Following the withdrawal of soprano Noa Danon due to illness, Longborough Festival Opera announces that soprano Rachel Nicholls will make her role debut as Marie / Marietta in the festival’s forthcoming production of Korngold’s Die tote Stadt (21-27 June 2022).
Nicholls makes a welcome return to the festival, having stunned audiences in the role of Brünnhilde in Longborough’s 2013 Ring cycle and then around the world, and recently in English National Opera’s The Valkyrie.
“Nicholls subtly judges Brünnhilde’s gradual involvement, moral and emotional” – Guardian, The Valkyrie (ENO 2021)
“Rachel Nicholls’s Brünnhilde is a strong, shining, secure sunbeam of a soprano, and a dramatic joy too” – Independent, Longborough’s 2013 Ring
“Rachel Nicholls’s transformation from Baroque and contemporary-music specialist into the feistiest Brünnhilde on the block has been mesmerising.” – The Times, Longborough’s 2013 Ring
Longborough’s Music Director Anthony Negus said, “I am proud to welcome Rachel back to Longborough. She is a wonderful collaborative colleague who will bring her unique artistry to finding the soul of the fascinating double role of Marie/Marietta in Korngold’s youthful masterpiece.”
Die tote Stadt is a thrilling opera noir by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, one of history’s most remarkable composer-prodigies: high drama, vivid atmospheres and dazzling, late romantic lyricism. This production is a rare chance to experience this stunning long-neglected treasure. Longborough Festival Opera is proud to be celebrating Erich Korngold in his 125th anniversary year.
The production will be directed by Carmen Jakobi and conducted by Justin Brown, who offer a new take on this rarely performed work. Nicholls joins a stellar cast led by Peter Auty, with Luci Briginshaw, Stephanie Windsor-Lewis, Benson Wilson, Alexander Sprague, and Lee David Bowen.
Tickets are available to book at https://lfo.org.uk/opera/die-tote-stadt