SINGERS

Casting an opera is a slow and sometimes frustrating task. A large opera company will employ a casting director, but with smaller companies, this falls to the artistic directors, conductor and répétiteur. At Bampton we select singers who have superb vocal technique with good English diction, whose voices will blend and who have responsive acting skills. Before the pandemic we held live auditions in the autumn, but increasingly now it is possible to ‘audition’ remotely and singers will usually be able to offer recordings online. We keep an eye and ear on performances at the London music conservatoires and at other concerts and operas, and singers themselves or their agents will contact us. Our biennial Young Singers’ Competition has also proved a valuable source of casting potential.

A primary aim is to identify and nurture outstanding young singers early in their careers – what are now often called ‘emerging’ artists. An ideal Bampton cast will include a contingent of ‘young’ voices, aged up to say 32, but also older and more experienced singers, often those who have worked with us in the past. When casting we must consider suitability to the role, both musically and dramatically. Singers have different qualities of ‘Fach’ – a German term which identifies vocal character, range and agility. Often, for example, sopranos and tenors in baroque and classical opera need a wide range and the ability to sing high and very fast, without strain, which is referred to as ‘coloratura’.

Many young singers (as well as conductors and assistant directors) who pass through Bampton go on to develop impressive national and international careers. It gives us great satisfaction when we see Bampton singers of the calibre of tenor Benjamin Hulett later performing at Glyndebourne or soprano Rebecca Bottone at the Royal Opera House, and there are many others who have built on their experience with us to move into successful high-level careers. Press critics frequently acknowledge the very strong standard of our casting.

‘One quickly realizes that this is a serious business with remarkable artistic standards… It has huge charm, eyes and ears for spotting young talent, no pretensions and a hunger for digging out operatic rarities.’ (Opera)

‘Bampton has a history of talent spotting…Beneath the comic fun there was real artistry.’ (Opera Now)

‘A knack of advancing prodigious young talent.’ (Opera)

‘Bampton has punched far above its weight in giving a first break to singers and conductors who now have world reputation.' (Opera Now)

Working with an orchestra is an essential aspect of putting on an opera. For our Bampton and Westonbirt performances our indefatigable ‘fixer’ Felicity Cormack convenes a group of freelance professionals under the title of the Orchestra of Bampton Classical Opera –although not a permanent grouping, several players have worked with us over many years. Most of our repertory requires a ‘classical’ orchestra, in other words one of relatively small forces - strings, oboes and horns, along with whatever wind and brass instruments the composer signifies. Bassoons and timpani often reinforce the bass line, and very occasionally a harp is called for. This constitutes a group of between 16 and 22 players.

A key figure is the leader (the principal 1st violin) who helps the conductor in marking up the music with bowings and provides stylistic leadership. Classicalperiod opera also requires a harpsichordist, usually played by the répétiteur, that is, the all-important pianist who has worked with the singers throughout the rehearsal period. In the early years we hired real harpsichords, but these are delicate in open-air conditions and require frequent tuning; in 2006 a grant from the Clothworkers’ Foundation enabled us to buy a good-quality and more robust electronic equivalent, which is still going strong.

The orchestra meets and rehearses several times during the week preceding the Bampton performances, beginning with a session in London. In Bampton, orchestra and singers work together in a purely music rehearsal, without acting, which is held in the church: this is known as the Sitzprobe (literally, a ‘sitting rehearsal’).

Our annual September performance at St John’s Smith Square is given with a different orchestra, which necessitates extra rehearsals. From 2004 to 2010 we worked with the well-known London Mozart Players; since 2012 we have collaborated with CHROMA, another outstanding and well-established professional London group.