Fiona Kimm News
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2024-04-22
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2024-03-15 09:42:00
Almost an expressionist nightmare: Janáček's Jenůfa at ENO with Jennifer Davis in the title role
Janáček:Jenůfa, Act 3 - Jennifer Davis - English National Opera, 2024 (Photo: © Ellie Kurttz)Janáček: Jenůfa; Jennifer Davis, Susan Bullock, Richard Trey Smagur, John Findon, Fiona Kimm, director: David Alden, conductor: Keri-Lynn Wilson; English National Opera at the London ColiseumReviewed 13 March 2024A vivid account of tis hard-edged, expressionist production showcasing intense and profound performances from the principalsDavid Alden's production of Janáček's Jenůfa at English National Opera debuted in 2006 and was last seen at the London Coliseum in 2016 [see my review]. The latest revival of the production is the last fully-staged opera ENO performs this season (two semi-staged performances of Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle are to come), a significant moment when a large amount of 'who knows' seems to hang over the whole enterprise. But this revival, directed by David Alden, with movement director Maxine Braham, seemed to be a stake in the sand, showing what ENO does best. Conducted by […]
2021-07-14 09:49:14
[…] cartoon smooches were slathered into a mic). And the small cast – on stage throughout – strutted, glared and flounced, unfaltering in their collective dramatic commitment. The vocal performances were consistently on the money. As the opera’s heiress heroine Miranda (the preservation of whose virginity drives the plot), Eleanor Dennis sang sweetly at first, later with polite abandon, while Catherine Carby was enjoyably acerbic as her maid, Prue. As Miranda’s protective aunt Mrs Caution, Fiona Kimm was deliciously matronly, while Graeme Broadbent (Miranda’s father, Don Diego), Mark Wilde (her fiance, Monsieur) and David Webb (his rival, Gerard) were the absurd trio contesting the heroine’s fate. In the pit, conductor John Andrews and members of the Northern Chamber Orchestra eked all the colour and energy they could from Arnold’s score.
2020-11-28 09:09:27
From Handel's contemporaries to a forgotten Malcolm Arnold opera: I chat to conductor John Andrews about reviving neglected music
Malcolm Arnold: The Dancing Master - John Andrews and BBC Concert Orchestra with Graeme Broadbent, Mark Wilde, Ed Lyon, Eleanor Dennis, Catherine Carby and Fiona Kimm at Resonus Classics recording session The conductor John Andrews is one of those figures who have popped up on my radar quite regularly over the last few years, whether it be conducting Wolf-Ferrari at Opera Holland Park, Mozart at The Grange Festival, Rossini and Donizetti for English Touring Opera, or Thomas Arne at the London Handel Festival, not to mention his series of recordings of rarely and never-before recorded music by Sullivan and his contemporaries. Last month, Resonus Classics issued the world premiere recording of Malcolm Arnold's only full-length opera, The Dancing Master, conducted by John Andrews, and this seemed like a good excuse to catch up over Zoom. There have been relatively few performances of Arnold's opera since it was written […]
2020-10-27 07:29:12
More than a curiosity: Malcolm Arnold's forgotten opera The Dancing Master
Malcolm Arnold The Dancing Master; Eleanor Dennis, Catherine Carby, Fiona Kimm, Ed Lyon, Mark Wilde, Graeme Broadbent, BBC Concert Orchestra, John Andrews; Resonus Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 23 OCtober 2020 Star rating: 4.0 (★★★★) Malcolm Arnold's first opera makes it onto disc for the first time, and proves to be an engaging Restoration rompI first came across Malcolm Arnold's 1952 opera, The Dancing Master, in 2015 when it was performed as part of a double bill at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama [see my review]. The work is not entirely a lost masterpiece, it has popped up, but only in occasional performances and the work has never managed to make it onto the national stage. Now, we have a studio recording of Malcolm Arnold's The Dancing Master from Resonus Classics, with John Andrews conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra with Eleanor Dennis, Catherine Carby, Fiona Kimm, […]
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