Richard Farnes (born 1964) is a
British conductor
Conductor or conduction may refer to:
Music
* Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra.
* ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas
* Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...
, and was
Music Director
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...
of
Opera North from 2004 to 2016.
Education
Farnes was a
chorister at
King's College, Cambridge before entering
Eton College as a music scholar in 1977. He returned to King's as
organ scholar in 1983 and subsequently studied at the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
, the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the
National Opera Studio.
Later career
During his professional career, he has conducted operas at the
Royal Opera House,
English National Opera,
Scottish Opera,
English Touring Opera,
Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Glyndebourne on Tour, among other companies. He has also conducted the
Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra.''
Before joining Opera North in 2004, Farnes had conducted ''
The Secret Marriage
' (''The Secret Marriage'') is a dramma giocoso in two acts, music by Domenico Cimarosa, on a libretto by Giovanni Bertati, based on the 1766 play '' The Clandestine Marriage'' by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick. It was first performe ...
'', ''
The Marriage of Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...
'', ''
Joan of Arc'', ''
La Traviata
''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on ''La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his own 18 ...
'', ''
Eugene Onegin'', ''
Gloriana'' and ''
Tosca'' for the company, as well as the world première of ''The Nightingale's to Blame'' by
Simon Holt. The operas he has conducted since becoming Music Director include ''
La rondine
''La rondine'' (''The Swallow'') is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and . It was first performed at the Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo (or the Théâtr ...
'', ''
Salome
Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...
'', ''
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
'', ''
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
'', ''
Katya Kabanova'' , the complete ''
ring cycle
(''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelung ...
and the award-winning ''
Peter Grimes''.
He relinquished his post with Opera North following the 2015-16 season.
Selected recordings
*'' Bluebeard's Castle'' (Chandos Opera in English), with John Tomlinson, Sally Burgess
Sally Burgess FRCM (born 9 October 1953) is a South African-born British operatic lyric mezzo-soprano, opera director, and educator. She has been a Fellow and Professor of Vocal Studies at the Royal College of Music since 2004, as well as teachi ...
and the Orchestra of Opera North
The Orchestra of Opera North (or English Northern Philharmonia as recording name) is the orchestra that plays for the Opera North.
It was founded as the English Northern Philharmonia, and changed its name during the period when Steven Sloane was O ...
References
External links
Biography at Maestro Arts
British male conductors (music)
Music directors (opera)
Opera North
Living people
1964 births
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of King's College, Cambridge
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music
21st-century British conductors (music)
21st-century British male musicians
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