Tales of Love and Passion
Excepts from
Cavalleria Rusticana
By Pietro Mascagni
Hugh the Drover
By Ralf Vaughan Williams
Eugene Onegin
By Pytor Tchaikovsky
La Boheme
By Giacomo Pucini
“this high-spirited performance makes for an entertaining evening”
York Opera returns in 2018 with a third “Tales Of” evening - opera excerpts in the round, all revolving around a theme - this time around that quintessential part of opera; Love.
Cavalleria Rusticana
It is Easter Day in a Sicilian village. Some time ago - months, maybe years - Turiddu, son of Mamma Lucia, had pledged his love to Lola. Before they could marry, Turiddu left to serve in the army. When he returned he found that Lola had married the carter, Alfio. Turiddu turned his attentions to Santuzza and promised to marry her, but now he has resumed his affair with Lola, leaving Santuzza ruined and consumed with jealousy - which drives her to tell Alfio what is going on.
Hugh the Drover
It is Fair Day in a small town in the Cotswolds during the Napoleonic Wars. Mary, the Constable’s daughter, us engaged to marry John the Butcher, whom she hates. The villagers head for the town square to watch the Morris Men, but Mary resists John’s attempt to drag her with him. She remains behind with Aunt Jane and they are interrupted by a stranger - a drover…
Eugene Onegin
Madame Lorina is at her country home with her two daughters, Tatyana and Olga, and their nurse Filipevna. Olga’s fiancé, the poet Lensky, introduces his friend Onegin. Onegin showssome interest in Tatyana and they walk by the lake. Lensky and Olga declare their love for each other. Tatyana, who is shy and awkward, becomes infatuated with Onegin, but his attitude to her is much more casual. Filipevna notices how Tatyana’s feelings are being tempted by Onegin.
Later, at Tatyana’s birthday ball, Onegin shamelessly flirts with Olga, enraging Lensky, who angrily challenges Onegin to a duel. The two former friends and their seconds meet by a stream at dawn.
La Bohème
In Act 1 we have met the poet Rodolfo and his friends - the painter Marcello, the musician Schaunard, and the philosopher Colline. When his friends left to go to the Café Momus, Rodolfo was interrupted by a neighbour, Mimi, knocking at his door to ask for a light for her candle. The two talked about their respective lives and quickly fell in love. They set out together to follow the friends to Momus , where Marcello encounters his former mistress, Musetta, with whom he is still in love, now accompanied by her current “protector”, Alcindoro.
Cast
Cast of Cavalleria Rusticana
Mamma Lucia
Amanda Shackleton
Santuzza
Ione Cumming
Lola
Jenny Jones
Turiddu
Hamish Brown
Alfio
Anthony Gardner
Cast of Hugh the Drover
Hugh the Drover
Alex Davison
Aunt Jane
Maggie Soper
The Hobby-Horse
Pat Easton
Mary
Annabelle van Griethuysen
The Fool
Paul Richardson
Cast of Eugene Onegin
Madam Larina
Amanda Shackleton
Tatyana
Thea Jacob
Olga
Rebecca Smith
Filipevna
Maggie Soper
Lensky
Karl Reiff
Eugene Onegin
Alex Holland
Saretsky
Owen Williams
Gillot
David Hartley
Cast of La Bohème
Schaunard
Gareth Rees
Rodolfo
Hamish Brown
Parpignol
Alex Davison
Mimi
Elizabeth Vile
Marcello
Ian Thompson-Smith
Colline
Pierre-Alain van Griethuysen
Alcindoro
Steve Griffiths
Musetta
Helen Eckersall
Waiters
Mike Painter
Steve Bingham
Chorus
Chloe Crowder
Annabelle van Griethuysen
Irene Hollet
Judy Hodgkiss
Thea Jacob
Rosy Jamieson
Jenny Jones
Pat Mortimer
Amanda Shackleton
Lorna Sheppard
Joan Sinanan
Rebecca Smith
Maggie Soper
Gillian Tiplady
Elizabeth Vile
Robin Walton
Jane Woolgar
Steve Bingham
Peter Butler
Duncan Campbell
Alex Davison
Anthony Gardner
Clive Goodhead
Pierre-Alain van Griethuysen
Steve Griffiths
David Hartley
Alex Holland
Clive Marshall
Mike Painter
Gareth Rees
Paul Richardson
John Soper
Ian Thompson-Smith
Owen Williams
Stephen Wilson
Crew
Musical Director
Alasdair Jamieson
Piano
James Sanderson
Tim Tozer
Costumers
Maggie Soper
Anna Day
Sandra Rowan
Publicity Design
John Soper
Staging
Paul Richardson
Bill Ankers
Members of the Company
Properties
Pat Easton
Rosamund Jackson
Sue Goodhead
Press
