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Russell Watson in concert Brighton [2002-04-27]

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Subject:

Russell Watson in concert Brighton

Classification:

Concert

Sub-classification:

Programme

Location:

I1 Russell Watson

Year:

2002

Date:

April 27th, 2002

Text content:

RIGOLETTO

Verdi

COSI FAN TUTTE
Mozart

THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN
Janacek

MADAM BUTTERFLY
Sponsored by Coutts & Co.

Puccini

Cardiff New Theatref

029 2087 8889

3 - 25 May

Bristol Hippodrome

0870 607 7500

28 May - | June

Birmingham Symphony Hall*

0121 780 3333

6 & 8 June

Llandudno North Wales Theatre

01492 872 000

[l -15 June

Oxford Apollo

0870 606 3500

18 - 22 June

Southampton The Mayflower

023 8071

1811

25 - 29 June

Plymouth Theatre Royal

01752 267 222

2 -6 July

T Except Madam Butterfly * Concert performance of Rigoletto and The Cunning Little Vixen
For more information Freephone 0800 328 2357 or find us at www.wno.org.uk

PERRY HUGHES
In association with

SJM CONCERTS
PRESENTS

L' 5

L L

W AT
S O N
ief Qi

e o

o B i

gl <

CONCERT

“In the last year we have taken “the voice” all

over the world together and blown everyone
away with your star quality. All those who

hear your recordings want to come and hear

you in concert so now is their chance to be
blown away as well. Enjoy yourself.”
PERRY HUGHES

Just don't say it all came as a bit
of a surprise, that's all. You were

told this would happen. And | know

because | was the one who told
you in the sleeve notes to THE
VOICE, Russell Watson’s debut

album. To be fair, he %Ven told you
himself. “You can either do it or you
can’t”, he smiled at

righteous self-belief.

For those few still

not familiar with

Russell’'s backgroun 4§

you should

know that Watson V\Z&S the YTS kid
charged with puttinf nuts and
bolts in a machine
before he was Iifte

from a

monochromatic life :“o%%drudgery
and repetition by viftue of his
voice and a determination to let the

rest of the world hear it for
themselves.

WA
T © O N

At least one and a half million people
across the globe have bought Russell

Watson's first aloum THE VOICE.
Hook, line and sinker. And there are
people buying it still. It is a voice so

powerful énd versatile that his voice

coach, Wililiam Hayward, does not
hesitate to call it unigue and with no

qualifying adjectives. It is a voice
which has been at number one in the
UK Classical chart since it was
released (and is still there at the
time of writing) whilst also
gracing the top spot in
several other countries.

Was it really 12 months

ago since | saw Him
break down and cry as
he listened to the final

edit of his genre-defining
and inspirational duet with

oi.

.~—TR

;

/baseball cap, sweatshirt and tennis sh orts.
L

doesn't.seem like five
. ;'r, . “‘Q:m;j

e 5? ,1

= S

minutes .

| ‘w‘ aF w_ i

e g)g,v;.w.m

¥u

records.
Fai

S C

ed on the s
Pavarotti, and in fro
President of the Unit

America.

“We were inthe States

h to ignor

stage as
the

recording the new second album and

made a lot of friends over“’fitheljfe. Ja

begin with; leaving home for tha%“
amount of time

V, but even._se-it was
Roth ing like singifg in Italy, essentially
the home of opera music. | did a lot of

TV there and.the first showswasithe

hére except for the faét that
there

—_—

| were abdut

people sat in° angs

amphitheatre. When | walked driffte
s

ide

| feltilike:Spartacus going int

singing Nessun Dorma

d | was thinking....l

ords right, but at the
on the audience started

. | finished the

cheering

“had conquered

ltaly. Veni, vidi, vici.... Well almost.”

“That might have to wait for the success

of this album to outstrip the first and,
when you consider that THE VOICE is the
fastest-selling classical recording in UK
history, that is asking for a lot.”

“But if you don't ask; you don't get. You
learn that as you put nuts and bolts into a

machine on the shop floor in a factory.”

“I have matured as an artiste", he explains.
"I am more confident as an entertainer,

move around the stage more and

communicate better with my audience, |
think. It is all experience... | started out in
the clubs in front of 200 people and it is a
bit of a culture shock to work with a 70 or

thousands. The very first time | worked
with the Royal Philharmonic it was..." he
lets his bottom lip tremble. And then bursts &
out laughing.

“l sort of had this feeling that all these guys

are at the top of their trade and | kept
thifihking‘ fere's little old me, fresh from
clubland...Yeah it was daunting and | have
to say that, at first, they possibly didn't take
me particularly seriously as a result of
where | am from but | have worked with the
Royal Philharmonic several times now and
feel at least ten feet taller. Now | am

introduced as Russell Watson and they
cheer and that makes you feel good
because it's like | have been recognised by
real musicians.

‘It makes you feel good, makes you feel like

you are part of a team. You aren't given
e

et DU have to earn Iit.”

' Presumably that is why, combining his

trademark mix of pop classics and opératic
arias, he has worked on his new album with
songwriters of the calibre of Lionel Richie

and Diane Warren, who has written the theme

song for the new worldwide STAR TREK TV

series (Enterprise), ‘Where
my Heart will take me’,

and duetted with Lionel
and the legendary Lulu.

But before you sit back
and float away, please, if
you Wwill, observe a

minute’s silence for the

Sunday newspaper critic
who said that Russell

Watson would never be
successful until he
received formal and
classical musical training.
That notice appeared the

same day the first album
went double platinum.
Well, as the nameless

critic is doubtless aware,
you can't put a premium

on timing. Goodnight.

BILL BORROWS,

OCTOBER 2001

Programme
Russell Watson will be performing a

selection of these songs.

O Sole Mio
Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod)

Caruso
Pokarekare Ana

You Are So Beautiful
Nella Fantasia

E Lucevan Le Stelle

Someone Like You
Volare

Somewhere
Where My Heart Will Take Me

Catch The Tears
La Mattinata

Nessun Dorma
Va Pensiero

The Orchestra will be

performing a selection of
these songs

Overture Russion & Ludmilla
(Glinka)
Overture The Force of
Destiny (Verdi)

Overture le Nozze di
Figaro (Mozart)

Intermezzo from

Cavelleria Rusticana

(Mascagni)
All songs are listed in no

particular order and are
subject to change

Hayley Westenra
At only 14 years of age, Hayley Westenra is already achieving accolades

that most people work a lifetime for.

2001 was a landmark year for Hayley Westenra. She had recorded,

released and achieved a 4 x platinum series fo her album Hayley, making
her one of the fastest selling debut acts in New Zealand history. The album

topped the NZ charts for 5 weeks.

However it wasn't until the visit in September from Decca Records

Worldwide President, Costa Pilavachi, that her dreams really came to life.

In December 2001, Hayley was signed to Decca Records on a worldwide
multi-album deal. “When | first heard Hayley | was touched and captivated

by the beauty and expressiveness of her voice... | am convinced that she

will be a world star”.

Hayley has a busy year ahead of her with performances in Taipei, Los
Angeles and the recording of her first album for Decca in the next few
months which will be released globally later this year.

WILLIAM HAYWARD,
CONDUCTOR

William -Hayward |s a free-lance ‘c,omposer,

conductor, arranger and concert organist in

2002) of stadiums in Engand Wales

: :Scotland and Northern Ireland

addition,
to working
-as voice and music coach

Wembley Arena and Blrmlngham N{A !

to the now legendary Russell Watson. ’

also featured as conductor on Russell5

Russell’s meteoric career has resulted in a

i
;
great deal of prestigious work for William, now

a
‘exceedd 8
h now excee
album, Encore, sales of which.now
P NOR RN QK alone.

Russell’s permanent music director. In

As an organist, Willrianfj hasgifvén' recitals i‘n'

addition to conducting many of the concerts

many cathedrals including Westminster

Abbey, Notre-Dame, Paris and Ghent,
Belgium, and has written an organ concerto

and many solo pieces.
In the field of composition,

William has now completed six
oratories, generally commissions
from various choirs: these are

entitled Solomon, Magnificus Vir,

‘

Son of Thunder, The March of Time, The Fall

of Jericho and Requiem. There is also a

(including the opening for the Kodak Theatre
in Hollywood, new home for the Oscars: a
prestigious night featuring the Hollywood Bowl

Orchestra) Wi’llia‘m' supports Russell’s guest
conductors and oversees all the musical
arrangements.

William Hayward will conduct the Royal

“Philharmonic and Royal Scottish National

Orchestras, together with many fine choirs
including the Huddersfield Choral Society, on
Russell’s forthcoming UK tour (April/May

Orchestras and Choirs for the Tour

Wednesday 3 April: Cardiff International Arena

great deal of church music: anthems, motets
and mass settings (several in French,

Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Choir: Ardwyn Singers and Cardiff Polyphonic Choir

composed for Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris)

Saturday 6 April: London Wembley Arena

together with three orchestral suites and two

Choir: Huddersfield Choral Society

concertos.

Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Saturday 20 April: Newcastle Arena

Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Choir: Gibbside Singers and Newcastle Male Chorale

been commissioned by the Hungarian State
and will be performed at St. David’s Hall,
Cardiff, in December.

Saturday 27 April: Brighton Centre
Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Choir: Guildford Philharmonic Choir
Saturday 4 May: Glasgow SECC

Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Choir: Gibbside Singers and Newcastle Male Chorale
Friday 10 May: Birmingham NIA
Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Choir: Huddersfield Choral Society
Wednesday 15 May: Belfast Odyssey

Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Choir: to be confirmed

All the above subject to change

Schooldays
Russell always liked going to school as a young man
and he had a natural ability to keep his friends and

class members entertained when the teachers weren't

looking! The added incentive for his classmates was

their anticipation of which day it was going fo be
when one of the teachers caught him mimicking

them! More often than not, Russell’s personality 4
couldn’t help but target the teacher that happened to

be conducting the lesson at the time ..v.and the
result was inevitable — this back in the days when

corporal punishment was administered swiftly to the

backside.
“l didn’t enjoy the pain” Russell remembers “but it

just added to the notoriety of the things | got up to”.
Did it deter him from the playful disruption during
class? (“The disruption was only from the teachers

point of view”). “The rest of us were having a great
time and no it didn’t deter me for long — maybe a day
or so!” Russell just became more careful when and
where to make the delivery, a twisted face, a
comment, a movement, all of which honed his
delivery and timing from this early age. Was he the
only young man at school that did this? Certainly not!
There were several, but as one teacher recalls “he
always had the special knack of making you feel

worse than he did — especially after administering

corrective punishment for the jokes, whispers and
contorted faces that erupted each time you turned
your back to write on the blackboard”.

Variety Club
It may come as somewhat of a surprise to many people that long

before the bright lights of TV studios and the “not to be missed

concerts” Russell gave his time to various charities, and one in
particular called “The Variety Club of Great Britain” who welcomed
his endeavours to help in any way he could. Naturally his wonderful
gift entertained people at fund raising events, but more importantly

he saw first hand the difference the charity made to various groups
and individuals targeted for help by the Club.
In light of Russell’s dedication to the charity, he was bestowed the

.f,m‘.

honour of Ambassador well before the release of his first album

“the voice” and naturally Russell reflects “thankfully the more
successful my career the greater help | can be to The Variety Club”.
Should you wish to find out more about the Charity, the link below

Is to the North West Region website.

www.variety-northwest.org.uk

P‘-t

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