Wagner’s epic tale of love, feuding families, betrayal and retribution in a concert performance by the London Opera Company with full orchestra, as they return to St John’s following their triumphant and critically acclaimed Tristan und Isolde. Die Walküre features a world-class cast of singers and musical direction by Peter Selwyn who has assisted on Bayreuth and Royal Opera House productions of Der Ring des Nibelungen.  The famous Ride of the Valkyries at the beginning of Act III is one of the most exciting live musical experiences and not to be missed.

The London Opera Company was established in 2020 and provides opportunities for fresh talent to perform Wagner repertoire.

Tristan und Isolde reviews

‘In a very short period of time The London Opera Company have shown themselves to be leaders in Wagner’ (OMH review)

‘Remarkably good…this concert performance gripped the audience…an intensely emotional climax.’ (Opera Magazine)

‘This performance was a love song to Tristan…The singing was world class’ (Wagner News)

Simon Thorpe - WOTAN Bass Baritone Simon Thorpe will sing Wotan. Simon studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio. He has sung at the Sydney Opera House, the ROH and in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain. He also works at ENO, WNO, Opera North, Scottish Opera and many other quality, smaller opera companies. As a Heldenbaritone his operatic repertoire centres around Puccini, Verdi and Wagner. He recently sang the title role in Der fliegender Holländer for Longborough Festival Opera.
 
Harriet Williams -  FRICKA  Fricka will be sung by Mezzo-Soprano Harriet Williams who has sung principal roles with ROH, WNO, ENO, ETO, Grange Park Opera, Longborough Festival Opera, the Early Opera Company and Opéra de Toulon. She has sung as a soloist with orchestras including the RPO, the RLP, theASMF, the CBSO, the RSNO and the LPO. Recent engagements include 2nd Norn ( Götterdämmerung) and Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde), for Longborough Festival Opera, Mrs Olsen, Street Scene, at the Teatro Real in Madrid and Opéra de Monte Carlo in Monaco.
 
Cara McHardy - BRÜNNHILDE Cara McHardy will sing the role of Brünnhilde. Cara has covered leading Wagner roles for ROH, ENO and Opera North. She has played leading ladies including Isolde,Lady Macbeth, Tosca, Norma, Turandot ,Aida for Opera Dorset Opera, ETO and Kentish Opera. Recently she sang the role of Ortlinde in Die Walküre at Longborough Festival Opera and Isolde, Brünnhilde Die Walküre for The London Opera Company.
 
Peter Selwyn - CONDUCTOR Peter studied Modern Languages at Cambridge, then piano at the Royal Academy of Music. Primarily known for his work in opera, he has conducted over 60 different works, for companies including Opera North, Welsh National Opera, English Touring Opera, Opera Holland Park and Singapore Lyric Opera, and assisted at ROH, ENO, in Oslo and at the Aldeburgh and Bregenz Festivals. During 8 years in Germany he worked as Head of Music and Kapellmeister at the Staatstheater Nürnberg, spent a season at the Hamburgische Staatsoper, and assisted for three seasons at the Bayreuther Festspiele. He co-founded and for nearly 20 years was co-Artistic Director of the Internationales Kammermusikfestival Nürnberg, where he conducted numerous Britten chamber operas and several operatic world premieres. An experienced and passionate Wagnerian, he has worked on numerous full Ring Cycles, at Bayreuth, ROH, Nuremberg, Strasbourg, Longborough and with the LPO. This summer he will return to Bayreuth as Music Assistant on the new Ring, and will conduct Siegfried and Götterdämmerung to conclude the Graham Vick/Jonathan Dove Ring Saga, as part of the Grimeborn Festival at Hackney Empire. He is a Professor at the Royal College of Music, a regular coach on the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera, where he also works regularly on the music staff, and is the Principal Conductor of the Lambeth Orchestra.