival in the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards.
The 2009 season included such rarities as Janacek's Káťa Kabanová
and Donizetti's Roberto Devereux
, while 2010 plans included Pelléas et Mélisande and Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini
in addition to four or five standard operas each season. The 2011 season includes productions of three major Italian rarities, Mascagni's L'Amico Fritz
, Puccini's La Rondine
and Catalani's La Wally
.
Opera Holland Park was named Best Opera Company 2010 by The Sunday Times.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
company which produces an annual season of opera performances staged under a temporary canopy in Holland Park
Holland Park
Holland Park is a district and a public park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London, England.Holland Park has a reputation as an affluent and fashionable area, known for attractive large Victorian townhouses, and high-class shopping and restaurants...
, a public park in a wealthy district of west central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
of the same name. The venue is fully covered but is open at the sides.
The canopy was installed in 1988 and was initially used for a variety of music. Concerns about noise levels led to an increasing focus on opera from 1989, with productions staged by a variety of small opera companies. For the 2007 season, the theatre was expanded by the addition of a spectacular new canopy underneath which is new seating and other improved facilities. There are now 1,000 seats.
As part of a drive to improve artistic standards "Opera Holland Park" was established in 1996 to produce all future productions, and in recent years the company has enjoyed a long string of hits with major achievements in productions of more obscure repertoire such as Mascagni
Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
's Iris
Iris (opera)
Iris is an opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni to an original Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. Its first performance was at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 22 November 1898.The opera is through-composed and set in Japan during legendary times...
, Cilea
Francesco Cilea
Francesco Cilea was an Italian composer. Today he is particularly known for his operas L'arlesiana and Adriana Lecouvreur.-Biography:...
's L'arlesiana
L'arlesiana
L'arlesiana is an opera in three acts by Francesco Cilea to an Italian libretto by Leopoldo Marenco. It was originally written in four acts, and was first performed on 27 November 1897 at the Teatro Lirico di Milano in Milan...
, and many others. It is now considered one of the most accomplished non-state opera companies in the UK. The resident orchestra is the City of London Sinfonia
City of London Sinfonia
The City of London Sinfonia is an English chamber orchestra based in London. In London, the CLS performs regularly at Cadogan Hall and St Paul's Cathedral. It is also the resident orchestra at Opera Holland Park. The CLS has annual residencies in four towns in Southern England: Ipswich, King's...
.
Each season around half a dozen operas are staged. Most of them are well known classics but the company has developed a reputation for producing works from the verismo
Verismo
Verismo was an Italian literary movement which peaked between approximately 1875 and the early 1900s....
repertoire and a very adventurous production policy. There are nearly fifty performances in the season. They are sung in the original language and surtitling is used.
The venue and company are famed for a warm informality coupled with serious artistic intent and dedication. Pricing is determinedly accessible and the company even has a "Free Tickets for young people" scheme that offers 1200 free seats to people aged between 9 and 18 years old. All of these tickets are for normal performances, not rehearsals.
Management and organization
The company receives financial backing from the Royal Borough of Kensington and ChelseaRoyal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England....
, plus a number of corporate sponsors, including Investec Wealth & Investment, a new title sponsor in 2011.
There is also a vibrant Friends organisation attached to the company who raise significant funds for development and who perform a central educational role as well. There are nearly 2,600 Friends of the company as well as nearly 100 elite donors called "Ambassadors".
While it is owned by the Royal Borough, it is characterised by the two people who run it: Michael Volpe (general manager) and James Clutton (producer).
The company reflects their image and philosophies, although both have backgrounds very far removed from the world of opera. Clutton inculcates a strong team atmosphere backstage and manages to persuade international singers to give their time at lower remuneration than they might ordinarily expect, whilst Volpe drives the business, has a penchant for obscure late Italian opera which Clutton translates brilliantly to the stage, and develops the audience and sponsors along similar dedicated lines. Both will be seen at the theatre on most nights - if not every night - and are always mixing with audience members, open to discussion and the odd glass of champagne. It is the bold, indefatigable spirit (and some say sheer madness) of these two individuals that has made the company such a success with productions even larger house will not approach.
In 2007 the company produced Italo Montemezzi
Italo Montemezzi
Italo Montemezzi was an Italian composer. He is best known for his opera L'amore dei tre re , once part of the standard repertoire....
's thrilling rarity L'amore dei tre re
L'amore dei tre re
L'amore dei tre re is an opera in three acts by Italo Montemezzi. Its Italian-language libretto was written by playwright Sem Benelli who based it on his own play of the same title.-Performance history:...
to great acclaim. The production was regarded as one of the most exciting in the company's history. In the same season OHP's production of Janáček's Jenůfa
Jenufa
Jenůfa is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play Její pastorkyňa by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed at the Brno Theater, Brno, 21 January 1904...
was widely regarded as one of the best realisations of the opera ever seen in London.
In March 2008, Opera Holland Park's 2007 season was nominated in the category of Concert Series and Festival in the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards.
The 2009 season included such rarities as Janacek's Káťa Kabanová
Káta Kabanová
Káťa Kabanová is an opera in three acts, with music by Leoš Janáček to a libretto by Vincenc Červinka, based on The Storm, a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. The opera was also largely inspired by Janáček's love for Kamila Stösslová...
and Donizetti's Roberto Devereux
Roberto Devereux
Roberto Devereux is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera, by Gaetano Donizetti...
, while 2010 plans included Pelléas et Mélisande and Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini
Francesca da Rimini (Zandonai)
Francesca da Rimini is an opera in four acts, composed by Riccardo Zandonai, with libretto by Tito Ricordi, , after a play by Gabriele D'Annunzio. It was premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin on February 19, 1914, and is still staged occasionally.This opera is Zandonai's best-known work...
in addition to four or five standard operas each season. The 2011 season includes productions of three major Italian rarities, Mascagni's L'Amico Fritz
L'amico Fritz
L'amico Fritz is an opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni, premiered in 1891 from a libretto by P. Suardon , based on the French novel L'ami Fritz by Émile Erckmann and Pierre-Alexandre Chatrian.While the opera enjoyed some success in its day and is probably Mascagni's most famous work after...
, Puccini's La Rondine
La rondine
La rondine is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert...
and Catalani's La Wally
La Wally
La Wally is a four-act opera by Alfredo Catalani, composed on a libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed at La Scala, Milan on 20 January 1892....
.
Opera Holland Park was named Best Opera Company 2010 by The Sunday Times.