Organization

Iford Arts

Singer

Helen Maree Cooper

Chorus singer

Jack Dolan

Lara Rebekah Harvey

Clover Kayne

Jonathan Forbes Kennedy

Rachel Speirs

Stage director

Bruno Ravella

Set designer

Flavio Graff

Conductor

Oliver Gooch

Soprano

Meinir Wyn Roberts

Magda

Katherine McIndoe

Lorena Paz Nieto

Lisette

Tenor

Joseph Buckmaster

Ruggero

Ryan Vaughan Davies

Prunier

Baritone

Philip Smith

Rambaldo

Bass-baritone

Kieran Rayner

Perichaud

Matteo Placidi

Gobin

Rhydian Jenkins

Crébillon

Rabonnier

Lara Marie Müller

Yvette

Natasha Page

Bianca

Mezzo-soprano

Shakira Tsindos

Suzy

Jessica Hope

A singer

Georgette

Lolette

Gabriella

Matthew Curtis

Corina Ignat

Jordan Harding-Pointon

If Opera

Others

If Opera Chorus

Orchestra

Bristol Ensemble

Italian

La rondine -  (The Swallow)

Bradford on Avon

United Kingdom

Belcombe Court

La rondine Puccini

Public

The Swallow

English

Approved

La rondine (The Swallow) is a moving tale of young love and heartbreak – and what else, you may ask, is opera about?  Arguably Puccini’s most modern opera, La rondine was premiered in Monte Carlo in 1917, and includes one of Puccini’s most gorgeous creations, the quartet, ‘Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso’ (I drink to your beautiful smile). 

Magda is our ‘rondine’ , the bird who flies towards the sun, and Ruggero is the shy country boy who eventually becomes her lover.  We witness their relationship unfold in the colourful locales of Paris and the balmier climes of southern France. The love ‘quadrangle’ is made complete by Prunier, a centre-of-attention poet and Magda’s fiery maid, Lisette. Amidst waltzes, foxtrots, and soaring melodies, join us for an unmissable evening of sophistication and glamour in the enchanting surroundings of Grade 1 listed Belcombe Court. 

Director Bruno Ravella, a former Iford Arts favourite, joins us fresh from extraordinary acclaim for his Rosenkavalier at Garsington in 2021. He is joined by designer Flavio Graff, and If Opera’s Artistic Director Oliver Gooch conducts.

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Co-Producer