Peter Robinson (conductor)

Peter Leslie Robinson (born 24 June 1949) is an English conductor, principally of opera. His repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary, with a special interest in Italian opera of the 19th and early 20th centuries. His appointments have included Resident Conductor of The Australian Opera, Assistant Music Director of English National Opera and Artistic Director of British Youth Opera.

This article is about English conductor. For others, see Peter Robinson (disambiguation).

Early life

He was born in Hartlepool, Co. Durham and attended West Hartlepool Grammar School. Before studying music at St John's College, Oxford, where he was Organ Scholar, he spent a year as Assistant Organist of Durham Cathedral. While at Oxford he conducted many operas and concerts, including Britten's War Requiem, Tippett's A Child of Our Time, and the premiere of Stephen Oliver's The Duchess of Malfi for Oxford University Opera Club.

Career

He began his operatic career as Chorus Master at Glyndebourne, followed by several years as Head of Music Staff and Resident Conductor with The Australian Opera in Sydney. He returned to London to become Assistant Music Director at English National Opera, where his repertoire included Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Otello, Rigoletto, Carmen, Maria Stuarda, L'Orfeo, Hansel & Gretel, The Turn of the Screw, and all the major Mozart operas. He was the first conductor of Jonathan Miller's production of The Mikado at the London Coliseum, which he also recorded for CD and television. He returned to ENO to conduct the 25th Anniversary performances and, most recently, to conduct 'Marvellous Miller', a celebration of the director's forty-year collaboration with the company. 

He has returned to Australia many times, conducting for the Australian Opera, Opera Queensland, West Australian Opera and the State Opera of South Australia, in repertoire including Aida, Andrea Chenier, La Bohème, La Fanciulla del West, Madama Butterfly, Otello, La Traviata and Turandot.

Other work abroad includes Edmonton Opera (Canada), Opera Zuid (Netherlands), Musica nel Chiostro (Batignano) and Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.

In the UK, he has also conducted for Kent Opera (Don Giovanni, The Beggar's Opera), English Touring Opera (The Cunning Little Vixen) and Scottish Opera (Falstaff and Les Pecheurs de Perles). For several years he worked alongside director David Freeman, conducting his productions of Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Tosca and Aida, which were revived many times by promoter Raymond Gubbay at the Royal Albert Hall.  A production of Leoncavallo's Zazà.[1][2] in 2017 will mark his 15th consecutive appearance at Opera Holland Park, where he has conducted L'Amore dei Tre Re, I Gioielli della Madonna, La Gioconda, La Wally, Andrea Chenier, Falstaff, Luisa Miller, Rigoletto, Un Ballo in Maschera, Fidelio, Norma and The Queen of Spades.[3][4] In July 2017, Robinson conducted Verdi's Requiem for Opera Holland Park in aid of the victims of the Grenfell Fire.[5]

For eight years he was Artistic Director of British Youth Opera,[6] for which he has conducted 10 operas, including Paul Bunyan, The Bartered Bride, La Bohème, The Rake's Progress and English Eccentrics[7][8]

Concerts and broadcasts

On the concert platform has worked with most of the major British orchestras, and has appeared regularly with the BBC Concert Orchestra in radio broadcasts and on television.[9] His long association with the British soprano Lesley Garrett resulted in three CD recordings (Simple Gifts,[10] Lesley Garrett and I Will Wait for You),[11] the TV special Viva la Diva, two BBC television series and many concerts across the UK and in Sydney, Australia.

Also for television, he has conducted Jonathan Miller's productions of Così fan tutte and The Mikado and, for Channel 4, The Marriage of Figaro.

Teaching and coaching

In addition to his work as a performer, he teaches and coaches singers regularly at the National Opera Studio, the Royal Opera House's Jette Parker Young Artists' Programme, and the Guildhall School, as well as the Royal College of Music, and the Royal Academy of Music[12] where he was recently elected Hon ARAM. He has conducted student performances of Curlew River, Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica (RAM), a triple bill of Massenet and Martinu (Guildhall School[13]), The Rape of Lucretia (GSMD), Werther (RNCM) and Le Nozze di Figaro (Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts).

References
  1. Ashley, Tim (19 July 2017). "Zazà review – Leoncavallo's tale of deceit saddens, startles and stirs". The Guardian.
  2. Christiansen, Rupert (19 July 2017). "A moving star turn in an exemplary revival – Zazà, Opera Holland Park, review". The Daily Telegraph.
  3. Christiansen, Rupert (3 August 2016). "The Queen of Spades, Opera Holland Park, review: 'enthralling'". The Daily Telegraph.
  4. Ashley, Tim (3 August 2016). "Opera Holland Park: The Queen of Spades review – decrepit Countess rules over vampiric high society". The Guardian.
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.operahollandpark.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Silver service: British Youth Opera". Rhinegold.co.uk.
  7. Clements, Andrew (8 September 2016). "English Eccentrics review – youthful energy fires up rare Williamson opera". The Guardian.
  8. "Eccentric circles: a youthful take from BYO". Bachtrack.com.
  9. "Peter Robinson – New Songs, Playlists & Latest News – BBC Music". BBC.
  10. "Lesley Garrett – The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Peter Robinson – Simple Gifts". Discogs.com.
  11. "Peter Robinson – Credits". AllMusic.
  12. "Staff – Peter Robinson – Royal Academy of Music". Ram.ac.uk.
  13. "Guildhall School of Music & Drama - Peter Robinson". Gsmd.ac.uk.
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