Claude Debussy

Pelléas et Mélisande

Act 2, Scene 1

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Mélisande

Marianne Ruel

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Pelléas

James Emerson

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Arianna Congedi | repetiteur

 

On a hot day, Pelléas has taken Mélisande – his half-brother Golaud’s young wife – to see a spring known as the Fountain of the Blind. While they stand beside the water, Mélisande plays with the ring Golaud gave her when they married, tossing it into the air and catching it. Pelléas warns her not to lean too far over the edge, but she continues. As the castle bells ring noon, the ring slips from her fingers and falls into the deep spring. They watch it disappear and realise it is lost. Mélisande asks what they should tell Golaud. Pelléas replies that they must tell him the truth.

 

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Charles Gounod

Roméo et Juliette

Act 4, Scene 1 Duet

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Roméo

Sebastian Hill

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Juliette

Laura LeVoir

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Daniel Greenway | repetiteur

 

Roméo and Juliette have just been secretly married, but Roméo has killed Juliette’s cousin Tybalt in a fight and been banished from Verona on pain of death. The newlyweds steal a precious night together in Juliette’s bedroom. As dawn approaches, distant birdsong warns that Roméo must flee before he is discovered. Juliette insists it is still night and begs him to stay longer, but Roméo knows the danger is too great. Gradually the light of day forces them to face reality, and Roméo descends from the balcony and escapes into exile. Juliette remains behind, watching him go and fearing that this farewell may be their last.

 

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Jules Massenet

Cendrillon

Act 1 excerpt

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Dorothée

Marianne Ruel

 

Noémie

Laura LeVoir

 

Madame de la Haltière

Cecily Shaw

 

Pandolfe

Twm Tegid Brunton

 

Chorus lines

Zoë Jackson

Sebastian Hill

James Emerson

 

Arianna Congedi | repetiteur

 

Madame de la Haltière has received an invitation to the royal ball. Thrilled at this social triumph, she orders her daughters, Noémie and Dorothée, to make themselves as beautiful as possible so that they can make a grand impression at the palace, with the hope that one of them will capture the Prince’s heart and secure their fortune. Cendrillon’s father, Pandolfe, enters and watches the mounting commotion with bewilderment as Madame de la Haltière instructs her daughters in the arts of seduction and courtly behaviour. The household erupts in frantic preparation – gowns, jewels, powders and perfumes. Finally, resplendent and ridiculous, the three women are ready to depart for the ball.

 

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Benjamin Britten

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Op 64

Act 2 Quartet

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Hermia

Marianne Ruel

 

Helena

Zoë Jackson

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Lysander

Sebastian Hill

 

Demetrius

James Emerson

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Daniel Greenway | repetiteur

 

The fairy Puck mistakenly anoints Lysander with an enchanted flower that makes him fall in love with the first person he sees. Lysander wakes, sees Helena, and begins pursuing her through the forest, passionately declaring his love and abandoning Hermia. Helena believes he is cruelly mocking her. When Demetrius is later affected by the same enchantment, both men pursue Helena while scorning Hermia. Hermia arrives bewildered to find Lysander rejecting her. Helena, convinced everyone is conspiring to humiliate her, turns angrily on Hermia. The two men quarrel over Helena while the women accuse one another of treachery.

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Ruggero Leoncavallo

Pagliacci

Silvio & Nedda Duet

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Silvio

Twm Tegid Brunton

 

Nedda

Laura LeVoir

 

Tonio

James Emerson

 

Daniel Greenway | repetiteur

 

Nedda, the young wife of Canio, leader of a travelling theatre troupe, is left alone after having to fend off Tonio, another member of the company who has just declared his love for her. When she rejects him and mocks his advances, Tonio leaves humiliated and angry. Soon after, Silvio, Nedda’s secret lover, appears and begs her to run away with him that very night. Nedda begs Silvio not to tempt her, fearing Canio’s violent jealousy if they are discovered. Silvio insists they must seize their chance for freedom, and at last she agrees to meet him after the evening’s performance so they can escape together.

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George Frideric Handel

Ariodante HWV33

Act 2, Scene 1

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Ariodante

Cecily Shaw

 

Lurcanio

Sebastian Hill

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Polinesso

Marianne Ruel

 

Dalinda

Zoë Jackson

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Daniel Greenway | repetiteur

 

The villainous Polinesso, jealous of Ariodante’s engagement to Princess Ginevra, stages an elaborate deception. He dresses Ginevra’s maid Dalinda in her mistress’s clothing and arranges a secret meeting on the palace balcony. Watching from concealment, Ariodante sees “Ginevra” embracing Polinesso and is devastated by what appears to be her betrayal. Overcome with despair, he resolves to take his own life. His loyal brother Lurcanio emerges from hiding and persuades him not to destroy himself, urging him instead to endure his suffering.

 

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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Eugene Onegin Op 24

Act 3, Final Scene

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Eugene Onegin

Twm Tegid Brunton

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Tatyana

Zoë Jackson

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Arianna Congedi | repetiteur

 

Years after coldly rejecting Tatyana’s heartfelt declaration of love, Onegin encounters her again at a St Petersburg ball. She is now Princess Gremina, married to an elderly war hero and transformed into an elegant and composed woman of society. Suddenly aware of what he has lost, Onegin realises that he has always loved her. He writes to her begging for her affection and throws himself at her feet, pleading for her love. Tatyana admits that she still loves him – but she is bound by honour and duty to her husband. Despite her anguish, she refuses to abandon her marriage and leaves Onegin alone in despair.

 

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Synopses by Ashley Dean