An evening of festive magic with Rogue Opera at George IV

A mix of operatic numbers, carols and popular Christmas songs

Rogue Opera, whose production of Bizet’s Carmen at George IV was a sellout success in the summer, will be back on Sunday 8 December with their Christmas show.

Their ‘Christmas Spectacular’ is “not your normal carol sing-along,” Director Bronwen Stephens-Harding told The Chiswick Calendar.

“Four opera singers will take to the stage to take the audience on a journey through some of our favourite operas.”

The show will be “properly staged” she says, with costumes and props, the singers acting in character, but they will also perform some distinctly non-operatic Christmas favourites and there will be opportunities for the audience to join in on some of the songs.

Rogue Opera was established by Bronwen at the end of 2017. She set up the company to bring “top-class intimate productions” to audiences around the UK and Europe. She likes the audience to be able to see the blood, sweat and tears involved in operatic performances up-close, rather than from a distant perch in a massive auditorium.

They enjoy performing in Chiswick, she says:

“We’ve had the collaboration with Fuller’s for several years now. It’s lovely that we get a mix of people who like opera a lot and those who have come because it’s on their doorstep, who may not have experienced opera before.

“I had many people coming up to me and telling me it was their first experience of opera, and they hadn’t realised it was this much fun and so interesting.”

The company’s cast and creative team are all professionals with backgrounds that include Longborough Festival Opera, Royal Opera House Chorus, English National Opera Chorus and Glyndebourne Festival Chorus.

Images: Pictures from Rogue Opera’s Christmas show last year; Photographs Cristina Schek

The programme

First half

Champagne Chorus from Die Fledermaus – At Prince Orlovsky’s New Year’s Eve ball, all everyone wants is more champagne!
I wish it could be Christmas every day, Roy Wood- A Christmas song from Wizard
For Unto Us a Child is Born, from The Messiah – Handel’s stirring celebration of the birth of the Messiah
Away in the Manger – Audience singalong of the classic carol
Winter Wonderland, Felix Bernard and Richard Smith – a song written in 1934 which has since been covered by more than 200 artists, including Johnny Mathis
Che gelida manina from La bohème – Rodolfo and Mimi meet for the first time on a cold Christmas Eve
I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas, Irving Berlin – Written for the 1942 musical film Holiday Inn, in which it was sung by Bing Crosby
Ave Maria, Franz Schubert – A prayer to the Virgin Mary composed for Walter Scott’s narrative poem The Lady of the Lake
Hark the Herald Angels Sing – Audience singalong of the classic carol
Parigi o cara from La Traviata – Alfredo and Violetta dream of a life together away from Paris, to restore Violetta to health
Eri tu from Un Ballo in Maschera – Renato accuses his friend Riccardo of betraying his trust and friendship
Libiama from La Traviata – One of the opera’s best drinking songs!

Second half

Once in Royal David’s City – Audience singalong of the classic carol
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Edward Pola and George Wyle – First recorded by Andy Williams for his Christmas album of 1963
Hallelujah! Leonard Cohen – Cohen’s ‘idiosyncratic take’ on a song of praise
Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß from Giuditta – Giuditta has inherited spirit and passion from her mother, a wild gypsy dancer, and she is well aware of her irresistible charms
La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni – Don Giovanni charms Zerlina with his seductive promises of a shared future
Pilgrims’ Chorus from Tannhäuser – A group of pilgrims returns from Rome, praising the miracle they have seen
Silent Night – Audience singalong of the classic carol
O Holy Night, Adolphe Adam – A beautiful carol composed in 1847 which has been covered multiple times, including by Mariah Carey and Lauren Daigle
Non piu mesta from La Cenerentola – Cinderella reflects on the changes in her life and celebrates with a dance at the ball
Oh Come all ye Faithful – Audience singalong of the classic carol
Feliz Navidad,  José Feliciano – Offering Christmas wishes in English and Spanish

The musicians

The five performers taking part in the Christmas Spectacular at George IV on Sunday 8 December will be Bronwen herself, Guy Murgatroyd, Claire Filer, David Powton and Sam Young.

Bronwen, a mezzo-soprano, achieved a Diploma in Opera & Performance from Associated Studios in London after a “varied” career, combining corporate marketing with busking, choral singing, opera performance and singing studies.

Guy, the pianist, has worked with diverse musicians including Leslie Howard, Elly Ameling and Andrew Lloyd Webber, along with contemporary composers including Rolf Hind, Edward Rushton and Nikolai Kapustin.

Claire, the soprano, holds a MA (Distinction) from the Wales International Academy of Voice, a MMus from The Boston Conservatory in the US and a BMusHons (1st class) from The University of Auckland.

Her long list of operatic engagements includes Ortlinde Die Walküre (London Opera Company), Fiordiligi Così fan tutte (Auckland Opera Studio), and Annina La Traviata (London Festival Opera).

David, the tenor, gained his MA in Opera Performance from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He has performed as a soloist with Royal Northern Sinfonia.

Sam, the baritone, studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he was awarded the Chartered Surveyors Vocal Prize, and previously graduated from Bath Spa University. In 2023, he was recipient of the Young Artist Award in conjunction with the Strand International Festival of Song.

He has previously been a member of the chorus with companies including Glyndebourne Festival Opera/Tour and English National Opera.

They all took part in the summer tour of Carmen Reimagined.

Club Card discount on Rogue Opera tickets

The George IV management have kindly arranged a discount of 20% on tickets for The Chiswick Calendar’s Club Card holders. Choose the Club Card option when booking online and show your card on the door.

Book tickets: A Christmas Spectacular

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