Belcombe Court

The Mikado fun but without much bite, If Opera

This evening entertainment at If Opera’s summer festival, an offering of this Charles Court Opera version of The Mikado, was well-received by the audience. Judging by judicious eavesdropping, the audience members particularly enjoyed the humour and did not seem phased by the transposition of the Gilbert and Sullivan story to an all-British group of colonial…

Luscious and powerful Fedora at If Opera

***** Again, If Opera punches above its weight with this luscious and powerfully sung Fedora, an oddly underperformed opera by Umberto Giordano that on the evidence of this outing deserves to be taken on by other opera companies. Charne Rochford Yes, it has the usual operatic excesses of verismo opera, and Act One in particular,…

If Opera delights its audiences with blossoming talent in Belcombe Court’s gardens

The enthusiastic response by audiences to If Opera’s 2022 season has demonstrated there is clearly an appetite for this repertory ensemble approach by the ambitious rebranded company, formerly Iford Arts. Taking place in the grounds of Belcombe Court no doubt added to the overall enjoyment of the festival experience. But the hearty responses to the…

Iford Arts New Generation Artists I Pagliacci

This Iford Arts New Generation Artists performance of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci at Belcombe Court demonstrated there is no shortage of developing talent and the vital role of performance experience. The audience was treated to individual performances that should soon happily grace some of our professional state funded opera companies. Clearly, carefully rehearsed by production director Christopher…

Elin Pritchard comes out fighting

Lockdown was intended to squash the COVID sombrero in early 2020 but it also flattened soprano Elin Pritchard’s rising career. Like many other singers the impact of the pandemic was sudden and dramatic. The North Wales-born, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama graduate was performing as Micaëla in Welsh National Opera’s touring production of…

Iford Arts New Generation Artists to perform Pagliacci

Iford Arts New Generation Artists will be performing Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci at Belcombe Court. Alongside two returning young artists, Fiona Finsbury (Elixir of Love 2019) and Dan de Souza (Fairy Queen 2016) as the lovers Nedda and Silvio, the three new IANGA artists Welsh lyric tenor Thomas Kinch will sing Canio, Ryan Vaughan Davies will sing…

Susan Bullock to sing at Iford Arts festival at Belcombe Court

Iford Arts is returning to the 18th century grounds of Belcombe Court for the 2021 season from August 21 with an eclectic mixture of musical treats including Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and Susan Bullock singing the Easter Hymn from Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana. The Company announced its season and plans during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown and that it…