Edward Peak: the conductor of L’Orchestra dell’Arte

This is a story of rebirth and rebuilding. Musicians and singers are renowned as being resourceful people. After all, they are descended directly from the troubadours of old, travelling from town to town, performing and then moving on, never staying in one place for long, always in search of new audiences to amaze and enthrall.

We are so fortunate, here in our corner of the North West of the UK, that we have had a seemingly endless supply of top-quality performances available to us for many years. My alma mater, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, is at the heart of this. Founded in 1840 by a group of local music lovers, the RLPO is a world-class ensemble on our doorstep. In addition, there is a medley of other excellent orchestras, playing regularly, as did the troubadours, at many different venues across our region.

Having such a rich heritage of glorious music for all to enjoy has had a most important and vital secondary effect. Not only has it given us wonderful opportunities to experience great performances, but it has also spawned generations of new performers, ready to take their places in these ensembles. Our youth orchestra system in the North West has been a hothouse for orchestral musicians, in turn, feeding performers to the conservatoires at home and abroad. These establishments have provided expert instrumentalists to the RLPO and to orchestras across the world.

Orchestra dell’Arte playing its part on the North West classical music scene. Image: Mary Gannon Instrumental music is not the only form of music-making in our corner of the UK. Usually considered to be the ultimate art form, and certainly the most complex, is grand opera. For many years we were regaled with visits from touring opera companies, notably Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera and English National Opera, all very much in the troubadour tradition.

In the same way that our local youth orchestras have been a breeding ground for future instrumental stars, so too have our amateur theatre and opera groups provided many artists who have gone on to worldwide fame. Notable among these is Rita Hunter, born in Wallasey, who was famed for her performances of Wagner operas. Your scribe well remembers being called in at the last minute to play with the English National Opera at the Empire Theatre for a performance of Götterdämmerung, the final opera in Wagner’s epic series, The Ring of the Nibelungen. Rita Hunter sang the role of Brűnnhilde, her voice soaring out, even over a gigantic orchestra playing at full power.

From Birkenhead, Valerie Masterson, a lyric soprano, performed with English National and the D’Oyly Carte Opera for many years. Not just the ladies starred, though, as we were fortunate to have Ramon and Alberto Remedios, two brothers from Liverpool, both operatic tenors of international fame. There are many others.

In latter years, due to funding issues – opera, as well as being the most complex of art forms is also one of the most expensive – we saw a slow but seemingly terminal decrease in visiting opera companies in our region. This is why the Orchestra dell’Arte has been at the forefront of bringing opera to venues across the North West.

In April 2023, we presented a fully-staged production of Puccini’s glorious Madama Butterfly to a packed house at St George’s Hall in Liverpool. What was quite overwhelming was the reaction from the audience members after the performance, so many asking for us to perform more and more opera.

On Saturday, October 12, Flat Pack Music, headed by professional opera singer Joseph Buckmaster and his wife Heather, a music therapist and singer, present A Night at the Opera in the magnificent setting and candlelight of Chester Cathedral. All the favourites will be there – the famous Habanera from Carmen, the Anvil Chorus (La Traviata), Bizet’s serene Pearl Fishers duet and the uplifting Triumphal Scene from Verdi’s Aïda, along with many others. Together with Orchestra dell’Arte will be a top team of five international soloists and a large chorus including Runcorn Community Chorus and Mersey Wave and supported by the Cheshire's Deva Group. Cheshire-based Flat Pack Music is a charity aimed at promoting cross-generational and community closeness while helping to support mental and physical wellbeing through music.

To round off our festival of grand opera, we are presenting Giacomo Puccini’s iconic opera of passion, friendship and heartbreak, La Bohème. This will be on Saturday, November 9, a semi-staged performance at the Tung Auditorium, Liverpool. Bring the tissues.

More details and booking options for these and other events from dellarte.co.uk