American opera to be on the lips of young soprano
ALTHOUGH the snow affected the last lunchtime concert at St Chad’s Parish Church, it still went ahead with the Brass Quintet.
The group warmed the hearts of those in attendance with a rousing programme.
Continuing the concert series on April 7 will be Kendal Bradshaw, a soprano whose programme includes arias from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, Bizet’s Carmen, Dvorak’s Rusalka and the American composer Carlisle Floyd’s haunting Susannah.
Susannah is one of the most performed American operas, after Porgy and Bess and was premiered on February 24, 1955.
It has been speculated that, in writing Susannah, Carlisle Floyd was inspired by McCarthyism, a period of intense fear of communism in America during the early 1950s.
The opera also contains many feminist themes that had not been widely explored in popular culture at the time.
The music is largely characterised by Appalachian folk melodies, alongside some Protestant hymns and some traditional classical music. A particularly prominent part of the opera is Susannah’s soaring and melancholy aria in Act II, The Trees on the Mountain, which, although it sounds like an Appalachian folk tune, is Floyd’s own composition.
Kendal Bradshaw is a 25-year-old classically trained soprano from Crosby, Merseyside.
She has completed a four-year degree at Birmingham Conservatoire, specialising in vocal and operatic studies. Kendal’s singing styles range across choral, musical theatre, opera and pop. She said: “I one day hope to be a member of an opera company or musical theatre company, but as long as I’m singing and bringing opera and classical music to others I would be happy.”
Completing the group of performers will be James Heathcote, who is in his fourth year of the joint course at the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Manchester studying cello with the head of strings Chris Hoyle and Jasmin Allpress, who is in his second year of the course studying piano with Frank Wibaut. Their programme includes 12 variations on the theme Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen op.66 by Beethoven and Janacek’s Pohadka.
Beryl Kilpatrick, lunchtime concerts at St Chad’s organiser, said: “We are so fortunate to be able to share the talent of our young musicians making their way in a challenging world.”
See the show at St Chad’s Parish Church, Sparrow Hill, Rochdale, on April 7 at noon, with tea/coffee from 11.20am .
Tickets cost £5.50, for more details email j.mid gley448@btinternet.com.