“Meet the man from the North East bringing Mozart to the masses”
Peter Keenan founded an opera company in his early twenties but compared to Mozart, he's a late starter. He talks about his passion for the composer.
Opera dei Lumi explore Haydn & Mozart: 1767–74
Esther – The First English Oratorio
A fine ensemble performance was conducted authoritatively by Peter Keenan. The audience, nearly two hundred strong, gave the performance an enthusiastic reception in the atmospheric surroundings of Greyfriars Kirk. It is such an attractively tuneful oratorio that it is hard to account for its neglect.
Opera dei Lumi drew enough out of Esther to make it a very enjoyable evening’s entertainment, and the boisterous chaos of the extended final chorus, embellished with a manic trumpet solo (played by Michael Iles) gave a good flavour of what Handel would eventually achieve in his choral writing, and it had me grinning my head off by the end.
Messiah (Dublin Version, 1742)
“Opera dei Lumi’s enlightening Messiah”
In a performance that was marked by expressivity and drama, [conductor] Peter Keenan had one last surprise for us at the end … In the hands of those who look for it, Messiah always has something new to say.
Le nozze di Figaro
“A marriage of genius and delight”
A heroic feat that was a total triumph from overture to finale. They say that in an orchestra, the musicians play their instruments while the conductor plays the orchestra: when these elements are as in tune with each other as they were on that night, a symbiosis occurs – feeding and nurturing one another. It’s real magic. It’s more than translating the notes on the page into sound. It’s a magic that enthrals, and one that no one will ever be able to figure out how it’s done.
Così fan tutte
“New opera company make a triumphant debut”
Musical director Peter Keenan had brought together […] talented young singers, obviously familiar with Mozart’s masterpiece. Their voices – no microphones necessary in the high-ceilinged hall – stunned and thrilled the sell-out audience, who gave them a rapturous reception.