Review: Ilkley Philharmonic Orchestra Opera Matinee

Andrew Randall with Ilkley Philharmonic Orchestra

Geoffrey Mogridge reviews Ilkley Philharmonic Orchestra's 'Opera Matinee' at All Saints Church, Ilkley on Sunday 2nd November 2025.

Sunday afternoon at the opera is a noteworthy first for Ilkley. Conductor John Anderson had devised an exciting and varied programme of operatic excerpts with wide audience appeal for this auspicious occasion.

Nabucco was Guiseppe Verdi’s first popular success. The splendid Overture previews themes from the opera, including its most famous number: Va, Pensiero - the powerful Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves which is suffused with a sense of longing.

The afternoon’s guest artist, lyric baritone Andrew Randall, has sung with Opera North and the Grange Festival. Andrew has an interesting backstory as a competitive archer who represented GB in world archery events. He began with the Toreador’s Song from Bizet’s opera Carmen. Then followed one of the most beautiful, but less familiar baritone arias, invested here with such warmth and elegance. Mein sehnen, mein wähnen (My yearning, my obsession) is from Die Tote Stadt -The Dead City - by Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

John Anderson and the Ilkley Philharmonic then transported us back to a glittering ball in 19th century St Petersburg. They played the sparkling Polonaise and Waltz from Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin. The Prelude, Intermezzo, Habanera and Danse Bohème from Carmen ended Part 1 of the concert in sultry Mediterranean style.

The celebrated Prologue to Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, sung by Andrew Randall with a tangible sense of theatre, was followed by the heart rending orchestral Intermezzo from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana.  Andrew’s selection concluded with ‘Stars’ from Claude-Michael Schonberg’s Les Misérables. The exotic and very fast Polovtsian Dances from Borodin’s opera Prince Igor ended a superb concert. John Anderson’s amiable introductions to the music included some fond recollections of his years as timpanist in the Orchestra of Opera North.

John will conduct Ilkley Philharmonic Orchestra’s grand New Year Concert at the King’s Hall, on Saturday 10th January at 7.30pm.

Geoffrey Mogridge