Several Rayfield Allied artists are included in the nominations for this year's International Opera Awards, including German bass René Pape in the Male Singer category, and Stuart MacRae in the World Premiere category for his opera Anthropocene.
René Pape is nominated in the Male Singer category. His recent operatic highlights have included Don Carlo at the Wiener Staatsoper, Semperoper Dresden and Opéra national de Paris, Die Walküre at Teatro Real Madrid, Lohengrin and Die Zauberflöte at Berliner Staatsoper, Elektra at Bayerische Staatsoper, and Die Zauberflöte at Semperoper Dresden.
Nominated in the New Production category is Opera Holland Park's double bill of Wolf-Ferrari's ll segreto di Susanna and Tchaikovsky's Iolanta, featuring Richard Burkhard (Count Gil, Il segreto di Susanna) and Grant Doyle (Robert, Iolanta). In Il segreto di Susanna, Richard Burkhard is praised as one of "two wholly engaging principals" by The Spectator and The Guardian describes how "the piece comes to life thanks to stage-filling performances by Richard Burkhard as blustery Gil". In Iolanta, Planet Hugill describes how [Grant] "Doyle delivered his aria in praise of his beloved Mathilde with an intensity which brought the house down".
Bel Air Classiques' recording of Kurt Weill's Street Scene from Teatro Real Madrid, with Richard Burkhard in the role of Harry Easter, is nominated in the Recording (Complete Opera) category. The production was reviewed by Christopher Webber for Opera Magazine as a "…slick sophisticated economy of actor-singers such as the baritone Richard Burkhard, outstanding as Rose's predatory boss."
Stuart MacRae's Anthropocene is nominated in the World Premiere category for its premiere at Scottish Opera, conducted by Stuart Stratford. Described as "enthralling" by the Daily Telegraph, "evocative" by The Times, "a wonder of skilful orchestration" by The Guardian, and "tense and riveting" and "a work that surely embodies the spirit of good 21st century opera" by Classical Music, Anthropocene received its first performances in Scotland and London in January and February 2019. Stuart Stratford was praised by critics for his "razor sharp" musical direction of the work, "brilliantly abreast of the score's pacing and colour" (Times Literary Supplement).
Nominees for the International Opera Awards are selected by a jury of distinguished figures in the opera industry, chaired by Opera magazine editor and The Telegraph classical music critic John Allison.
The 2021 awards will take place as a virtual event on Monday 10 May, hosted by Petroc Trelawny - find out more and book tickets to watch the awards here.
