Programme La Belle Hélène Opéra-bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy English translation by Jeff Clarke First performance 17 December 1864, Théâtre des Variétés, Paris First performance of this production 13 November 2019, Lewes Town Hall then at Congress Theatre, Eastbourne, Chequer Mead, East Grinstead, The Old Market, Hove, The Bloomsbury Theatre, London, The Roxburgh Theatre, Stowe. Production supported by The Behrens Foundation, John Lewis and Partners, Lewes Town Council a collaboration with OPERA DELLA LUNA www.newsussexopera.org NSO 1978—2019 “New Sussex Opera continues to set the pace in terms of Fidelio unfamiliar operas, imaginatively staged.” Classical Source Venus and Adonis Boris Godunov The Fairy Queen New Sussex Opera’s fortieth anniversary The heart of this community-based company Peter Grimes year ended with a bang - the highly has always been its chorus and the expert The Queen of Spades acclaimed production of the long-neglected but unpaid administration and behind-the- The Threepenny Opera The Travelling Companion, by Charles scenes team. In recent years, in parallel Il trittico Andrea Chénier Villiers Stanford. This was nominated in the with an annual major production, we have Benvenuto Cellini Rediscovered Works category of this year’s launched “New Sussex Opera Chorus Aida International Opera Awards. October saw presents...” smaller scale productions, which A Masked Ball the release of the live recording of the final give the chorus a chance to take on some of The Flying Dutchman performance at Saffron Hall on the SOMM the solo roles. These projects have included Faust label. This is the first recording of any of The Indian Queen and King Arthur, Orfeo Tannhäuser Stanford’s nine operas, and also a first and Euridice, The Beggar’s Opera, The Elixir * Lost in the Stars The Rake’s Progress for New Sussex Opera. It has already had of Love, La traviata and Trial by Jury, the Count Ory glowing reviews. last of these in the ideal setting of Lewes Euryanthe Crown Court. Watch our website for news, Amongst those of our soloists who have * The Enchantress follow us on social media, and please sign up gone on to great acclaim, Katie Bray * Danton’s Death to receive news by email. This is especially represented England in the BBC Cardiff Boris Godunov important as we use a variety of venues and Cav & Pag Singer of the World Competition this we would like to keep in touch and send you L’elisir d’amore summer and won the Dame Joan Sutherland our latest news. Lucia di Lammermoor Audience Prize, while Julien Van Mellaerts Falstaff represented New Zealand: Katie sang Lazuli Opera is the most expensive of art forms Tobias and the Angel in our production of Chabrier’s L’Etoile in and for over forty years NSO has survived Idomeneo The Poisoned Kiss 2013 and Julien sang the title role in The without subsidy. If you like what we do, and * The Rhine Fairies Travelling Companion. would like to see more of it, please help us Hugh the Drover to achieve even more. See the information NSO is one of the few companies to Mireille about the scheme on the concentrate on giving audiences the Easyfundraising * Edgar (4 act version) next page. We have a to chance to discover neglected or lesser- bursary scheme L’ Étoile support young singers and musicians, and The Beggar’s Opera known works, always with high musical we run educational workshops. Oberon standards and in imaginative but not bizarre The Indian Queen productions. In the early years there was We do need your help, and never more Mignon the memorable Peter Grimes, directed by so than in the current financial and King Arthur the young Nicholas Hytner, and later an epic political climate. To become a supporter, A Village Romeo and Juliet or to become actively involved, on stage, Orfeo ed Euridice Tannhäuser, plus UK premières of works by backstage or behind the scenes, please The Elixir of Love Weill, Tchaikovsky, von Einem, Offenbach The Travelling Companion and Puccini. contact us. La traviata La Belle Hélène (* UK première) Season 2019 - 2020 NSO Outreach: Schools’ Opera Project NSO has chosen to mark the two New Sussex Opera is eager to hundredth anniversary of Offenbach’s inspire children to sing and explore birth with a production of one of his the world of opera. With our favourite works. Just ten years ago we Schools’ Opera Project we aim mounted the UK première of another to take opera into local primary of his operas - Die Rheinnixen (The schools and run fun, interactive Rhine Fairies), coincidentally written in the same year, 1864. workshops there. This is the first time NSO has We are delighted that the D’Oyly collaborated with another company Carte Charitable Trust is generously Katie Bray as Lazuli 2013 on a production, and we are delighted supporting our Schools’ Opera to be working with Opera della Luna Project in the school year 2019-20. on this project. This is Jeff Clarke’s You can find photos and more version of the work, arranged and information on the Outreach page translated by him and now expanded of our website. If you are interested to include full chorus. The NSO Chorus in this project or connected with a will also be joining ODL for an encore performance at The Roxburgh Theatre, school and would like us to hold a Stowe on January 26. workshop please contact us via the During the tour we make a return Contact page on our website. We visit (after twenty years) to The Old would like to hear from you. Market in Hove, and a first visit to the Bloomsbury Theatre after nine years of using Cadogan Hall as our London Julien Van Mellaerts as The Travelling Companion 2018 venue. Our next major production has not been announced yet - as always with NSO, expect the unexpected - but our next smaller-scale production is Handel’s Acis and Galatea. This will be our first production of an opera by www.newussexopera.org Handel, and also our first using period [email protected] instruments. Apart from some of our The Old Stables, usual venues, the tour will visit Forest Row and Petworth. 5 De Warrenne Road, Lewes BN7 1BP phone +44 (0)1273 471851 Jana Holesworth and Oswaldo Iraheta in La traviata 2019 OPERA DELLA LUNA This year is Opera della Luna’s 25th Within the intoxicating joy of La Belle anniversary. Over the last two decades Hélène is a picture of a society on the company has risen in popularity and the edge of collapse. Offenbach saw profile to become one of the country’s in the hedonistic cavortings of pre- most respected and admired touring Trojan-war Greece a parallel with his companies, and has been described as own world, the glittering Paris of the fast approaching national treasure status. Second Empire. And he foresaw the We remain the country’s only full- quick and momentous end to that time comic opera company, and our world. repertoire includes most of the G&S If we describe a world where canon, as well as operettas and comic government is inherently weak, operas by Lehar, Strauss, and many where the collapse of “official” works by Offenbach. Led by artistic religion has been replaced largely by a director Jeff Clarke, the company cult of sexual “freedom” (or is it really takes its name from Haydn’s operatic addiction?), where the obsession setting of Goldoni’s farce Il Mondo della with sex pervades all walks of life, Luna. Our policy is to create new and Crusoe. I have always had a fascination where scant provision is made for innovative productions of musical for the work of a creative genius who the future, and where the threat of theatre, comic opera and operetta, and I still feel is poorly understood - war is growing ever stronger and to tour them to mid-scale venues all over certainly in this country, and who more dangerous - which world are we the UK. is rarely represented in a way that speaking of? If we were of a mind to The company has won considerable does him true credit, He was an make such comparisons, we might be acclaim for its highly entertaining and innovator, a satirist, an inspirational tempted to even look at our own, but inventive performing style, and for artist with boundless energy a free of course we are far too busy enjoying the last two years has been featured spirit, an indefatigable opponent ourselves to think about things like at the Buxton International Festival. of pomposity, a fierce critic of the that. Our production of The Daughter of the establishment and above everything JEFF CLARKE Regiment in 2018 won unanimous 5 and else, a true man of the theatre. A god for Director 4 star reviews, and this year’s Orpheus Opera della Luna. in the Underworld, seen in Buxton and So how to do such a man service in at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre won attempting to recreate his work? By similar acclaim. The company also literal translation? Surely not. Faithful regularly appears at Wilton’s Music Hall yes, literal no. By producing a gentle in London. cosy romp through pantomime AN ANTIDOTE TO BOREDOM Greece, devoid of contemporary satire, reference and “edge”? Faced with the “My dream was always to found same challenge would such a man do a mutual insurance society for the such a thing? Would he ****. He was a combating of boredom.” This, so the risk-taker; not afraid to cause a rumpus history books tell us, was Offenbach’s by pricking the self-satisfied smugness oft-repeated cry, and it was out of this of the established arts in his country, dream that he created operetta.