# Opera North: history and repertoire, seasons 1997–98 to 2003–04

Opera North is an opera company based at The Grand Theatre, Leeds, England. This article covers the period between the departure of Paul Daniel (music director 1990–1997) and the arrival of Richard Farnes (music director 2004–present).

## History

During the seasons 1997–8 and 1998–9, while the company was looking for a successor to Daniel, Elgar Howarth held the title of Music Advisor. The company mounted ten new productions and seven revivals, led by a total of eighteen different conductors, among them Steuart Bedford, Wyn Davies, Oliver von Dohnányi, Paul Goodwin and András Ligeti, as well as Howarth himself, Paul Daniel, Richard Farnes and Steven Sloane, who became Music Director in 1999. When he departed in 2002, Sloane had conducted a further ten new productions and two revivals, while fifteen other conductors, including Stephen Barlow, Harry Bicket and David Parry were also employed by the company.
Another interregnum (2002–4) ensued before the appointment of Sloane's successor, Richard Farnes, with new names on the podium including Martin André, Martyn Brabbins, Frédéric Chaslin, William Lacey, Sebastian Lang-Lessing, Grant Llewellyn and Mark Shanahan.
There was one world premiere during this period – Simon Holt's The Nightingale's to Blame – and a number of rarities: Martinů's Julietta, Schumann's Genoveva, Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco, Handel's Radamisto and Shostakovich's operetta Paradise Moscow. The Bartered Bride was successfully updated to the Prague Spring period, Tristan und Isolde was semi-staged at Leeds Town Hall and elsewhere, and musical theatre was represented by George Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing and Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd.
The unusual final segment of the 2003–4 season attracted a great deal of interest and a number of awards. Under the title "Eight Little Greats", the company presented eight one-act operas, each by a different composer. Two were performed per night and additionally there were two-opera matinées on Saturdays, all in various combinations. Operas could be booked individually or as double-bills. A company of 21 principals was assembled, and most of them appeared in more than one of the operas. Four operas were directed by David Pountney and four by Christopher Alden; three were conducted by Martin André and four by David Parry; Johan Engels was responsible for all of the sets and three different costume designers were engaged.

## Repertoire

Below is a list of main stage operas performed by the company during this period.
| Season | Opera | Composer | Principal cast | Conductor | Director | Designer |
| 1997–98 | Aida | Verdi | Josephine Barstow (Aida), Edmund Barham (Radames), Sally Burgess (Amneris), Jonathan Summers (Amonasro) | Giuliano Carella | Revival of 1985–6 production | Revival of 1985–6 production |
| 1997–98 | Così fan tutte | Mozart | Elena Ferrari (Fiordiligi), Alice Coote/Claire Evans (Dorabella), Jeffrey Stewart (Ferrando), Garry Magee (Guglielmo), Margaret Preece (Despina), Eric Roberts (Don Alfonso) | Martin Fitzpatrick | Revival of 1996–7 production | Revival of 1996–7 production |
| 1997–98 | Julietta | Martinů | Rebecca Caine (Julietta), Paul Nilon (Mischa) | Steuart Bedford | David Pountney | Stefanos Lazaridis /Marie-Jeanne Lecca |
| 1997–98 | The Magic Flute | Mozart | Jamie MacDougall/Jeffrey Stewart (Tamino), Margaret Richardson (Pamina), Eric Roberts (Papageno), Clive Bayley (Sarastro), Cara O'Sullivan/Laure Meloy (Queen of the Night) | Brad Cohen/ Martin Pickard | Annabel Arden | Roswitha Gerlitz |
| 1997–98 | Sweeney Todd | Sondheim | Steven Page (Sweeney Todd), Beverley Klein (Mrs Lovett) | James Holmes | David McVicar | Michael Vale/ Kevin Knight |
| 1997–98 | The Barber of Seville | Rossini | Roderick Williams (Figaro), Ann Taylor (Rosina), Iain Paton (Almaviva), Eric Roberts (Dr Bartolo) | Daniel Beckwith/ Dominic Wheeler | Revival of 1986–7 production | Revival of 1986–7 production |
| 1997–98 | Eugene Onegin | Tchaikovsky | Alwyn Mellor (Tatyana), Peter Savidge (Onegin), Paul Nilon (Lensky), Emer McGilloway (Olga) | Steven Sloane/ Martin Pickard | Dalia Ibelhauptaitė | Giles Cadle/ Sue Willmington |
| 1997–98 | Giovanna d'Arco | Verdi | Susannah Glanville (Giovanna), Julian Gavin (Carlo VII), Keith Latham (Giacomo) | Richard Farnes | Philip Prowse | Philip Prowse |
| 1997–98 | Of Thee I Sing | Gershwin | William Dazeley (Wintergreen), Margaret Preece (Mary), Kim Criswell (Diana Devereux), Steven Beard (Alexander Throttlebottom) | Wyn Davies | Caroline Gawn | Charles Edwards/ Nicky Gillibrand |
| 1998–99 | Il re pastore | Mozart | Rebecca Caine (Amyntas), Mary Hegarty (Elisa), Peter Bronder (Alexander), Alice Coote (Tamyris), Nicholas Sears (Agenor) | Paul Goodwin | Revival of 1993–4 production | Revival of 1993–4 production |
| 1998–99 | The Bartered Bride | Smetana | Alwin Mellor (Mařenka), Neill Archer (Jeník), Clive Bayley (Kecal), Iain Paton (Vašek) | Oliver von Dohnányi | Daniel Slater | Robert Innes Hopkins |
| 1998–99 | Don Carlos | Verdi | Julian Gavin (Carlos), Lori Phillips (Elisabetta), Jeffrey Black (Posa), Alastair Miles (Philip II), Sally Burgess (Eboli) | Yves Abel | Revival of 1992–3 production | Revival of 1992–3 production |
| 1998–99 | The Nightingale's to Blame | Holt | Donald Maxwell (Perlimpin), Patricia Rozario (Belisa), Fiona Kimm (Marcolfa), Frances McCafferty (Belisa’s mother) | Richard Farnes | Martin Duncan | Neil Irish |
| 1998–99 | Carmen | Bizet | Ruby Philogene (Carmen), Antoni Garfield Henry (Don José), Mark Stone (Escamillo), Susannah Glanville/Majella Cullagh (Micaela) | András Ligeti | Phyllida Lloyd | Tim Hatley |
| 1998–99 | La gazza ladra | Rossini | Mary Hegarty (Ninetta), Jeffrey Stewart (Giannetto), Christopher Purves (Podestà), Jonathan Best (Fernando), Ann Taylor (Pippo) | David Charles Abell | Revival of 1991–2 production | Revival of 1991–2 production |
| 1998–99 | Arabella | R Strauss | Susannah Glanville (Arabella), Robert Hayward (Mandryka), Isabel Molnar (Zdenka), Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts (Matteo), Richard Angas (Waldner), Carole Wilson (Adelaide) | Elgar Howarth | Francisco Negrin | Paul Steinberg/ Jon Morrell |
| 1998–99 | Gloriana | Britten | Josephine Barstow (Elizabeth I), Thomas Randle (Essex), Susannah Glanville (Lady Rich), David Ellis (Mountjoy), Emer McGilloway (Lady Essex), Clive Bayley (Raleigh), Eric Roberts (Cecil) | Paul Daniel | Revival of 1993–4 production | Revival of 1993–4 production |
| 1999–00 | La traviata | Verdi | Janis Kelly (Violetta), Thomas Randle (Alfredo), Keith Latham (Germont) | Richard Farnes/ Martin Pickard | Annabel Arden | Nicky Gillibrand |
| 1999–00 | Káťa Kabanová | Janáček | Vivian Tierney (Katya), Alan Oke (Boris), Jamie MacDougall (Kudryash), Ann Taylor (Varvara), Gillian Knight (Kabanicha) | Steven Sloane | Tim Albery | Hildegard Bechtler |
| 1999–00 | Don Giovanni | Mozart | Garry Magee (Don Giovanni), Majella Cullach (Donna Anna), Claron McFadden/Emma Bell (Donna Elvira), Jonathan Best/Iain Patterson (Leporello), ??? (Don Ottavio) | Dominic Wheeler | David McVicar | Kevin Knight |
| 1999–00 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Britten | Christopher Josey (Oberon), Claron McFadden (Tytania), Jonathan Best (Bottom), Nicholas Sears (Lysander), Helen Williams (Helena), Ann Taylor (Hermia), Mark Stone (Demetrius) | Steven Sloane | Moshe Leiser & Patrice Caurier | Christian Fenouillat /Agostino Cavalca |
| 1999–00 | Madama Butterfly | Puccini | Lada Biriucov/Rosalind Sutherland (Butterfly), Julian Gavin/David Maxwell Anderson (Pinkerton), Steven Page (Sharpless), Jane Irwin (Suzuki) | Stephen Barlow | Revival of 1996-7 production | Revival of 1996-7 production |
| 1999–00 | Falstaff | Verdi | Conal Coad (Falstaff), Josephine Barstow (Alice Ford), Brent Ellis (Ford), Wynne Evans (Fenton), Thora Einarsdottir (Nanetta), Frances McCafferty (Mistress Quickly), Yvonne Howard (Meg Page) | Steven Sloane/ Lionel Friend | Revival of 1996–7 production | Revival of 1996–7 production |
| 1999–00 | La Gioconda | Ponchielli | Claire Rutter (Gioconda), David Maxwell Anderson (Enzo), Katja Lytting (Laura), Jonathan Summers (Barnaba) | Oliver von Dohnányi | Revival of 1992–3 production | Revival of 1992–3 production |
| 1999–00 | Radamisto | Handel | David Walker (Radamisto), Alice Coote (Zenobia), Helen Williams (Polissena), Emma Bell (Tigrane), Michael John Pearson (Tiridate), Elizabeth McCormack (Fraarte) | Harry Bicket | Tim Hopkins | Charles Edwards |
| 1999–00 | Orpheus in the Underworld | Offenbach | Jamie MacDougall (Orpheus), Yvonne Barclay (Euridice), Eric Roberts (Jupiter) | Wyn Davies | Revival of 1992–3 production | Revival of 1992–3 production |
| 2000–01 | Genoveva | Schumann | Patricia Schuman (Genoveva), Christopher Purves (Siegfried), Paul Nilon (Golo), Clive Bayley (Drago), Keith Latham (Hidulfus), Sally Burgess (Margaretha) | Steven Sloane/ James Holmes | David Pountney | Ralph Koltai/ Sue Willmington |
| 2000–01 | The Marriage of Figaro | Mozart | James Rutherford/Christopher Purves (Figaro), Colette Delahunt (Susanna), Roderick Williams/Stephan Loges (Count), Majella Cullagh/Simone Sauphanor (Countess), Emer McGilloway (Cherubino) | Roderick Bryden /Stephen Clarke | Revival of 1995–6 production | Revival of 1995–6 production |
| 2000–01 | La rondine | Puccini | Janis Kelly (Magda), Jorge Antonio Pita (Ruggero), Wynne Evans (Prunier), Mary Hegarty (Lisette), Jonathan Best (Rambaldo) | Dietfried Bernet | Revival of 1993–4 production | Revival of 1993–4 production |
| 2000–01 | L'elisir d'amore | Donizetti | Mary Hegarty (Adina), Paul Nilon (Nemorino), Christopher Purves (Dulcamara), Richard Whitehouse (Belcore) | David Parry | Daniel Slater | Robert Innes Hopkins |
| 2000–01 | Pelléas et Mélisande | Debussy | Joan Rodgers (Mélisande), William Dazeley (Pelléas), Robert Hayward (Golaud) | Paul Daniel/ James Holmes | Revival of 1994–5 production | Revival of 1994–5 production |
| 2000–01 | Tristan und Isolde | Wagner | Mark Lundberg (Tristan), Susan Bullock (Isolde), Anne-Marie Owens (Brangäne), John Wegner (Kurwenal), Donald McIntyre (King Marke) | Steven Sloane | Keith Warner | Keith Warner/ Elaine Robertson |
| 2000–01 | Eugene Onegin | Tchaikovsky | Giselle Allen (Tatyana), William Dazeley/Richard Whitehouse (Onegin), Iain Paton (Lensky), Cécile van de Sant (Olga) | Richard Farnes | Revival of 1997–8 production | Revival of 1997–8 production |
| 2000–01 | Moscow, Cheryomushki | Shostakovich | Alan Oke (Sergei), Rachel Taylor (Lusya), Janie Dee (Lidochka), Loren Geeting (Boris), Daniel Broad (Sasha), Gillian Kirkpatrick (Masha) | Steven Sloane/ James Holmes | David Pountney | Robert Innes Hopkins |
| 2001–02 | The Cunning Little Vixen | Janáček | Janis Kelly (Vixen), Christopher Purves (Forester), Giselle Allen (Fox), Nigel Robson (Schoolmaster), Richard Angas/Michael John Pearson (Priest) | Steven Sloane | Annabel Arden | Richard Hudson |
| 2001–02 | La bohème | Puccini | Harrie van der Plas/Peter Auty (Rodolfo), Mary Plazas/Barbara Haveman (Mimi), William Dazeley/Mark Stone (Marcello), Christine Buffle/Giselle Allen (Musetta) | Steven Sloane/ Dietfried Bernet | Revival of 1992–3 production | Revival of 1992–3 production |
| 2001–02 | Gloriana | Britten | Josephine Barstow (Elizabeth I), Thomas Randle (Essex), Susannah Glanville (Lady Rich), Karl Daymond (Mountjoy), Ruth Peel (Lady Essex), Mark Beesley (Raleigh), Eric Roberts (Cecil) | Richard Farnes | Revival of 1993–4 production | Revival of 1993–4 production |
| 2001–02 | Albert Herring | Britten | Iain Paton (Albert), Josephine Barstow (Lady Billows), Richard Whitehouse (Sid), Heather Shipp (Nancy), Ethna Robinson (Mrs Herring) | James Holmes | Phyllida Lloyd | Scott Pask |
| 2001–02 | Sweeney Todd | Sondheim | Steven Page (Sweeney Todd), Beverley Klein (Mrs Lovett) | James Holmes | Revival of 1997–8 production | Revival of 1997–8 production |
| 2001–02 | L'enfant et les sortilèges | Ravel | Claire Wild (The child), | Emmanuel Plasson | Amir Hosseinpour/ Nigel Lowery | Nigel Lowery |
| 2001–02 | Oedipus rex | Stravinsky | Stuart Skelton (Oedipus), Natascha Petrinsky (Jocasta), Ashley Holland (Creon), Jeremy White (Tiresias) | Steven Sloane | Charles Edwards | Charles Edwards |
| 2002–03 | Tosca | Puccini | Nina Pavlovski/Susannah Glanville (Tosca), Rafael Rojas/Ian Storey (Cavaradossi), Robert McFarland/Matthew Best (Scarpia) | Steven Sloane/ Richard Farnes | Christopher Alden | Charles Edwards/ Jon Morrell |
| 2002–03 | Jenůfa | Janáček | Giselle Allen (Jenůfa), Josephine Barstow (Kostelnička), Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts (Laca), Kevin Anderson (Števa) | Elgar Howarth | Revival of 1995–6 production | Revival of 1995–6 production |
| 2002–03 | Der Rosenkavalier | R Strauss | Deanne Meek (Octavian), Janis Kelly (Marschallin), Conal Coad (Baron Ochs), Marie Arnet (Sophie), Christopher Purves (Faninal) | Dietfried Bernet | David McVicar | David McVicar & Michael Vale/ Tanya McCallin |
| 2002–03 | Il matrimonio segreto | Cimarosa | Wynne Evans (Paolino), Mary Nelson (Carolina), Henry Waddington (Geronimo), Richard Morrison (Count Robinson), Natasha Jouhl (Elisetta), Louise Mott (Fidalma) | Wyn Davies | Revival of 1994-5 production | Revival of 1994-5 production |
| 2002–03 | Idomeneo | Mozart | Paul Nilon (Idomeneo), Paula Hoffman (Idamante), Natasha Marsh (Ilia), Janis Kelly (Elettra) | David Parry | Tim Albery | Dany Lyne |
| 2002–03 | Julietta | Martinů | Rebecca Caine (Julietta), Paul Nilon (Mischa), | Martin André | Revival of 1997–8 production | Revival of 1997–8 production |
| 2002–03 | The Magic Flute | Mozart | Philippe Do (Tamino), Thora Einarsdottir (Pamina), Matthew Sharpe (Papageno), Mark Coles (Sarastro), Helen Williams (Queen of the Night) | William Lacey | Tim Supple | Jean Kalman/ Tom Pye |
| 2002–03 | La damnation de Faust | Berlioz | Stephen O’Mara (Faust), Alastair Miles (Mephistophélès), Lilli Paasikivi (Marguérite) | Frederic Chaslin | Matthias Janser | |
| 2003–04 | La traviata | Verdi | Janis Kelly/Anne-Sophie Duprels (Violetta), Thomas Randle/Peter Auty (Alfredo), Robert McFarland/Robert Poulton (Germont) | Mark Shanahan/ Richard Farnes | Revival of 1999–2000 production | Revival of 1999–2000 production |
| 2003–04 | Rusalka | Dvořák | Giselle Allen (Rusalka), Stuart Skelton (Prince), Richard Angas (Water Sprite), Susannah Glanville (Foreign Princess), Susan Bickley (Jezibaba) | Sebastian Lang-Lessing | Olivia Fuchs | Nicki Turner |
| 2003–04 | Manon | Massenet | Malin Byström (Manon), Julian Gavin (Des Grieux), William Dazeley (Lescaut) | Grant Llewellyn | Daniel Slater | Francis O’Connor |
| 2003–04 | The Barber of Seville | Rossini | Garry Magee (Figaro), Deanne Meek (Rosina), Nick Sales (Almaviva), Eric Roberts (Dr Bartolo) | Wyn Davies | Revival of 1986–7 production | Revival of 1986–7 production |
| 2003–04 | The Bartered Bride | Smetana | Giselle Allen (Mařenka), Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts (Jeník), Jeremy White (Kecal), Iain Paton (Vašek) | Martyn Brabbins | Revival of 1998–9 production | Revival of 1998–9 production |
| 2003–04 | Der Zwerg | Zemlinsky | Paul Nilon (The Dwarf), Stefanie Krahnenfeld (Donna Clara), Majella Cullagh (Gita), Graeme Broadbent (Don Estoban) | David Parry | David Pountney | Johan Engels/ Marie-Jeanne Lecca |
| 2003–04 | La vida breve | Falla | Mary Plazas (Salud), Leonardo Capalbo (Paco), Susan Gorton (Grandmother) | Martin André | Christopher Alden | Johan Engels/ Sue Willmington |
| 2003–04 | Il tabarro | Puccini | Nina Pavlovski (Giorgetta), Jonathan Summers (Michele), Leonardo Capalbo (Luigi), Anne-Marie Owens (La Frugola) | Martin André | David Pountney | Johan Engels/ Sue Willmington |
| 2003–04 | L'occasione fa il ladro | Rossini | Mark Stone (Don Parmenione), Iain Paton (Count Alberto), Majella Cullagh (Berenice), Kim-Marie Woodhouse (Ernestina), Adrian Clarke (Martino), Nicholas Sharratt (Don Eusebio) | David Parry | Christopher Alden | Johan Engels/ Tom Pye |
| 2003–04 | Francesca da Rimini | Rachmaninoff | Nina Pavlovski (Francesca), Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts (Dante/Paolo), Jonathan Summers (Ghost of Virgil/Malatesta) | Martin André | David Pountney | Johan Engels/ Sue Willmington |
| 2003–04 | Pagliacci | Leoncavallo | Geraint Dodd (Canio), Majella Cullagh (Nedda), Jonathan Summers (Tonio), Iain Paton (Beppe), Mark Stone (Silvio) | David Parry | Christopher Alden | Johan Engels/ Sue Willmington |
| 2003–04 | Djamileh | Bizet | Patricia Bardon (Djamileh), Paul Nilon (Haroun), Mark Stone (Splendiano) | David Parry | Christopher Alden | Johan Engels/ Sue Willmington |
| 2003–04 | The Seven Deadly Sins | Weill | Beate Vollack (Anna I), Iain Paton (Tenor I), Nicholas Sharratt (Tenor II), Adrian Clarke (Father), Graeme Broadbent (Mother) | James Holmes | David Pountney | Johan Engels/ Marie-Jeanne Lecca |
* ↑ "Main stage" means operas performed at Leeds Grand Theatre and a number of touring venues; small-scale productions are not included. Semi-staged concert performances at Leeds Town Hall and other similar venues are included, but concert performances without any staging are not.
* ↑ Titles in Bold are new productions. Opera titles are those used in Wikipedia and not necessarily those used by Opera North.
* ↑ Where two designers are credited, the first-named designed the set and the second designed the costumes
* 1 2 Semi-staged concert performances.
* ↑ Performed as a double-bill with Petrushka