ALBERT HERRING Britten – Opera North

The village of Loxford is looking for its May Queen (the personification of spring time innocence) but all candidates are deemed morally unsuitable. Desperate, the locals decide a May King will have to do instead. They choose the blameless Albert Herring from the local fruit and vegetable shop. He isn’t keen but, stuck firmly under his mother’s thumb, he’ll do what he is told. However, after one rum-laced lemonade at the May Day ceremony, Albert disappears… and even greater chaos ensues. The opera’s librettist Eric Crozier took a story by Maupassant and transformed it into a quintessentially English comedy. Britten’s music characterises the inhabitants with a biting satirical wit – but there’s a touch of affection, too, for a vanished way of life. Opera North’s delightful production is staged in the intimacy of the Howard Assembly Room, the perfect environment for Giles Havergal’s staging which set the action in opera’s own period, mid-twentieth century complete with woollen pullovers and gingham blouses. The excellent ensemble includes some rising stars already seen on OperaVision including the welcome of Dafydd Jones in the title role and Katie Bray (Nancy), who recently dazzled in Garsington’s Il barbiere di Siviglia. Full performance streamed on OperaVision from 21 June 2024 at 19:00 CET to 21 December 2024 at 12:00 CET: CAST Albert Herring Dafydd Jones Lady Billows Judith Howarth Mrs Herring Claire Pascoe Florence Pike Heather Shipp Mr Gedge William Dazeley Mr Upfold Paul Nilon Miss Wordsworth Amy Freston Superintendent Budd Richard Mosley-Evans Sid Dominic Sedgwick Nancy Katie Bray Emmie Rosa Sparks Orchestra Orchestra of Opera North Music Benjamin Britten Text Eric Crozier Conductor Garry Walker Director Giles Havergal Associate Director Elaine Tyler-Hall Sets & Costumes Leslie Travers Lighting John Bishop Movement Director Tim Claydon OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision. @operavision