Elizabeth Llewellyn: Bringing her radiant soprano to more intimate surroundings
HARD on the heels of her triumphant Opera North run in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos, Elizabeth Llewellyn brought her radiant soprano to more intimate surroundings in a recital celebrating the late Dr Keith Howard, the most generous benefactor in Opera North’s history. Simon Lepper’s piano was her deft partner.
Her programme was an eclectic mix of Verdi and Puccini songs that played to her operatic strengths, lieder of Brahms and Strauss, and songs by two English composers, Coleridge-Taylor and Stanford.
Llewellyn’s debut recording, Heart And Hereafter in 2021, was devoted to songs by Coleridge-Taylor, eight of which she offered here, opening each half of the evening with them. She clearly has a special feel for this music. The best of three from 1896 was a setting of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s sonnet Tears, an intimate view of grief.
Even more affecting were four settings of Christina Rossetti from Sorrow Songs, Op 57 (1904), with a passionate “Let me be” in Oh What Comes Over The Sea?.
There is often a touch of Brahms in the music of Stanford, Coleridge-Taylor’s teacher, even when he is trying to be Irish, as in A Sheaf Of Songs From Leinster. Llewellyn gave a spirited account of The Bold Unbiddable Child. In three lieder by Brahms himself, she tried to keep her tone intimate and succeeded best with Auf dem Kirchhofe (In The churchyard), with its telling rhymes, ‘Gewesen’ (deceased) and ‘Genesen’ (released).
She was wise to keep her Italian songs and her Strauss to the end of each half: they allowed her to open out her naturally rich tone. She found it easy to convey the adoration of Du Meines Herzens Krönelein (You My Heart’s Little Crown) and the rapture of the evergreen Ständchen (Serenade). They also allowed Lepper to break out more and he took full advantage of Strauss’s lush accompaniments, highlighting pianistic details.
Llewellyn’s Italian projection was even smoother still. The lullaby Sogno d’or (Sweet Dream, 1912) reappeared in the opera La Rondine; she covered her tone beautifully at its close. She cleverly paired it with another ‘ninna-nanna’ (lullaby), E l’uccellino, an amusing little bird. The remainder of the Puccini songs were stand-alone numbers, which rarely get a recital airing.
In three Verdi songs at the close, she really cut loose, finishing with a vivaciously carefree gypsy girl in La Zingara. As she spends more time in recital halls, she will perhaps not feel the need to fall back on operatic styles so much and she will tailor the intimate side of her tone accordingly.
She has all the charm and charisma you could ask for. For the time being, however, she will do herself – and her audiences – an immense favour by dispensing with her music stand and learning the songs as she would an operatic role. Only then will she establish that direct communication with her listeners that is so crucial to the full success of a song recital.
Review by Martin Dreyer
Elizabeth Llewellyn & Simon Lepper’s CD of songs by Coleridge-Taylor is on Orchid Classics ORC 100164.
Architect’s visualisation of the redeveloped Opera North estate, showing the Howard Assembly Room, new restaurant, box office and atrium on the left and the Howard Opera Centre on the right.
OPERA North’s redeveloped headquarters in Leeds will bear
the name of philanthropist Dr Keith Howard OBE.
The Howard Opera Centre will take on this title in
recognition of the Yorkshire benefactor’s personal gift of £11.25 million
towards the opera company’s redevelopment project, Music Works.
It is thought to be among the largest private donations ever made to a British arts company outside of London.
Dr Howard, a lifelong opera lover and cricket fan, is the founder of Emerald Group Publishing and president of Opera North.
The Howard Opera Centre will house Opera North’s rehearsal studios, costume and wigs workshop and administrative offices.
The redevelopment work on New Briggate and Harrison Street will
create a world-class facility to make opera; a new education studio and
additional rehearsal spaces, including a new rehearsal room for Opera North’s orchestra
and chorus and a suite of music coaching rooms.
The Howard Opera Centre will join another space named ten years earlier in recognition of Dr Howard’s support for the company, the Howard Assembly Room, a 300-seat performance venue offering a diverse calendar of jazz, world music, folk, classical concerts, children’s opera, talks, film and installations.
Originally opened in 2009 after extensive restoration, the
Howard Assembly Room is closed during the Music Works redevelopment project. It
will reopen in 2021 with a new dedicated and fully accessible entrance and
atrium, an increased number of performances and a new restaurant and bar, replacing
a row of previously vacant shop units on New Briggate.
The redevelopment project began on site last summer and is being delivered by Henry Boot Construction, a Sheffield regional construction contractor with a commitment to reducing environment impacts.
The overall target for the Music Works fundraising campaign is £18 million. Opera North has raised £15.6 million to date, including the £11.25 million gift that combines £9 million with £2.25 million in Gift Aid. Leeds City Council has contributed £750,000, together with the lease of the vacant shops on New Briggate, and funding of £499,999 has been awarded by Arts Council England.
The balance of the funds raised so far has come from private
donors, trusts and supporters, including a £1 million donation from the Liz and
Terry Bramall Foundation, as well as a significant contribution from Mrs
Maureen Pettman and major gifts from private individuals.
Councillor Jonathan Pryor, from Leeds City Council, left, Dr Keith Howard, and Opera North’s general director, Richard Mantle, attending the <Leeds company’s 2019/20 season launch at Harewood House. Picture: Justin Slee
In addition, gifts have been pledged by the Wolfson
Foundation, Backstage Trust, the Kirby Laing Foundation, the Foyle Foundation
and the Garfield Weston Foundation.
Although 87 per cent of the target has been raised, there
remains a funding gap of £2.4 million to close. Opera North is looking to patrons, Friends and audiences to
play their part in the success of the redevelopment at many different levels.
Work also continues to attract funding from further charitable trusts and
foundations and the business community in Leeds.
Richard Mantle, Opera North’s general director, said: ““Opera
North is delighted to be able to recognise the extraordinary generosity of our
longstanding supporter and friend, Dr Keith Howard, whose contribution to this
project means that we are able to create a new artistic home for the company,
as well as improving the infrastructure, access and visitor experience for the
Howard Assembly Room.
“The Howard Opera Centre will be a true centre of excellence, bringing together rehearsal spaces for world-class opera productions with coaching rooms, where singers can develop their vocal expertise, and specialist costume workshop spaces.
“A new hub for our education work will create an inclusive space
for our work with young people from across the city, bringing children and
young people right to the heart of our creative community.”
Councillor Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council,
said: “We are pleased to see this significant redevelopment now taking
shape, creating a vastly improved artistic and educational hub for one of
Leeds’s leading cultural assets.
“Opera North makes a huge contribution to the city, both in
terms of the vitality and diversity of work seen on stage, and also through its
work with children, young people and communities throughout our region.
“Through the revitalisation of a neglected section of New Briggate, the improved facilities for the Howard Assembly Room will work in tandem with our wider aspirations for the area as part of the Heritage Action Zones and Connecting Leeds programmes, creating a vibrant destination and supporting our plans for a better-connected city.”
Opera North employs more than 250 people, such as costume makers,
stage managers, electricians, stage technicians, props makers, sound and
lighting technicians, educators, designers and musicians, in addition to
working with around 370 freelance performers, creatives and artists each year.
Opera North’s opera productions are created and premiered in
Leeds, where the company performs at Leeds Grand Theatre each season before
touring its opera productions to theatres across the country.
The Music Works redevelopment is scheduled to be completed in phases, with the Howard Opera Centre opening in late 2020, and the Howard Assembly Room, restaurant and atrium scheduled for completion in 2021.
Watch a short film about Music Works at https://youtu.be/4xQU4q0xFD4
Work to replace the vacant shop units on New Briggate, Leeds, with a new restaurant and bar, December 2019. Picture: Tom Arber
MUSIC WORKS
“More live music, for everyone”.
More performances in the Howard Assembly Room every year;
A dedicated entrance for the Howard Assembly Room;
An open, welcoming building that is fully accessible at
all levels;
New public spaces and an atrium.
Music Works will enable Opera North to host a full
year-round programme of performances, workshops and small-scale productions in
the Howard Assembly Room, increasing the number of performances given at the
venue.
The best global musicians and artists will be brought to
Leeds each year, creating a
diverse calendar of jazz, world music, folk, classical concerts, children’s opera, talks, film and installations.
A new restaurant and bar, open to everyone all day;
A refurbished Opera North box office and reception for
Leeds Grand Theatre
Restoration of a Grade II listed building
A crane moves steel on to the construction site at the top of the new Howard Opera Centre, looking east towards the Quarry House government offices, January 2020. Picture: Tom Arber
Music Works will regenerate a row of vacant shops directly
beneath the Howard Assembly Room to
create a new restaurant and bar alongside a refurbished box office.
A new dedicated “front door” will be established for Opera North and the Howard
Assembly Room; the building will be open to everyone from morning until late at
night for coffee, lunch, dinner and drinks.
Cutting-edge facilities for making opera: The Howard Opera Centre:
A new purpose-built Music Rehearsal Studio;
Three new music practice rooms;
Refurbished Costume Workshop and Dye Room;
A new artist and Company green room.
A home for Opera North Education:
A new, flexible Education Studio;
A new music coaching room for students;
Break-out spaces and “secret garden” for school groups;
A shared entrance for students, artists and staff, placing young people at the heart of the company.
An environmentally sustainable cultural flagship for Leeds:
An environmentally sustainable and efficient estate;
Photovoltaic panels to generate energy;
A significant contribution to the New Briggate public
realm;
A major capital investment in the run up to 2023 Leeds
cultural celebrations;
Investment in digital infrastructure to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
