Earlier today, WildKat PR posted on their blog, an interview with Jonathan Groves. It is part of their new series named 'Industry Idols,' where the team find out from professionals within the music industry how they got to where they are now. My manager, Jonathon Groves, was selected this week; to have a look at what he said, click
Sorry to not be in touch for such a while, but Ivor has been engaged with his exciting but extremely busy schedule. He has had many highlights, with the main being his deep involvement with the 2010 Salzburg Festival. Ivor conducted the opening night on July 26th as well the weekend matinées with the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra. Upcoming events Ivor is soon to be conducting performances of Wagner’s Flying Dutchman with the Mozarteum Orchestra in the Landes Theatre in Salzburg as well as Mozart’s Magic Flute in Vienna. Throughout September, Ivor will be rehearsing as well as preparing for the Mozarteum...
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Die Entführung aus dem Serail 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23 April 2010 Gran Teatre de Liceu, Barcelona, Spain Ivor Bolton - Conductor Diana Damrau/Agneta Eichenholz - Constanze Olga Peretyatko/Hendrikje van Kerckhove - Blondchen Christoph Strehl/Pavol Breslik - Belmonte Norbert Ernst/Peter Marsh - Pedrillo Christoph Quest - Bassa Selim Franz-Josef Selig/Jaco Huijpen - Osmin Christoph Loy - Director Herbert Murauer - Set and Costume Designer Olaf Winter - Lighting...
"Ivor Bolton conducted with pace and flair, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment brought customary vigour and poise to the score." Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, 14.03.2010 "In the pit, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment could not be faulted for their magnificent performance under the very able baton of conductor Ivor Bolton, who carefully highlighted the shades of darkness and light in the score and ensured suitable contrast in terms of tempo and dynamics between musical numbers. The string playing was glorious and precise, and special praise is due to the flutes and recorders in the duet “Vivo in te”....
Welcome first free day in what seems like weeks! Of course it’s not entirely free. Some homework necessary on upcoming ‘Medea in Corinto’ for Munich, and Aix’s ‘Alceste’ and even for 2012 Salzburg Festival. Then stacks of E-mails. This medium, so wonderful in so many ways is also imprisoning. The communication is almost too easy. As someone whose life is not primarily about sitting down at a computer throughout the day, I am frequently facing ninety minutes of E-mail replies at midnight after a long day’s conducting. Discover to my delight I can attend (with my son Samuel) my beloved Arsenal...
Today is the general rehearsal! The first time we submit to the verdict of a public. First, as always with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, we have a warm-up rehearsal. We work the overture, discuss some tuning matters and also some of balance and tidy-up some continuo moments. We have unwanted accompaniment from noisy stage-work, but it’s clear to all the guys are working flat-out, so we press-on. Rehearsal goes well: very few mishaps and hugely committed performances from our cast. The orchestra is sublime. Graham, Kurt and I are invited to BBC Radio 3’s “In Tune” programme...
Today is our final stage and orchestra rehearsal. It’s also Sarah Fox’s orchestra rehearsal for Asteria. She is singing some of the later performances. She is a consummate musician and has sung the role (with me) before in Pierre Audi’s Bayerische Staatsoper production. The morning goes well and we make all but one of the numbers I had intended to do. Not bad. Afterwards notes for all singers, continuo-team, etc. and then Graham and I rehearse with Christine Schäfer for a couple of hours. The evening is spent listening to edits of the Mozarteum Orchestra’s recent recording of Bruckner’s Symphony No....
No rest day for us, as we must make Act 3 stage and orchestra rehearsal. At least it is an evening rehearsal and it feels strange to be in a relatively empty ROH on a Sunday evening. After all one week ago the house was heaving with glitterati for the BAFTA ceremony. We are not completely alone: William Christie – doyen of baroque conductors and much-beloved-certainly by me in Handel – is visiting our rehearsal, as is Jory Vinikour, a distinguished harpsichordist. He plays for ‘Les Musiciens du Louvre’ and on occasion also for me with the Freiburger Barockorchester. Act 3...
We are now settled into a mini-routine of Stage and orchestra rehearsals beginning at 11.00am. This start time gives the stage technical crew time of effect for the change of set from the previous night’s show. We go back to the beginning of Act 2 and I make a run-through with only a few stops for musical matters that are best fixed there and then. This Act contains what I believe is the longest recitative in all of Handel including Tamerlano’s attempted humiliation of Bajazet and Asteria’s eventual emergence as the true heroic character of the opera. The three Ariettas sung...
George Frideric Handel, Tamerlano 5, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20 March 2010 Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London Ivor Bolton - Conductor Christianne Stotijn - Tamerlano Sara Mingardo - Andronico Kurt Streit - Bajazet Christine Schäfer - Asteria Renata Pokupic - Irene Vito Priante - Leone Graham Vick - Director Richard Hudson - Designer Matthew Richardson - Lighting designer Ron Howell -...
