New Sussex Opera presents Belle Lurette
19:30
£44 / £22 concessions
£33 / £16.50 concessions
£28 / £14 concessions
Live comic opera, fully staged, in a new English version
Ìý
New Sussex OperaÌýhas unearthed another neglected gem.ÌýBelle LuretteÌýhas not been staged in the UK for a hundred and forty years. Amazingly,ÌýOffenbachÌýwrote it at the same time as he was writingÌýThe Tales of Hoffmann, as he was dying. The orchestration was completed by Delibes and it had its first performance a month after he died.
A film was made of a musical based on the opera in the DDR in 1958. More than three million visitors in East German cinemas made it the most successful operetta film in the DDR, or actually one of the most successful DDR films, full stop.
The music is magnificent. In every way. For someone who wrote this score on his death bed the sparkle and tunefulness of every number is remarkable. And I mean really remarkable. The chorus of the laundresses is one big splash and sonic foam party. The ensembles are built with masterful care. And Lurette’s big solos have a bounce that will knock you flat. Kevin Clarke – Operetta Research Centre
I have rarely spent three such happy hours in an opera house.Ìý– Opera Now on NSO’s Princess of Trébizonde 2021
Cast includesÌýRhiannon Llewellyn, Paul Featherstone, Joseph Doody, Charles JohnstonÌýandÌýKristin Finnigan, with NSO Chorus and St Paul’s Sinfonia.
Condutor,ÌýToby Purser. Director,ÌýDavid Foster. Lighting design,ÌýJason Ahn.
Running time:Ìýapprox 2h 45min, inc 1 interval
Age guidance:ÌýAll opera fans ages 6+ welcome
For access seating, please calls usÌý020 3108 1000Ìýor e-mailÌýticketing@ucl.ac.uk
Accessing the Bloomsbury Theatre