Conducted by Nicholas Chalmers and featuring soprano Philippa Boyle as soloist, the Philharmonic will perform Polish film score composer Zbigniew Preisner’s music written for Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “Dekalog” (1988), “The Double Life of Veronique” (1991), “Three Colours: Blue” (1993), “Three Colours: White” (1994), and “Three Colours: Red” (1994).
The orchestra will also perform “Lacrimosa” from Preisner’s first non-film musical work, “Requiem for My Friend.” Also performing at the concert will be the Pro Ars choir, organizers said.
Zbigniew Preisner (b. 1955, Bielsko-Biała) is one of Kieślowski’s most important collaborators. He first wrote the music score for the Polish filmmaker’s “No End” (1985) and contributed to all of his subsequent movies. Preisner’s “Requiem for My Friend” premiered in 1998, after Kieślowski’s death, and was dedicated to him.
Nicholas Chalmers is one of the leading conductors in the UK, Founder Artistic Director of Nevill Holt Opera and Senior Associate Artist of the Royal Opera House. He made his BBC Proms conducting debut in 2020 with the BBC Singers. Educated at the University of Oxford and Piacenza Conservatoire, Chalmers has held positions at major UK musical institutions including Chichester Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, English National Opera and the Royal Opera House.
From 2011, Chalmers was conductor of Northern Ireland Opera and established the chorus and partnership with the Ulster Orchestra. In 2013, he founded Nevill Holt Opera and established an award-winning education and associate artists program. The company has introduced countless young people to opera in the East Midlands and its year-round education program works with schools across the region. The rapid success of the company under his leadership led to a new opera house being built at Nevill Holt in Leicestershire.
Soprano Philippa Boyle has established herself in the German and spinto repertoire. Recent performances include Leonora in Giuseppe Verdi’s “La forza del destino” and title role in Leos Janáčk’s “Jenůfa” for Fulham Opera, and Violetta (cover) in Verdi’s “La Traviata” for Nevill Holt Opera. Boyle’s concerts have included the Dvořák Stabat Mater with the BBC Concert Orchestra with conductor Daniel Hyde (cancelled due to COVID) at King’s College, Cambridge; Mahler Symphony no. 2 “Resurrection” with conductor Sam Burstin at Blackheath Halls London; Mozart’s Requiem with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rimma Sushanskaya, and many others.
She won first prize in the Emmy Destinn Young Singer Award for Czech opera and song. She was a member of the Santa Cecilia Opera Studio Rome, Corso di Alto Perfezionamento where she studied with Renata Scotto, Anna Vandi, and Cesare Scarton, and received her Diploma in Opera from the Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia. Her MA is from Clare College, University of Cambridge. She has been a Young Artist with Nevill Holt Opera, and has done Outreach work for Opera Holland Park.
The Pro Ars professional mixed choir was formed in 2011 by the Macedonian conductor Sasho Tatarchevski. Since 2018, the choir has regularly performed with the Philharmonic, not only under the baton of Tatarchevski but also with conductors including Gustav Kuhn, Emil Tabakov, Gabriel Bebeşelea, and Lubnan Baalbaki.
