Absolute Classics: Amahl & The Night Visitors, Opera Bohemia at Greyfriars Church, Dumfries on Sunday 13th December 2015

Please note: This concert is in the past and has already taken place.

Absolute Classics

Amahl & The Night Visitors, Opera Bohemia

Part of the Absolute Classics 2015-16 Season

Add to my Calendar 13-12-2015 15:30 13-12-2015 17:30 36 Absolute Classics www.absoluteclassics.co.uk Amahl and the night visitors Opera Synopsis   Amahl, a disabled boy who can walk only with a crutch sits playing his shepherd's pipe when his mother calls for him. After much persuasion, he enters the house but as he is guilty of telling tall tales, his mother does not believe him when he tells her there is an amazing star over their roof.   There is a knock at the door and the mother tells Amahl to go see who it is. He is amazed when he sees three splendidly dressed kings. The Three Kings tell the mother and Amahl they are on a long journey to give gifts to a wondrous Child and they would like to rest at their house. The mother goes to fetch firewood, and Amahl seizes the opportunity to speak with the kings. The mother returns and Amahl is told to go fetch the neighbours so the kings may be fed and entertained properly.   After the neighbours have left and the kings are resting, the mother attempts to steal for her son some of the kings' gold that was meant for the Christ child. She is thwarted by the kings and when Amahl wakes to find them grabbing his mother, he attacks them. Understanding their need, King Melchior says she may keep the gold as the Holy Child will not need earthly power or wealth to build his kingdom. The mother says she has waited all her life for such a king and asks the kings to take back the gold. She and Amahl wish to send a gift but have nothing to send except his crutch. When he offers it to the kings, his leg is miraculously healed. With permission from his mother, he leaves with the kings to see the Child and give his crutch in thanks for being healed.   Opera Bohemia   In January 2010, Douglas Nairne and Alistair Digges decided that they would create a production of Puccini’s La Bohème to be performed in their home towns and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. After the overwhelming success of their initial performances, they decided to take La Bohème further and toured around Scotland. The experience the young cast and audiences shared was very special and following feedback from audience members around the country, expressing their enthusiasm and desire to see more productions, Opera Bohemia was formed. Now in its fourth year, Opera Bohemia has added highly successful performances of Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lammermoor, Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin to its achievements.   The company has performed at over twenty venues across Scotland with recent highlights including the first opera at the new Beacon Arts Centre Theatre (Greenock) and an invitation to perform Madame Butterfly in London. The performance took place in Middle Temple and helped raise over a quarter of a million pounds for the Muir Maxwell Trust. 2013 saw the formation of the Opera Bohemia Ensemble, a chamber orchestra showcasing some of Scotland’s most talented young musicians. The orchestra played for the company’s August performances of Eugene Onegin.   The group is comprised of passionate individuals, driven by their love for their art and their enthusiasm to increase the availability of opera to a wider audience. They continue to tour their operas to more remote areas of Scotland where the opportunity to experience their modern interpretation of these famous operas, performed by rising operatic stars, has proved hugely popular. Greyfriars Church, Dumfries DD/MM/YYYY

Details

Greyfriars Church
Church Crescent
Dumfries
Dumfries and Galloway
DG1 1DE
Scotland

Sunday 13th December 2015
3:30 PM

Programme

Gian Carlo Menotti – Amahl & The Night Visitors

Performers

Opera Bohemia

Other concerts in this Series (+)

Amahl and the night visitors

Opera Synopsis

Amahl, a disabled boy who can walk only with a crutch sits playing his shepherd's pipe when his mother calls for him. After much persuasion, he enters the house but as he is guilty of telling tall tales, his mother does not believe him when he tells her there is an amazing star over their roof.

There is a knock at the door and the mother tells Amahl to go see who it is. He is amazed when he sees three splendidly dressed kings. The Three Kings tell the mother and Amahl they are on a long journey to give gifts to a wondrous Child and they would like to rest at their house. The mother goes to fetch firewood, and Amahl seizes the opportunity to speak with the kings. The mother returns and Amahl is told to go fetch the neighbours so the kings may be fed and entertained properly.

After the neighbours have left and the kings are resting, the mother attempts to steal for her son some of the kings' gold that was meant for the Christ child. She is thwarted by the kings and when Amahl wakes to find them grabbing his mother, he attacks them. Understanding their need, King Melchior says she may keep the gold as the Holy Child will not need earthly power or wealth to build his kingdom. The mother says she has waited all her life for such a king and asks the kings to take back the gold. She and Amahl wish to send a gift but have nothing to send except his crutch. When he offers it to the kings, his leg is miraculously healed. With permission from his mother, he leaves with the kings to see the Child and give his crutch in thanks for being healed.

Opera Bohemia

In January 2010, Douglas Nairne and Alistair Digges decided that they would create a production of Puccini’s La Bohème to be performed in their home towns and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. After the overwhelming success of their initial performances, they decided to take La Bohème further and toured around Scotland. The experience the young cast and audiences shared was very special and following feedback from audience members around the country, expressing their enthusiasm and desire to see more productions, Opera Bohemia was formed. Now in its fourth year, Opera Bohemia has added highly successful performances of Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lammermoor, Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin to its achievements.

The company has performed at over twenty venues across Scotland with recent highlights including the first opera at the new Beacon Arts Centre Theatre (Greenock) and an invitation to perform Madame Butterfly in London. The performance took place in Middle Temple and helped raise over a quarter of a million pounds for the Muir Maxwell Trust. 2013 saw the formation of the Opera Bohemia Ensemble, a chamber orchestra showcasing some of Scotland’s most talented young musicians. The orchestra played for the company’s August performances of Eugene Onegin.

The group is comprised of passionate individuals, driven by their love for their art and their enthusiasm to increase the availability of opera to a wider audience. They continue to tour their operas to more remote areas of Scotland where the opportunity to experience their modern interpretation of these famous operas, performed by rising operatic stars, has proved hugely popular.

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