Music concert

Arthur

A tribute to love and country

HENRY PURCELL
King Arthur (selection)

* Only in Bremen for concert version
George Petrou
Conductor
Claron McFadden
Soprano
Elizabeth Cragg
Soprano
Grace Davidson *
Soprano
Clint van der Linde *
Countertenor
Jason Darnell
Tenor
Konstantin Wolff
Bass-Baritone
Paul Koek
Stage director
Peter Verhelst
Libretto
Joost Rekveld
Set design & Lighting
Dorothee Curio
Costumes
Cappella Amsterdam
Choir

The semi-opera King Arthur by Henry Purcell unites theatre, dance and opera as a tribute to love and country. The original libretto by the English poet John Dryden tells the story of the quest of the Breton king Arthur to free his fiancé from the clutches of his sworn enemy, the Saxon king Oswald. The Flemish novelist and poet Peter Verhelst modernised this fiery war legend. Together with director Paul Koek, he rewrote the libretto and breathed new life into the intrigue. The background rumbles with the horror of the First World War: Arthur is not roaming the English forests but the Flemish fields.

Production Muziektheater Transparant Veenfabriek
Coproduction De Munt / La Monnaie, Festival van Vlaanderen-Brussel / Klarafestival, Flagey, Operadagen Rotterdam, B’Rock

 

* Only in Bremen for concert version

The orchestra's precision, lush sound, unorthodox tempi and beautiful ornamentation make this 100-minute evening a musical treat.
Shirley Apthorp Financial Times, 20.03.2014
Musically, Arthur was top. The adventurous specialists of B'Rock conducted by George Petrou played tightly and smoothly, the soloists sung Purcell's arias con brio. The intimate shepherdess duet by McFadden and soprano Elizabeth Cragg was wonderful. Also Cappella Amsterdam sung outstanding: the choir scenes were without any exception all highlights.
Joep Stapel NRC Handelsblad, 19.03.2014
Wirklich herrliche Musik, die war beim flämischen Ensemble "B'Rock Belgian Baroque Orchestra Ghent" in besten, in begeisternden Händen.
Ute Schalz-Laurenze Kreiszeitung, 19.09.2014
La litanie des noms de végétaux carbonisés par les bombes, comme celle des prénoms d'hommes disparus à la fin du spectacle ne sont pas sans rappeler le procédé à l'oeuvre dans Rwanda 94, la pièce fleuve que le Groupov consacra à cette autre catastrophe indicible et inexplicable à laquelle, d'ailleurs, l'Africaine d'Arthur fait plus d'une fois penser.
Bernard Schreuders ForumOpéra, 21.03.2014
I was literally sitting on the edge of my chair in Flagey; moved by the texts, the perfectly performed music, the subtle pieces of scenery and by the whole theatre event itself. Admirably, they've succeeded to graft Purcell's baroque music to the immense vastness of the fields of WO I. Impressive.
Ludwig Van Mechelen Klassiek Centraal, 20.03.2014
hervorragende Musiker
Henning Bleyl taz, 20.09.2014
Die musikalische Leistung entschädigte jedoch dafür, denn man hörte eine wahre 'Perlenkette' von bezaubernden Sätzen. Das Orchester setzte sehr zugespitzte Akzente, besonders in der Sturm-szene im V. Akt
Weser-Kurier, 19.09.2014