Rossini: Fireworks! concert
Gioachino Rossini - Spring 2018
A concert of sparkling vocal displays
- Conductor
- John Andrews
- Tenor
- Luciano Botelho
- Mezzo
- Catherine Carby
- Tenor
- John-Colyn Gyeantey
- Soprano
- Gillian Ramm
- Soprano
- Elena Xanthoudakis
Full of fire
— Bachtrack
A thrilling concert of highlights from Rossini’s greatest operas – his serious ones! These were the operas of which Rossini was most proud, and which contain his most brilliant writing for orchestra, and his most challenging vocal fireworks. John Andrews will conduct the full ETO orchestra in exciting scenes from Rossini’s Otello (including his melting ‘Willow Song’), La donna del lago (a Walter Scott feast), Maometto II (the most testing of them all), Elisabetta (the story of Queen Elizabeth I of England) and Ermione.
“I have a great admiration for Rossini. For me, he occupies an essential place in the history of music. His freedom, his life and his genius have always impressed me. He took opera out of its yoke by offering a new freedom to the voice: he completely reinvented lyrical singing. From Barbiere to Il viaggio a Reims through Cenerentola, he created an irresistible style – but I am also sensitive to his serious operas, such as Moses or Maometto II, which are given so rarely.”
— Emmanuel Macron
Sung in Italian and French with English surtitles
Running time: approx. 2 hours 40 minutes (incl. 20 minute interval)
Concert Programme
Semiramide
Act 1, Overture
Maometto II
Act 2, Trio: “In questi estremi istanti”
Act 1: Preghiera (“Giusto cielo”) and Scena (“Ahi, padre!”)
Act 2, Aria: “Non temer: d’un basso affetto”
Ermione
Act 2: Gran scena
Otello
Act 2, Duet: “Ah vieni, nel tuo sangue”
Act 3, Aria: “The Willow Song”
Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra
Act 2, Scene: “Della cieca fortuna”, to “Deh! Scusa i trasporti”
Act 2, Aria: “Dov’è Matilde”
La donna del lago
Act 1, Cavatina: “Mura felici”
Guillaume Tell
Act 1: Chorus of Villagers
Act 2, Aria: “Sombre forêt”
Act 3, Finale: “Sois immobile”
Stoke-on-Trent and Ulverston only.
Showing At
- Hackney Empire
22nd Feb 2018 - 7:30 pm
- Buxton Opera House
25th Mar 2018 - 3:00 pm
- G Live Guildford
3rd Apr 2018 - 7:30 pm
- Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
24th Apr 2018 - 7:30 pm
- Perth Festival, Perth Theatre
18th May 2018 - 7:30 pm
- Victoria Hall, Stoke
5th Jun 2018 - 7:30 pm
- Coronation Hall, Ulverston
7th Jun 2018 - 7:30 pm
-
Hackney Empire
— 22nd Feb 2018 - 7:30 pm
291 Mare Street, Hackney, E8 1EJ
-
Buxton Opera House
— 25th Mar 2018 - 3:00 pm
Water Street, SK17 6XN
-
G Live Guildford
— 3rd Apr 2018 - 7:30 pm
London Road, Guildford, GU1 2AA
-
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
— 24th Apr 2018 - 7:30 pm
Regent Street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ
-
Perth Festival, Perth Theatre
— 18th May 2018 - 7:30 pm
Mill Street, Perth, PH1 5HZ
-
Victoria Hall, Stoke
— 5th Jun 2018 - 7:30 pm
Bagnall Street, ST1 3AD
-
Coronation Hall, Ulverston
— 7th Jun 2018 - 7:30 pm
County Square, Ulverston, LA12 7LZ
Featured Crew

John Andrews
Conductor
With a special affinity for Italian bel canto and English baroque, John Andrews has conducted over 40 operas with companies including Garsington Opera, Opera Holland Park, London Handel Festival and Volkstheater Rostock. An exponent of neglected English music, he has appeared regularly at the English Music Festival. Recordings include: Thomas Arne’s The Judgement of Paris, The Light of the World and Incidental Music to Macbeth; The Tempest (Sir Arthur Sullivan); The Mountebanks (Gilbert and Cellier) for Dutton Vocalion with the BBC Concert Orchestra; Percy Sherwood’s Double Concerto; Sir Frederic Cowen’s 5th Symphony for EM Records. For ETO he has conducted Rossini’s ‘Fireworks’, Tolomeo, Don Giovanni, Anna Bolena and Pia de’ Tolomei.
Featured Cast
Luciano Botelho
Tenor
Born in Brazil, he studied at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Welsh International Academy of Voice. He was finalist in both the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and the Francisco Viñas Competitions, leading to appearances with international companies such as ROH Covent Garden, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Oper Frankfurt, Malmö Opera, Scottish Opera and Hamburgische Staatsoper. His roles include Comte Ory, Orfeo, Edgardo Lucia, Tamino Zauberflöte, Elvino Sonnambula, Ferrando Così Fan Tutte, Don Ottavio Don Giovanni, Tonio La Fille du Régiment, Percy Anna Bolena and Ernesto Don Pasquale. Recently for ETO he appeared as Rinuccio Gianni Schicchi.

Catherine Carby
Mezzo
In her native Australia, Catherine Carby has performed with the major opera companies and her wider engagements have included performances with Buxton Festival Opera, Chelsea Opera Group, ENO, Longborough Festival Opera and Scottish Opera, as well as at the Teatro Sao Carlos, Lisbon, and with orchestras including the CBSO, the OAE, the RPO and the Ulster Orchestra. Current highlights include include Penelope Il ritorno d’Ulisse for Pinchgut Opera, Annina La traviata and Siegrune Die Walküre for the Royal Opera, London, Girls’ Night Out (A Celebration of the Music of Richard Strauss) for the State Opera of South Australia and Katharina Schratt Mayerling for the Royal Ballet, London.
For ETO: Diana La Calisto, Aurelio L’Assiedo di Calais, Rodrigo Pia de’Tolomei, Cornelia Giulio Cesare, Iphigénie Iphigénie en Tauride and Rossini Fireworks!

John-Colyn Gyeantey
Tenor
Studied at the RCM, NOS and Accademia Rossiniana, Pesaro.
Rossini roles include Ramiro La Cenerentola (Oper Schloss Hallwyl, Glyndebourne on Tour); Ruodi Guillaume Tell and Aronne Mosé in Egitto (covers for WNO); Comte Ory Le Comte Ory (Opera South); Almaviva Il Barbiere di Siviglia (WNO, Diva Opera and Festival Musique Cordiale); Zefirino Il viaggio a Reims, (Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro); Gernando/Ubaldo Armida (St. John’s, Smith Square). He has sung Nemorino L’elisir d’amore for the Anghiari Festival; Pylade Iphigénie en Tauride, Ubaldo/Ghino Pia de’ Tolomei, Arnalta The Coronation of Poppea, and Egeus Jason by Cavalli all for ETO; and Luke in Tippett’s The Ice Break (Birmingham Opera). Other roles include Romeo Romeo and Juliet (Riverside Opera); Don Ottavio Don Giovanni (Mid-Wales Opera); Camille de Rosillon The Merry Widow (Scottish Opera); Tamino The Magic Flute (Iford Arts and Swansea City Opera).

Gillian Ramm
Soprano
Born in Australia, Gillian Ramm trained at the Western Australian Conservatorium of Music and the West Australian Opera Young Artist Programme, before receiving a scholarship at RNCM. Gillian was awarded the John Cameron Lieder Prize and the Ricordi Prize for Opera. Operatic engagements include Fiordiligi/ Così fan tutte (GFO, GTO); Rosalinde/ Die Fledermaus (GTO); Second Niece/ Peter Grimes (Teatro di San Carlo); Aci/ Aci Galatea e Polifemo (London Handel Festival); Valencienne/ The Merry Widow (West Australian Opera); Anne Truelove/ The Rake’s Progress (RNCM); Clorinda/ La Cenerentola (Ryedale Festival); Yum Yum/ The Mikado (Carl Rosa). Gillian has sung in concert with The Classical Opera Company, ON, LPO and Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Future and recent plans include her debut with ENO as First Niece in a new production of Peter Grimes and Fiordiligi/ Così fan tutte (GTO). Gillian has previous performed with ETO as Tytania/ A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Elena Xanthoudakis
Soprano
Showing At
- Hackney Empire
22nd Feb 2018 - 7:30 pm
- Buxton Opera House
25th Mar 2018 - 3:00 pm
- G Live Guildford
3rd Apr 2018 - 7:30 pm
- Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
24th Apr 2018 - 7:30 pm
- Perth Festival, Perth Theatre
18th May 2018 - 7:30 pm
- Victoria Hall, Stoke
5th Jun 2018 - 7:30 pm
- Coronation Hall, Ulverston
7th Jun 2018 - 7:30 pm