Rebecca Afonwy-Jones

Review for Messiah with Norwegian Wind Ensemble conducted by David Hill

In the latest edition of Gramophone Magazine, Rebecca features in the review of Resonus Classics’ release of Handel’s Messiah, conducted by David Hill, with The Norwegian Wind Ensemble and The BBC Singers.

…Rebecca Afonwy-Jones gradually warms to her task with a touchingly open-hearted simplicity in ‘He shall feed his flock’ and a finely honed reading of ‘He was despised’.

Jonathan Freeman-Atwood, Gramophone magazine, February 2019

This link will take you to He was despised

Happy New Year 2019

Here’s to a very Happy New Year and all good wishes for 2019.

Rebecca looks forward to returning to work again with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra this Spring and making her debut with Longborough Festival Opera as Wellgunde in Das Rheingold, at the beginning of a new Ring journey. All details of forthcoming performances may be found on the diary page.

G. F. Handel Messiah release Friday 30th November in time for Christmas

Just in case you are looking for a new Messiah to add to your collection this festive season, a brand new realisation arranged by Stian Aareskjold (Norwegian Wind Ensemble) will be released this Friday 30th November on Resonus Classics.

By following this link, Messiah you can listen to track samples, until it goes live, after which you will be able to stream, download or buy direct from Resonus.

Rebecca looks forward to the release, together with her colleagues Susanna Hurrell (soprano),  Samuel Boden (tenor), James Platt (bass), The Norwegian Wind Ensemble, BBC Singers & David Hill (conductor), who recorded together at the award winning performance space, Saffron Hall in Essex.

In Tune available on BBC Iplayer

Rebecca had a wonderfully warm welcome back to the BBC In Tune studio this week.

For the next 27 days, you can catch up online with BBC Radio 3 In Tune, presented by Sean Rafferty on Thursday 11th October. Together with pianist Timothy End, Rebecca opened the programme, discussing her performances for Nova Music Opera on Sunday 21st October in the London premiere of Juliana and the ongoing tour of La Traviata with Welsh National Opera, singing a total of four items which you can hear again by following the link below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000p4s

BBC In Tune appearance this week

Rebecca will be performing live on Radio 3’s In Tune on Thursday 11th October, together with pianist Timothy End. She looks forward to joining Sean Rafferty to talk about her current appearances as Flora in Welsh National Opera’s La Traviata and the London première of Joseph Phibbs’ new chamber opera Juliana, which was met with critical acclaim at the Cheltenham and Presteigne Festivals earlier this year.

If you’d like to read Andrew Clements’ review in The Guardian of the July 2018 première, do click here

WNO will be touring from this week in Oxford, Llandudno, Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham and Southampton, until 24th November www.wno.org.uk

Trailer for Welsh National Opera’s La Traviata

Enjoy some backstage footage from studio rehearsals, the Sitzprobe and interviews with director Sarah Crisp, conductor James Southall and members of the cast.