ABOUT
"Bell is writing with thorough knowledge of each of his divas vocal strengths, something you rarely get in opera now." - The Arts Desk
Iain Bell’s love affair with the voice is evidenced by his prolific output of vocal works, earning him the attention of many of the greatest singers of our generation who have performed his music at venues including Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall and the Munich Opera Festival.
His first opera 'A Harlot's Progress' premiered in 2013 at Vienna's Theater an der Wien. Based on Hogarth's etchings to a libretto by British author Peter Ackroyd, it was performed by a stellar cast headed by German soprano Diana Damrau. It received tremendous critical acclaim with the New York Times praising the strength of Bell's orchestral and vocal writing. It was described in Der Standard as a 'A soul devouring juggernaut' and labelled as 'Cinematic, dramatic and thrilling' in Kurier.
Given 5-stars and described by the Financial Times as 'a brilliant new opera' Bell’s second, based on Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ received its world premiere at Houston Grand Opera in December 2014. An adaptation of Dickens’ own one-man version of the story, scored for chamber orchestra & tenor, it was performed by Jay Hunter Morris in a production by Simon Callow. The piece was subsequently nominated in the World Premiere category at the International Opera Awards 2015 and has been staged in a new productions at Welsh National Opera and the Teatro Sociale in Trento.
"Bell writes so fluently and lyrically for the voice and has a fine ear for orchestral sonorities" - The Telegraph