Following the two Musical Soundbite performances, operahouse was proud to announce that it was able to donate £1000 to the charity Cancer Research UK.
Operahouse Back With Great Show
Refreshed from only a brief summer break, some of our leading operatic soloists were back in the Parish Church at the start of the month.
operahouse was making an early start to the concert season with Musical Soundbites, a celebration of the world of the musical theatre.
The music ran from Gilbert and Sullivan to Boubil and Shonberg (Les Miserables, of course), not to mention Lloyd Webber.
And despite the accusations of banality, it was our Andrew that most touched the sentimental nerve, with Les Mis not far behind.
So Clare Proctor's Someone else's story from Chess pressed the right buttons, as did I know him so well with Kate King and All I ask of you from Phantom of the opera with Alan Speight. And Paul Blakemore's Anthem was delivered with mighty conviction.
Clare's splendid soprano is invariably impressive, of course, and she can do the whole range, from the spectacular in the Merry Widow, to touching duets with Paul Blakemore in West Side Story and Porgy and Bess.
But it was Kate King's creamy mezzo that was quite a revelation, at times delivering rich seductive tones in her lower register, memorably in I dreamed a dream and Can't help lovin' dat man.
How good it was, too, to hear older favourites. Lyndon Gardner's Serenade from The Student Prince contrasted with The Gendarmes Duet from Alan Speight and David Henshaw ("We run them in"). The tenor's G&S rarity from Utopia Ltd. balanced the familiar Wand'ring Minstrel.
Two young lady miscreants picked David Henshaw's pockets in a bit of costume and action from Oliver!, but he truly surpassed himself in the depths of Ol' man river. Those low notes were splendidly controlled.
AF - Loughborough echo, Friday 22nd September 2006 