Following a sell-out performance of A Christmas Carol last December, Opera Holland Park returns to the beautifully restored Rackleys Barn in the Chiltern Hills for a special evening celebrating the enduring relationship between music and literature.
From tragic heroines and gothic romance, to myth, satire and folk tradition, the programme explores how some of opera’s greatest composers have transformed powerful stories into unforgettable music. At its heart are works inspired by literary masterpieces including Verdi’s La traviata born from Alexandre Dumas fils’ La Dame aux Camelias; Puccini’s La fanciulla del West directly inspired by Belasco’s 1905 play The Girl of the Golden West; a Wagner storm-lashed The Flying Dutchman, inspired by Heinrich Heine’s tale of a cursed sailor redeemed through love. The programme also reflects operas’ continued dialogue with literature today, with a performance from Jonathan Dove’s Itch, based on Simon Mayo’s novel and praised by The Observer as “an exciting, moving, relevant new opera – an undoubted hit!”. Alongside these sit much-loved works from across the repertoire: Mozart’s sparkling Cosi fan tutte, the sultry drama of Bizet’s Carmen and the slavic mystic folklore of Rusalka by Dvořák.
The concert features some of Opera Holland Park’s finest principal talents from the upcoming season. Conductor Charlotte Corderoy is at the helm, returning this year to conduct Così fan tutte, with soprano Madeline Boreham making her role debut as Fiordiligi. They are joined by coloratura soprano Rebecca Bottone, who performs the role of Adele in Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus and mezzo-soprano Victoria Simmonds who returns as Mum/Mad Hatter in Will Todd’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Tenor Josè de Eça, who most recently appeared with OHP in Lucia di Lammermoor, returns this summer in two productions; La fanciulla del West as Dick Johnson and Calaf in the concert staging of Turandot. Completing the lineup is bass-baritone Paul Carey Jones, last seen as the Dutchman in The Flying Dutchman, and this year pulling the strings as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte.
Where: Rackleys Barn, Marlow Rd, Cadmore End, High Wycombe HP14 3PP
When: Tuesday 24 March 2026
Timing: 6.45pm doors open, 7.30pm performance until 9.15pm (including a 15 minute interval).
Tickets: £95 per person and include a pre-show sparkling wine reception.
This event is supported by the Sargent Charitable Trust.
