Latest Media AURORA, SUIBHNE and TATIANA
Dear All
I wanted to quickly share some media from a few projects I have been involved with over the last year!
AURORA
Firstly, I wanted to share the trailer for Aurora, the newly commissioned opera written by Noah Mosley and performed at Bury Court in February this year. We got some magnificent reviews and were delighted with the reception we got.
“…Isolde Roxby brings glowing substance to Princess Aurora’s sweeping lines…” :
Yehuda Shapiro, The Stage [2019] “…Isolde Roxby’s outstanding Aurora. Pleasantly rounded both vocally and in her characterisation…”
Mark Valencia, Bachtrack [2019] “…The Aurora of Isolde Roxby, by far the biggest role in the opera … rewarded the confidence placed in her with an account of the role which was generous in its lyricism, poignant in the pain of its self-discovery and completely mesmerising … compelling performance…”
Robert Hugill, Planet Hugill [2019] “…The singing from the young cast is notably accomplished, with Isolde Roxby proving exceptional as the Princess as her lyrical yet sensitive soprano is put to excellent use in conveying the various stages that the character goes through across the drama…”
Sam Smith, Music OMH [2019] “… Isolde Roxby as Princess Aurora sings, and acts, the role with total commitment and a bright soprano voice that would be ideal in Mozart operas…”
Plays to See [2019]
Aurora is being performed again in London at the Arcola Theatre in August, so if you didn’t get a chance to see it in February, there is still plenty of opportunity.
Here is a trailer for the opera:
ONEGIN AND TATIANA
In addition to this I wanted to share another video which gives you a flavour of a show I did for Grimeborn in August 2018.
“…As Tatiana Isolde Roxby makes the right journey from passionate naivete to poised, careful experience and shows us the suffering and costs along the way. Her ‘letter’ scene was the highpoint it should be, both musically and dramatically…”
Live Theatre UK [2018] “…admirable performance… Roxby manages the demands of the famous letter scene with warm tones and a real understanding of the emotional torment that leads Tatiana to take such an unconventional step…”
Plays to see [2018]
“…Isolde Roxby has an absolutely stunning voice and gives a wonderful performance encapsulating every part of Tatiana’s innocence and delicate suffering. In the Letter Scene, her performance is filled with sorrow and fragility. This contrasts with the final scenes where Roxby’s Tatiana is married to another, grown-up, composed and unshakeable. Her voice soars as she tells Onegin to leave her alone…”. TrendFEM [2018] “…fine dramatic singing here from Isolde Roxby… expertly navigate a mixture of languages and composers to create consistent characterisation”
The Gizzle Review [2018]
“…deeply moving…”
Muse [2018]
The production centred around the two protagonists of Eugene Onegin with scenes from the opera (in Russian) as well as several other songs and operatic excerpts in a range of languages to convey the psychological states of the two characters. I got to sing The Letter Scene in its entirety, which I have wanted to do for some time. I also got to sing the whole of the final scene ( a truly thrilling bit of opera!) with fellow performer Nick.
In The Letter Scene, the bookish and dreamy Tatiana has fallen in love with the suave Onegin and impulsively writes him a letter telling him such. In the final scene, the tables have turned and an older, wiser Tatiana is now rejecting the lovelorn Onegin.
(Apologies for the poor quality recording - but it just gives an idea!)
MAD KING SUIBHNE (Sweeney)
Finally, I have two pieces of footage from the more recent production of Mad King Suibhne. This particular show was filmed at Messums in Wiltshire (a 14th century monastic barn!).
In the first scene '...Oh Suibhne, take me with you...' Eorran comforts her husband who has lost his mind. She hasn’t seen him for a long time but wishes desperately to be with him, whether that means him coming home or her following him back into the woodlands.
The second scene is from the finale '....I am weak...' Eorran has been through many hardships since her husband ran away again and this time, finds the reunion more difficult.
I will be in touch again imminently with an invitation to an exciting performance at the end of April so I hope you will excuse all of the information arriving at once!