T H E GRAN GE F E S T I VA L 2022
M AC B E T H V ERDI
June | 9, 11, 17, 25, 30 July | 5
F ROM BLU E S T O R H A P S ODY
JA Z Z@T H E G R A NG E July | 2
TA M E R L A NO HANDEL
June | 10, 18, 24, 29 July | 3
C L OR I N DA AG ON I S T E S
( C L OR I N DA T H E WA R R IOR ) DA NC E @T H E G R A NG E
T H E Y E OM E N OF T H E GUA R D
Shobana Jeyasingh Dance World Première
G I L B E RT & S U L L I VA N
July | 13, 14
June | 26, 28 July | July 1, 6 , 8
Photography: Leela Bennett | Graphic design: wearenoun.com
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W EL C OM E If I have an artistic policy for what you see and hear at The Grange, it is that our audience should never be bored, should always be enthralled and more than occasionally thrilled. Balance and variety play their part. High quality should never be in doubt. It always bears repeating that transformative live performance is a high wire act. Predictability does not feature. Indeed, the inherent risk of the endeavour is part of its raison d’être. It is likely that the four operas being presented this year will not have been seen by most of our 2022 audience. But it can be stated with confidence that they are all acknowledged masterpieces. In addition to the three main operatic productions, the fourth (and actually also a fifth in the form of a new commission) will be part of our Dance evening, performed live by singers and players together with the dancers. The pair of operas which opens the 2022 Festival, Verdi’s Macbeth and Handel’s Tamerlano, are both intensely engrossing dramas. ‘Something out of the ordinary’ was what Verdi intended with his first Shakespeare opera, the first of our opening pair. We are excited to present a formidable sorority to this project: Judith Howarth as 2
Lady Macbeth, Maxine Braham creating a new production together with designer Madeleine Boyd, all new to The Grange. The international cast includes Gëzim Myshketa as Macbeth, Jonathan Lemalu as Banquo and Australian tenor Samuel Sakker, as Macduff. The story of the collision of two mighty conquerors Tamburlaine, the Tartar from Central Asia, and Bajazet, the Ottoman Sultan defeated by Tamburlaine in 1402 and imprisoned until his death, had long been a favourite subject for both the theatre and the opera house when Handel set it in 1724. Just six characters are involved. The hero of the opera is Bajazet, and his relationship with his daughter Asteria its central theme. The Grange Festival welcomes two highly praised exponents of these roles, the tenor Paul Nilon, whom we remember as the eponymous hero of our first ever production, The Return of Ulysses in 2017, and one of our most acclaimed lyric sopranos, Sophie Bevan, as his daughter. A new production created by the team who gave us Belshazzar in 2019, director Daniel Slater and designer Robert Innes Hopkins is conducted by Robert Howarth (The Return of Ulysses and Agrippina) with our resident Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
Just as Tamerlano could be justly renamed Bajazete, so Macbeth the opera should also be called Lady Macbeth, so bright is Verdi’s focus on the ruthless, malevolent ambition of this intelligent, elegant, childless, broken woman, a perfect vehicle for a great singing actress. One of our past productions still talked about with fond admiration is Christopher Luscombe’s Falstaff from 2019. We are lucky to have secured him for our first Gilbert and Sullivan, the moving tale of the Merryman and his Maid, otherwise known as The Yeomen of the Guard. John Andrews also returns to conduct a sizeable BSO. This production will show us what life was like in the Tower of London in the 1920s, the horrors of the First World War still raw but the joy of newly liberated society unbound. This musical tale will receive the full operatic treatment at The Grange with high musical and production values in no way diminished from our other shows. We take our G and S seriously! Shobana Jeyasingh is one of British Dance’s brightest stars. Her work is deeply and richly informed with both her Indian roots and her insightful view of society and culture. She brings her vision and her Dance company to Monteverdi’s short opera, Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda in a pairing with Syrian/
American composer Kareem Roustom’s setting of the same story. We are delighted to present this world première before it tours both UK and internationally: Opera and Dance performed live to these pioneering scores. Shobana presents guest star, dancer and choreographer Adam Cooper, famous as the adult Billy Elliot, in collaboration with her own company. The evening will be complimented by a separate half of guest ballet stars in a curated sequence. Our final Festival production is a oneoff: a unique pairing of Jazz Trio and Symphony Orchestra. Marcus Roberts is a pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader and teacher, in the mould of his legendary forerunners. He brings his famous Trio to The Grange, together with the astonishing jazz polymath Wycliffe Gordon (nicknamed “Pinecone”) in a Grange fusion evening with the BSO. You will hear Gershwin, Ellington, Ravel and more. Dress down, dress up, feel free, but don’t for heaven’s sake miss this never-to-be-repeated event which is sure to linger long in our collective memories. See you there.
Michael Chance CBE 3
“ The opera without a love affair ”
For Verdi, Shakespeare’s Macbeth was ‘one of mankind’s greatest creations’. His version of the play is full of threat and ferocity, an intense exploration of ruthless ambition in a world governed by superstition and violence. Lady Macbeth dominates. We are proud to welcome Judith Howarth to this most challenging Verdian role, which he required to be vocally “rough, hollow and stifled”. Also central is the chorus, who are both observers and protagonists, given some of Verdi’s most thrilling choral writing. Director Maxine Braham and designer Madeleine Boyd create a new production for The Grange, conductor Francesco Cilluffo continues his Grange residency following riveting performances of Falstaff and Manon Lescaut. We welcome back Jonathan Lemalu as Banquo, The Grange Festival 2017 Singing Competition winner Samuel Sakker as Macduff and Albanian star Gezim Myshketa as Macbeth. Verdi wrote Macbeth in 1847 for the Teatro della Pergola in Florence. The theatre at The Grange is of similar proportions. To hear and watch Verdian operatic power up close and personal will be memorable. 4
PRODU C T ION T E A M
Conductor Director Designer Lighting Design
Francesco Cilluffo Maxine Braham Madeline Boyd Matt Haskins
CA S T
Macbeth Lady Macbeth Banco Macduff Malcolm
Gezim Myshketa Judith Howarth Jonathan Lemalu Samuel Sakker Kamil Bien
Sung in Italian June | 9, 11, 17, 25, 30 July | 5
M AC B E T H V ERDI
5
TA M E R L A NO HANDEL
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“ Too hot to Handel ”
Tamburlaine the Great rules the vast Tartar PRODU C T ION T E A M Empire in Central Asia. He has defeated the Conductor Robert Howarth Turks in battle and captured their ruler Bajazet. Director Daniel Slater He would prefer suicide rather than endure Designer Robert Innes Hopkins subjugation to a man he despises, but resists in order to protect his beloved daughter Asteria from the persistent advances of Tamburlaine. CA S T A taut psychological drama is played out to Tamerlano Raffaele Pe some of Handel’s most inspired dramatic music. Bajazet Paul Nilon Tamerlano was written in his annus mirabilis, Asteria Sophie Bevan which also gave us Giulio Cesare and Rodelinda. Andronico Patrick Terry The same creative team which produced Irene Angharad Lyddon Belshazzar at The Grange in 2019 teams up with Leone Stuart Orme conductor Robert Howarth and the BSO. Our Ulysses from 2017, Paul Nilon, returns for one of Handel’s greatest tenor roles, Bajazet, of which he is a widely applauded exponent; Raffaele Pe is Sung in Italian Tamerlano, having thrilled as Nero in Agrippina in June | 10, 18, 24, 29 July | 3 2018. We welcome one of the country’s finest lyric sopranos Sophie Bevan to The Grange for Asteria, and recent Jette Parker alumnus Patrick Terry for Andronico. Handel does not get any more emotionally and dramatically involving than this.
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“ Joy and Despair; Love and Sacrifice ”
Set in the Tower of London, Gilbert and Sullivan’s 14th collaboration is their most emotionally engaging, tragedy and despair mixing with trademark wit and satire. Generally considered Sullivan’s finest, grandest score, it tells of a broken love affair between a Merryman (the jester Jack Point) and his Maid (strolling singer Elsie Maynard) whose affections are ruthlessly re-directed elsewhere. Christopher Luscombe (Candide, Falstaff and Pagliacci) directs, John Andrews (Albert Herring and Precipice) conducts, Simon Higlett (Falstaff) designs, and the extensive cast brings together an impressive roster of British vocal talent, including Ellie Laugharne (Susanna and Elisa Doolittle) as Elsie, Nick Pritchard (Henry Crawford in Mansfield Park) as Colonel Fairfax, Graeme Broadbent as Sergeant Meryll, Angela Simkin (Meg Page and Hermia) as Phoebe Meryll and Heather Shipp as the indomitable Dame Carruthers. We place The Yeomen of the Guard high in the pantheon of great British operettas.
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PRODU C T ION T E A M Conductor John Andrews Director Christopher Luscombe Designer Simon Higlett Choreographer Ewan Jones
CA S T
Sir Richard Cholmondeley Colonel Fairfax Sergeant Meryll Leonard Meryll Wilfred Shadbolt Elsie Maynard Phoebe Meryll Dame Carruthers
John Savournin Nick Pritchard Graeme Broadbent Peter Kirk Nicholas Crawley Ellie Laugharne Angela Simkin Heather Shipp
Performed in English June | 26, 28 July | 1, 6 , 8
T H E Y E OM E N OF T H E GUA R D G I L B E RT & S U L L I VA N
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C L OR I N DA AG ON I S T E S
( C L OR I N DA T H E WA R R IOR ) DA NC E @T H E G R A NG E Shobana Jeyasingh Dance World Première
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© Photography by Chris Nash
“ The welcome return of Dance and Ballet to The Grange ”
Internationally-recognised and award winning choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh CBE founded Shobana Jeyasingh Dance 30 years ago and has created over 60 critically acclaimed works for diverse platforms including stage, screen and unconventional public spaces including Palladian monasteries, fountain courtyards and city offices. Shobana is the recipient of numerous awards for choreography and is equally well known for her contributions to dance through her writings and talks. She was a judge in the BBC’s Young Dancer in both 2017 and 2019. Her work is noted for both its intellectual rigour and its visceral physicality. We are delighted to present this World Première. Clorinda Agonistes – Clorinda The Warrior ahead of its UK tour. It is a dramatic and powerful work that weaves contemporary dance, film, and baroque and new music to create a story that explores violence, resilience and revelation across the boundaries of culture and time. It is inspired by the heroine of Claudio Monteverdi’s celebrated work Il Combattimento, the proud and fiery Muslim warrior Clorinda who refuses to reveal her name.
In Jeyasingh’s bold and surprising retelling of Clorinda’s story, Monteverdi’s heroine not only fights Tancredi the Crusader but also becomes symbolic of women engaging in and caught up in the struggles of the Middle East today. In this bravura act of time travel, the baroque beauty of Monteverdi gives way to music by the celebrated Arab-American composer Kareem Roustom, whose specially commissioned score played live by string quartet includes Dabke rhythms and the haunting voice of Syrian soprano Dima Orsho. The show stars Adam Cooper (Mathew Bourne’s Swan Lake and Billy Elliot the film) and the tenor, Ed Lyon. The evening will be complimented by a separate half of guest ballet stars in a curated sequence.
PRODU C T ION T E A M Music Monteverdi Roustom
Company Shobana Jeyasingh
July | 13, 14
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Featuring Marcus Roberts – “ The Genius of the modern piano ”
The Grange Festival is thrilled to announce the rare appearance in UK of US jazz stars Marcus Roberts trio (Marcus Roberts, piano; Jason Marsalis, Drums; and Rodney Jordan, Bass) with the unique talents of musical polymath Wycliffe Gordon (vocals and multi instruments). We will hear these living legends both on their own and also in collaboration with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, in Gershwin, Ellington, Ravel and more. With these great names at The Grange, jazz adds irresistible substance to our varied Festival musical portfolio. Marcus Roberts has been blind since the age of five. His music is rooted in traditional jazz in the idiom of Fats Waller and Jelly Roll Morton. He will perform Rhapsody in Blue at The Grange in his unique improvisatory style, and with his trio and Wycliffe Gordon give us a brief showcase of the development of the Blues from Stride to Gershwin.
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M U S IC I A N S
Piano Marcus Roberts
Drums Jason Marsalis
Bass Rodney Jordan
Vocals and multi instruments Wycliffe Gordon
Orchestra Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
July | 2
F ROM BLU E S T O R H A P S ODY JA Z Z@T H E G R A NG E
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CA LEN DA R 2022 Please note the new start time of 17:00 for all performances, including Sundays.
Tuesday 28 June 17:00
THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD
JUNE
Wednesday 29 June 17:00
TAMERLANO Thursday 9 June 17:00
Thursday 30 June 17:00
MACBETH
MACBETH
Friday 10 June 17:00
TAMERLANO Saturday 11 June 17:00
MACBETH Friday 17 June 17:00
MACBETH Saturday 18 June 17:00
TAMERLANO Friday 24 June 17:00
TAMERLANO Saturday 25 June 17:00
MACBETH Sunday 26 June 17:00
THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD
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JULY Friday 1 July 17:00
THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD Saturday 2 July 17:00
FROM BLUES TO RHAPSODY Sunday 3 July 17:00
TAMERLANO Tuesday 5 July 17:00
MACBETH Wednesday 6 July 17:00
THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD Friday 8 July 17:00
THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD Wednesday 13 July 17:00
CLORINDA AGONISTES Thursday 14 July 17:00
CLORINDA AGONISTES
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F E S T I VA L F OU N DER S
It is the Festival Founders who will help secure the brightest of futures for our theatre as we evolve into a hub of cultural excellence, attracting an audience from around the globe. Founders are invited to develop a bespoke and ongoing relationship with The Grange Festival and all its varied artistic activities. We hope you will join us and take this unique opportunity to be a part of this journey.
SA M W E LL F OU N DE R £100,000 | Benefit Price £1770 | Suggested Voluntary Donation £98,230
In 1665 William Samwell is commissioned to design the original red brick mansion. Tax efficient giving means this can cost the donor just £55,797
W I L K I N S F OU N DE R £50,000 | Benefit Price £1770 | Suggested Voluntary Donation £48,230
In c1804 William Wilkins turns the Samwell house into a Greek Temple. Tax efficient giving means this can cost the donor just £28,297
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C O C K E R E LL F OU N DE R £25,000 | Benefit Price £1,080 | Suggested Voluntary Donation £23,920
In c1823 Charles Cockerell builds the orangery as a Greek Temple. Tax efficient giving means this can cost the donor just £14,236
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F E S T I VA L F R I EN D S
Our annual Festival Friends underpin each Festival and are essential to sustaining the high quality of our operas. Friends have access to priority booking and play a crucial part in making the Festival happen. Ticket income covers only half of the cost of each production, so we depend on our Friends’ generosity to fill the gap. After this challenging year, we hope our Friends will continue to be as generous as they can in supporting us. Please spread the word – we can never have too many friends. All our Friends enjoy Priority Booking and all donations are acknowledged in the Festival programme. All Friends levels expire at the end of July each year.
THE SWEET SPOT £5000
Every stage has that unique place that projects the voice perfectly and produces a quality of sound to tickle the hairs on the back of your neck. Benefit Price £100 | Suggested Voluntary Donation £4900
T H E L I M E L IGH T £2,500
Before electricity, theatres produced intense light by directing a flame at a cylinder of quicklime. Benefit Price £80 | Suggested Voluntary Donation £2420
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T H E PROM P T C OR N E R £1,000
Every theatre needs one. Without this, it may not be alright on the night. Benefit Price £50 | Suggested Voluntary Donation £950
T H E RO S T RU M £500
The bird’s eye view and position of power guiding orchestra with a flick of the wrist. Benefit Price £33 | Suggested Voluntary Donation £467
THE WINGS £250
It’s all happening here in the secret, silent world. Prop tables are ready, quick changes are prepared, the crew are primed, the cast are awaiting their cues.
T H E H IGH F LY E R S £10
Suggested Voluntary Donation £225
Traditional scenery operators worked on the fly walks high above the stage.
T H E F O O T L IGH T S
Benefit Price £10
Benefit Price £25 |
£40
(18–35s only)
The original theatre lighting: once upon a time as candles, now used as a special effect. Benefit Price £7.50 | Suggested Voluntary Donation £32.50
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YOU NG A RT IS T S A N D C R E AT I V E S Every year we offer openings to young conductors, creatives and behind the scenes technicians to work in paid roles alongside highly experienced conductors, directors and managers on all of our shows. Such career changing opportunities are extremely hard to find but essential for growing young talent. We also deliberately offer work to some young singers each year, giving them the chance to work intensively with some of the most experienced singers in the industry. Stagecraft has to be learned and can only be learned by experience. At a stage in their careers when coaching can be prohibitively expensive the Festival will also award travel and tuition grants for specialist preparation for a summer role.
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EDUCAT ION With the support of our donors and sponsors, our 2021 Future Visions project in collaboration with WWF reached over 250 young people, from primary and secondary schools, as well as university students, a dance company for disadvantaged young people and the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra and Choir. During the summer term, when schools were emerging from lockdown, our workshops were the first time that young people had had an opportunity to take part in interactive workshops and create their own pieces to express their views on climate change. The outcome – nine short films – speaks for itself; representing the vision of our future custodians of the planet, which will be presented at COP26 and other international sustainability conferences. Looking ahead to 2022, we will continue our work devising projects to challenge and thrill young people. With music, writing, design and dance, our projects will highlight the importance of creative education, valuing an original artistic impulse as an essential and critical life skill. For more information about supporting these initiatives contact rachel@ thegrangefestival.co.uk
A M ER ICA N F R I EN D S OF T H E GR A NGE F E S T I VA L The mission of the newly formed American Friends of The Grange Festival is to support cross cultural mentoring and performance opportunities for musicians, opera singers, choreographers, dancers, directors, librettists, composers, conductors, stage directors, designers and artists in the field of opera, dance and music performance. We are particularly delighted that our 2021 Festival includes the rare appearance in the UK of US jazz stars Marcus Roberts Trio with the unique talents of musical polymath Wycliffe Gordon (vocals and multi instruments). We will hear these living legends both on their own and also in collaboration with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
Our mentoring program, which will take place in the UK and USA, makes it possible for young creatives and performers to work with internationally-known artists in their field. Michael Chance has held auditions in New York and a British singer has travelled to work on a role with a legendary soprano in New York. With the support of our American Friends of The Grange Festival we look forward to expanding our vision for this transAtlantic collaboration. Visit our website for more information about becoming an American Friend or contact Sarah Baker: sarah@thegrangefestival.co.uk
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PR IOR IT Y B O OK I NG I N F OR M AT ION
HOW T O B O OK
Priority booking is available for all our Festival Founders and 2022 Festival Friends.
26 OCTOBER 2021 Festival Founders – all levels
B O OK I N G F OR M
For more information about becoming a Festival Founder please contact rachel@thegrangefestival.co.uk
26 OCTOBER 2021 The Sweet Spot
For more information about becoming a Festival Friend please refer to page 18. If you are ready to join up today please complete, sign and return the 2022 Festival Friends form. If you are interested in the range of corporate opportunities available please contact rachel@thegrangefestival.co.uk Priority booking opens as follows:
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16 NOVEMBER 2021 The Limelight & The Prompt Corner 14 DECEMBER 2021 The Rostrum 11 JANUARY 2022 The Wings 8 FEBRUARY 2022 The Footlights & The Highflyers 1 MARCH 2022 General Booking opens
If you are a Festival Founder or a 2022 Festival Friend, please complete the enclosed ticket booking form and return it to us at: The Grange Festival Folly Hill Farm Itchen Stoke Hampshire SO24 9TF Tickets are allocated at the start of each booking window in the order in which the forms were received. If you have specific seating requirements it is best to get your form in early.
Do keep a careful note of any requested bookings and if you need to make any amendments, please contact the Box Office on 01962 791020 and Caroline and her team will do their upmost to accommodate you.
ON L I N E B O OK I N G
C ORONAV I RU S
It is also possible to book all your tickets online via our website: www.thegrangefestival.co.uk.
There is the distinct possibility that the Festival may again be disrupted by Coronavirus. We are determined, if at all possible, to preserve the schedule as presented here. With the fresh experience of this summer’s Covid-affected Festival we feel we are prepared for most of what might be thrown at us. We will communicate any necessary changes as speedily and as effectively as we possibly can.
Where possible, please include a valid email address so that we can notify you when your tickets have been allocated.
Online booking for each level opens at 10am on the dates listed opposite, and if you have signed up at the corresponding level you will be granted access to the seating plans.
When requesting tickets please make us aware of any mobility issues for you or your guests as this will affect where in the auditorium we are able to seat you.
If you do have any mobility issues, please contact Caroline and the Box Office team for advice on the best seating options.
Please do not send payment with your booking form. Once your tickets have been allocated, we will contact you regarding payment.
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C HO O S E YOU R S E AT S
S E AT I NG PL A N F OR OPER A
THE JOHN LAMBTON BALCONY
B OX 5 B OX 3
X Price
Opera
Band A
£210
Band B
£200
Band C
£190
Band D
£175
Band E
£155
Band F
£150
Band G
£130
Band H
£50
Perch
£30
V
B OX 4 B OX 1
W
STALLS CIRCLE
X
B OX 2
W
T
U
T
S
S Q
N U
T S Mimi Circle Sides
V
P N
P
V
U
R Q
R
Balcony Sides
Perch B OX 6
V
M L K J
M L K J
H G F E D C B A
H G F E D C B A STAGE
U
S
T Violetta
Circle Sides
Balcony Sides
S E AT I NG PL A N F OR DA NC E/C ONC ERT
THE JOHN LAMBTON BALCONY
B OX 5 B OX 3
X
Price
Jazz
Dance
Band A
£80
£115
Band B
£60
£85
Band C
£50
£55
Band D
£40
£40
Perch
£30
£30
V
B OX 4 B OX 1
W
STALLS CIRCLE
X
B OX 2
W
T
U
T
S
S Q
N U
T S Mimi Circle Sides
V
P N
P
V
U
R Q
R
Balcony Sides
Perch B OX 6
V
M L K J
M L K J
H G F E D C B A
H G F E D C B A STAGE
U
S
T Violetta
Circle Sides
Balcony Sides
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