Aurora Orchestra

Aurora joins forces with English Touring Opera for three touring opera productions this autumn.

Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring has become a classic comic depiction of English village life. Full of character, matching humour with psychological insight, it describes the election by village committee of a shy local lad in a grocer’s shop as May King – the title is normally awarded as May Queen to a virtuous girl, but no one matches up to the exacting standards of virtue held by Lady Billows. Naturally, the crowning of the May King does not go quite as planned, and poor (or lucky) Albert Herring ends up straying rather far from the path of virtue.

A genuinely hilarious satire with undertones of melancholy, Albert Herring is a village masterpiece, with a score of great beauty. ETO’s new production is conducted by Michael Rosewell, a Britten expert, and directed by Christopher Rolls; the cast includes a splendid group of experienced singers and actors as Lady Billows (Jennifer Rhys-Davies) and her committee, with Mark Wilde in the title role as the youth they judge so severely.

Sung in English
Running time: 2 hours and 40 minutes (incl. interval)

Repertoire
Benjamin Britten Albert Herring

Featuring
Michael Rosewell (conductor)
Christopher Rolls (director)
Neil Irish (designer)
Guy Hoare (lighting designer)
Cast including Mark Wilde (tenor), Jennifer Rhys-Davies (soprano), Rosie Aldridge (mezzo-soprano), Anna-Clare Monk (soprano)
English Touring Opera