Leading British Soprano, Claire Rutter, treated an audience to a taste of Tosca at Windsor Castle last night (6 December).
HRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex attended the charity event in aid of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) and The London Mozart Players (LMP).
Ms Rutter took time out from her leading role in the Italian opera with the ENO to sing a powerful rendition of Puccini’s aria, Vissi D’arte.
Set in the castle’s beautiful Waterloo Chamber, the LMP performed a festive programme including excerpts by Holst, Vaughan Williams and Hely-Hutchinson. Baritone Simon Thorpe performed Figaro’s first aria from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, and later joined Claire for a duet from Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
Jordan Black, a young clarinettist currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music, performed three Bagatelles for Clarinet and Orchestra by Gerald Finzi.
Following the concert, the audience dined in the famous St George’s Hall, one of the most historic rooms in the castle, which was rebuilt after being damaged by fire in 1992.
DofE participant Raphael Oyelade from Brixton made a speech to the guests during supper. He explained that he had contracted polio as a child and used crutches to walk since he was 11. He did his DofE through the Army Cadet Force and still remembers his Bronze expedition. It was the first time he had been out in the English countryside, the first time he’d slept in a tent, and the first time he had seen the stars properly. The DofE gave him the confidence and skills to aim higher.
Raphael left the ACF with the rank of Company Sergeant Major and is now reading astrophysics and cosmology at Lancaster University. “I’ve always needed to show that I could do the same things as my friends. The DofE showed me aspiration was a possibility."
Speaking after the event, Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, said:
“I was proud to be part of this wonderful event. It was a stunning way to begin the Christmas season. At a time when the DofE has never been more relevant it is good to see so much good will towards our Charity. We want to double the number of young people doing their DofE, and support at events of this kind is essential to helping us achieving that ambition.”