ENO Weekly Round Up, Week of 16/03/20

24th March 2020 in News

Given everything going on at the minute, we’re all stuck at home, but that doesn’t mean opera content should stop! We’ve collated all the wonderful content various members of English National Opera have created into a weekly catch up, as well as our new weekly quiz to test your mettle against. Good luck!

ENO Chorus member Pablo Strong has been recording pictures of his many costumes through the years, and sent us them with a few memories of the various shows:

Aida 2017 – Phelim McDermott's production had one of those atmospheric sets where you feel like you're in a movie. The bold costumes and giant scenery stick in my mind from this show. View 21 images Akhnaten 2019 – Yes that hat was heavy and the music challenging to memorise, and to add to that we all had to juggle in sync! But when we put it all together in the theatre it was magical. The Barber of Seville 2017 – One thing I love about this historic Jonathan Miller production is it's original set. Built beautifully in wood and with a real attention to detail, from street scenes to interiors, you feel transported into that world as soon as you enter the stage. The Barber of Seville 2017 – One thing I love about this historic Jonathan Miller production is it's original set. Built beautifully in wood and with a real attention to detail, from street scenes to interiors, you feel transported into that world as soon as you enter the stage. Chess 2018 – This was a whole new experience. A musical with eight shows a week meant that it was so slick to perform, it felt like it was on rails. It was a lot of fun! Iolanthe 2018 – If I had to pick a favourite show from my time at ENO it would be this one. Directed by comedic master Cal McCrystal, we had a train crashing (intentionally) through the set, fying opera singers, sheep, Boris on a bike and so much more. Every minute of the rehearsal process and performances was fun and had a great atmosphere as we knew we had something special on our hands. Iolanthe 2018 – If I had to pick a favourite show from my time at ENO it would be this one. Directed by comedic master Cal McCrystal, we had a train crashing (intentionally) through the set, fying opera singers, sheep, Boris on a bike and so much more. Every minute of the rehearsal process and performances was fun and had a great atmosphere as we knew we had something special on our hands. Jack the Ripper 2019 – Really harrowing to delve into this story and it's characters. Some fantastic singing from the principles too in this. La Traviata 2018 – Much of my time in this costume was spent in a giant ball pit. It turns out too that singing can make it hard for a moustache to stay stuck to your lip... I have lots of memories of trying to stick it back on whilst on stage! Luisa Miller 2020 Luisa Miller 2020 Magic Flute 2019 – My favourite memory from performing Simon McBurney's innovative production was as the orchestra played the fnal bar of music and they rose to their feet, with all the singers standing at the edge of the stage, I glanced at the front row of the audience and saw a young boy's face completely light up with delight and he had a grin from ear to ear. I will always remember that sight as it confrmed to me the universal power of seeing and hearing an opera live in the theatre and how as a performer we can help lift people and bring joy and hope to them, however young or old. Magic Flute 2019 – My favourite memory from performing Simon McBurney's innovative production was as the orchestra played the fnal bar of music and they rose to their feet, with all the singers standing at the edge of the stage, I glanced at the front row of the audience and saw a young boy's face completely light up with delight and he had a grin from ear to ear. I will always remember that sight as it confrmed to me the universal power of seeing and hearing an opera live in the theatre and how as a performer we can help lift people and bring joy and hope to them, however young or old. Marnie 2017 – There's something special about performing a world premier and this was no exception. A special memory from this opera was singing Nico Muhly's reharmonisation of the Hymn 'Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven' which is in a scene in this opera. I have sung the hymn in choirs for years but singing his beautiful harmonisation with opera singers in this theatre was really quite special. Merry Widow 2019 – BEAVERS! (you'd understand if you saw the show). This was a lot of fun and had some brilliant dancing from the cast too! Orpheus in the Underworld 2019 – BALLOONS! Lots of them. A good deal of energy was spent making sure they didn't go into the orchestra pit... I also enjoyed seeing my colleagues dressed as clouds! Orpheus in the Underworld 2019 – BALLOONS! Lots of them. A good deal of energy was spent making sure they didn't go into the orchestra pit... I also enjoyed seeing my colleagues dressed as clouds! Satyagraha 2018 – This one is a vocal workout for everyone but also mesmerising to watch and to perform. I got a great selection of costumes in this one! Satyagraha 2018 – This one is a vocal workout for everyone but also mesmerising to watch and to perform. I got a great selection of costumes in this one! Satyagraha 2018 – This one is a vocal workout for everyone but also mesmerising to watch and to perform. I got a great selection of costumes in this one! War Requiem 2018 – We had a double sized chorus for this and it was a very powerful piece to perform. The calibre and number of singers on the stage was incredible. One of those memories of performing which will stay with me for a very long time.

My name is Pablo and I am in the chorus at ENO. Its so devastating to have to close our doors like the rest of the theatre world, especially when we had shows running and in preparation which so many people had put so much work and passion into creating. For a bit of light relief from the situation here are photos of some of my costumes from the last few years at ENO, along with a few memories from each production.

We had Madam Butterfly stars Natalya Romaniw and Roderick Williams give us some COVID-19 themed operatic joy, live from their homes:

 

Some of our wonderful ENO mothers created fantastic hand washing content with their daughters, showing us how to hand-wash correctly on Mother’s Day.

And lastly, we’ve got the ENO Weekly Quiz! Test yourself against what’ll be a weekly 5 round quiz (not all about opera)!


Quiz Maker – powered by Riddle