Three of the world's finest singers will give concerts at Malvern Theatres this spring as part of a new festival of song for the town.
The Malvern International Lieder Series opens on February 15 with a recital by Barbara Bonney, perhaps the leading soprano before the public today.
A month later, the great operatic baritone, Sir Thomas Allen sings Beethoven and then on April 8, Malvern plays host to Ian Bostridge, the world's foremost performer of Schubert's songs.
Widely recognised as a superlative concert artist, Barbara Bonney's exceptional vocal gifts and impeccable musicianship are highly regarded by today's leading conductors. She regularly takes solo roles at the world's great opera houses, including the Royal Opera House, Vienna Opera and Paris Opera. Barbara Bonney's Malvern recital includes romantic songs by Wolf and Liszt as well as a series of popular songs from Viennese Operettas.
A winner of a Gramophone Award for her disc of Scandinavian song "Diamonds in the Snow", Barbara Bonney recently gave a series of lectures and concerts commemorating the Grand Tour of Jenny Lind, the famous Swedish soprano who lived her last years in Malvern. A commemorative bronze bust of Jenny Lind is now housed in the foyer at Malvern Theatres.
Thomas Allen is an established star of the great opera houses of the world. He recently celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of his debut at Covent Garden, where he has sung over forty different roles and, last year, he celebrated the twentieth anniversary of his debut at the Metropolitan Opera. His programme consists of eleven songs by Beethoven as well as a number of traditional English and American ballads which he likes to describe as "Songs My Father Taught Me".
Rare
opportunity
Song recitals by Ian Bostridge are comparatively rare.
Besides Malvern Theatres, his spring tour takes in only one other UK venue: the Wigmore Hall. European dates include appearances in Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg and Paris. Acclaimed as the finest singer of Schubert's songs since Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, his programme at Malvern includes 11 songs by Schubert and 14 songs by the Romantic composer Hugo Wolf.
l Tickets for the Leider series are available on 01684 892277.
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