24 August - 16 September 2023
Fedora | The Mikado | Iolanta
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Picnic Prom
Welcome to If Opera Summer Season
From rare opera gems to magical family shows there’s something for everyone in this year’s season. We look forward to welcoming you at spectacular Belcombe Court where you can picnic before the performances, and for the first time at Wiltshire Music Centre, both in Bradford on Avon
Meet the 2023 Ensemble
Fedora
Umberto Giordano
Sung in Italian with English surtitles
24|26|31 August
1 September
Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon
A STORY OF LOVE, MURDER AND BETRAYAL
In the late, great Italian operatic repertoire, alongside the ‘super-operas’ there are a number of pearls that have grown in the consciousness of audiences around the world. These operas offer all the ingredients for powerful evenings at the theatre: strong characters, stories of intrigue, love and tragedy and, of course, lyrical, gorgeous music. Fedora by Umberto Giordano is one such opera.
When Princess Fedora seeks revenge on the man she believes murdered her fiancé, she sets in motion a train of events that ultimately cost her everything. Moving from Russia to Paris and Switzerland, it is a world of royalty, aristocracy and privilege, none of which can protect its central characters from the vagaries of love and jealousy.
For full cast lists and to find out more about our season see ifopera.com
With thanks to our company partners
Andrés Presno
This opera of sweeping melodies, febrile emotion and glorious orchestral colours includes one of the most intensely passionate tenor arias in the canon (Amor ti vieta), a mesmerising intermezzo and possibly one of the cleverest dramatic scenes in the repertoire.
Fedora has enjoyed sell-out productions at both The Met in New York and La Scala in Milan, so its time has come once more.
A new If Opera production featuring the Bristol Ensemble
Conductor: Oliver Gooch
Director: John Wilkie
Designer: Alisa Kalyanova
TICKETS
£30.00 – £88.00 Members
£35.00 – £93.00 Non-members
Under 18s go free (limited availability)
Children 7+ welcome
5:00pm Gates open for picnics
7:00pm Performance starts
9:30pm Approx. end
Booking: ifopera.com
Bath Box Office: 01225 463 362
For cast list go to ifopera.com
Supported
Front cover art reproduced by kind
by a syndicate of individual donors: ifopera.com/production-syndicates
permission of Leighton House, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Lara Marie Müller
Dan D’Souza
Monica McGhee
Alexey Gusev
Rebecca Afonwy-Jones
Sky Ingram Emyr Wyn Jones
Lorena Paz Nieto
Charne Rochford Aidan Smith
Dominick Felix Bethany Horak-Hallett
Belcombe Court
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Will Todd Original commission by Opera Holland Park, based on designs by Leslie Travers
27 August
Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon
Eleven-year-old Alice is jolted out of her daydreams when she meets a talking rabbit who insists she follow him to a mysterious Wonderland. In this fantastical place, Alice comes across a number of peculiar characters, including a relaxed caterpillar, a happy cat, a depressive hare, a white knight, a romantic duchess, a mad hatter and a sleepy dormouse. She learns that all is not well in Wonderland because a mysterious and very cross Queen of Hearts seems keen to chop off everybody’s heads…
Will Todd’s music is a wonderfully eclectic mix of jazz, musical theatre and opera –there’s the basso profondo Caterpillar’s rumbling Wonderland Blues, a coloratura diva’s Drink Me Bottle and a furiously flustered pantomime dame of a Queen of Hearts. Maggie Gottlieb’s witty libretto moulds Lewis Carroll’s original into an irresistible story that remains true to the spirit of the book – and like all good children’s stories, there’s lots for the adults to enjoy too!
The Mikado
Gilbert and Sullivan
Presented by Charles Court Opera with the National Festival Orchestra
29|30 August
Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon
The award-winning Charles Court Opera present their stylish, highly successful fivestar London production of the most loved of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic masterpieces, The Mikado
“Five-star heaven”
What’s On Stage
A new If Opera production featuring the Bristol Ensemble
Conductor: Mark Austin
Director: Lysanne van Overbeek
Designer: Alisa Kalyanova
TICKETS
£10.00 – £25.00
Suitable for children age 4+
Performance 1 at 1:30pm
Gardens open for exploring and picnics at 12:00pm
Performance 2 at 5:00pm
Gardens open for exploring and picnics at 3:30pm
BSL Interpreted and Relaxed Performance
Approx. running time 1hr 15mins (no interval)
Book a place at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party table before the show. For more information and to book visit ifopera.com/alice
Booking: ifopera.com
Bath Box Office: 01225 463 362
For cast list go to ifopera.com
Behind the closed doors at the British Consulate, the scheming, slippery Lord High Executioner is about to hatch one plot too far, with far-reaching and hilarious consequences for everyone involved, especially when the ruler himself arrives…
Director: John Savournin
Conductor: David Eaton
Designer: Rachel Szmukler
TICKETS
£27.00 – £60.00 Members
£32.00 – £65.00 Non-members
Under 18s go free (limited availability) Children 7+ welcome
5:00pm Gates open for picnics
7:00pm Performance starts
9:35pm Approx. end
Booking: ifopera.com
Bath Box Office: 01225 463 362
Containing familiar songs including A wandering minstrel, I, I’ve got a little list and Three little maids from school, this punchy and hilarious satire promises to be a treat for operetta lovers and newcomers alike.
The production is directed by G&S specialist John Savournin, whose recent productions include The Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore at Opera Holland Park, Trial by Jury for Opera North and Iolanthe for the International G&S Festival.
“Beg, borrow or steal a ticket for Alice in Wonderland — this show is FANTASTIC, pure life-affirming joy.” Suzy Klein, BBC Radio 3
★★★★★
Picnic Prom Jason Rebello with Joy Rose The Coalminers 28 August
Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon
Iolanta
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Sung in Russian with English surtitles
13|15|16 September
Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford on Avon
Within Tchaikovsky’s canon sits what has recently become one of the most treasured of his operas: the fantastical, deeply moving Iolanta. This one-act opera is a heartbreaking tale of a blind princess who is unaware of her disability, which all those who care for her manage to keep secret from her. She believes everyone sees the world as she does. With the arrival of Count Vaudemont, and through love’s true power, she magically gains her sight.
Iolanta is a relentlessly beautiful opera with aria after aria, and a central duet of such febrile, blistering gorgeousness that there is a growing belief that this opera is among the very best of the composer’s work. The final exultant ensemble is without question one of Tchaikovsky’s most powerful creations.
A FAIRY TALE ABOUT THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF LOVE
A new If Opera production featuring the Bristol Ensemble
Conductor: Paul Wingfield
Director: Lysanne Van Overbeek
Designer: Sorcha Corcoran
TICKETS
£20.00 – £50.00 Members
£25.00 – £55.00 Non-members
Under 18s go free (limited availability)
Children 7+ welcome
6:00pm Doors open
7:00pm Performance starts
8:45pm Approx. end (no interval)
Booking: ifopera.com
Bath Box Office: 01225 463 362
For cast list go to ifopera.com
Supported by a syndicate of individual donors: ifopera.com/production-syndicates
TICKETS
£45.00
Children welcome age 11+ No dogs except for assistance dogs
5.00pm Gates open for picnics
9/9:15pm Approx. end
Booking: ifopera.com
Bath Box Office: 01225 463 362
Join us for the ever-popular Picnic Prom. We have two fantastic headliners, jazz piano legend Jason Rebello (Wayne Shorter, Sting, Jeff Beck), joined by remarkable vocalist Joy Rose (Incognito, Billy Ocean) performing original songs and old standards, from Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Cole Porter. And a climactic set from The Coalminers, a 7-piece band bringing New Orleans rhythm and soul alive, playing songs from Professor Longhair to Allen Toussaint, Mardi Gras parade anthems and ‘swampy funk’.
Bring a picnic and spend a relaxing evening with friends in this fabulous garden of delights; visit the Scout and Sage Gin bar and enjoy serendipitous musical moments as you explore the various nooks around the glorious grounds.
General booking opens on 3 April 2023
To book for the If Opera 2023 season: scan QR Code > or call Bath Box Office on 01225 463 362
For more info visit www.ifopera.com
Find us
Belcombe Court
Belcombe Rd, Bradford on Avon BA15 1LZ
Wiltshire Music Centre
Ashley Rd, Bradford on Avon BA15 1DZ
With special thanks to our Presidents Ian & Christa Taylor, owners of
Image ‘Silent Noon’ by John Byam Shaw Courtesy of Leighton House, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Hits all the right notes
The extraordinary C1 Bel Canto isn’t just a feast for the eyes, but the ears, too. Powered by our ingenious FS01 movement, every 60 minutes a ‘hammer’ strikes a chime to mark the hour (what the Swiss call a ‘Sonnerie au Passage’ complication). The Grade-5 titanium case improves the resonance and tone of the chime, and also ensures lightness and durability, while the intricately polished and stacked dial plays host to a time-telling subdial. Want to know more?
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