English Touring Opera next week brings two Baroque operas to the Theatre Royal – Haydn's comedy Life on the Moon on Monday and Handel's masterpiece Ottone on Tuesday.
Then from Thursday to Saturday, Rambert, Britain's national dance company, returns to Bath with an interstellar line-up of dance that includes Christopher Bruce's Rooster, featuring the iconic music of The Rolling Stones. There is also a new piece inspired by the science of the cosmos, The Strange Charm of Mother Nature choreographed by Mark Baldwin.
English Touring Opera returns to Bath after winning the 2014 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera. Both operas in Bath next week will be sung in English and performed with The Old Street Band, ETO's acclaimed period instrument orchestra.
James Conway, ETO General Director, said: "Ottone and Life on the Moon are both rarely-performed jewels but could not be more different. Ottone is an opera I have wanted to do for years, for its strange, profound story and the fascinating history behind it, and the Haydn is simply hilarious. I'm delighted to be bringing both operas to Bath."
Haydn's fast-moving, farcical comedy Life on the Moon sees the composer's virtuosic music matched by the mischievous wit of Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni. ETO's new production is directed by Cal McCrystal, the Comedy Director for the West End hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors which was recently in Bath.
When a young heiress and her maid team up with a fake 'astronomer' and his servant to trick her Scrooge-like father out of his fortune, they manage to persuade him that he has been transported to the moon. There he is fitted-up and fleeced, to the delight of his family and friends.
The romantic and tragic tale of Ottone was one of the most popular operas of Handel's day, enjoying massive success in London in the 1720s. Set in Europe around 1000AD, the title character, the King of Germany, is about to marry his Byzantine bride but is threatened by an attempted coup and forced to overcome battles on land and sea.
This complex and powerful opera boasts a treasure trove of famous arias, many of which are concert favourites. This performance at the Theatre Royal Bath offers a rare chance to see the opera staged live.
Directed by ETO general director James Conway, and conducted by baroque specialist Jonathan Peter Kenny, the cast includes Clint van der Linde as Ottone, Andrew Radley as Adelberto, Grant Doyle as Emireno, Louise Kemeny as Teofane, Gillian Webster as Gismonda, and Rosie Aldridge as Matilda.
Christopher Bruce's Rooster performed by Rambert pays homage to the swinging sixties in electrifying style. Sharp-suited, snake-hipped men and strong, sassy women perform virtuoso courtship dances set to some of The Rolling Stones' most famous tunes, including Not Fade Away, Paint It Black, As Tears Go By, Sympathy for the Devil and Little Red Rooster.
One of Britain's leading choreographers, Christopher Bruce's work is in demand all around the world. He is a former dancer and Artistic Director with Rambert, who first performed Rooster in 1994. The piece quickly became established as a modern classic and a firm audience favourite.
Rambert artistic director Mark Baldwin's new work, The Strange Charm of Mother Nature, is the latest in his series of dances inspired by science. Following earlier works that brought to life the theories of Einstein and Darwin, The Strange Charm of Mother Nature looks at particle physics and the discovery of the Higgs boson God Particle.
Completing the programme at the is Lucinda Childs' Four Elements.
