MUSICA NEL CHIOSTRO, founded by Adam Pollock, was the company that staged a summer festival of outdoor opera in the semi-derelict monastery outside Batignano in Tuscany from 1974 to 2004. Its repertory included many first performances in modern times of works by Cesti, Provenzale, Pallavicino, Hasse, and Salieri, as well as the first performances in Italy of pieces by Rameau, Handel, Tippett and Bernstein. New works were commissioned from Stephen Oliver, Federico Amendola and Jonathan Dove. Italo Calvino wrote his text around Mozart's unfinished 'Zaide' for the festival. As well as Paris, Florence and Venice, MUSICA NEL CHIOSTRO appeared in London at Riverside Studios, The National Gallery and the Old Vic.
The company was a useful trampoline for young directors such as Graham Vick, Richard Jones, Tim Albery, Nigel Lowrey and Rupert Goold. Conductors included Jane Glover, David Parry, Christian Curnyn and Ivor Bolton. Among then-emerging designers were Anthony Macdonald, Nicky Gillibrand, Tom Cairns and Richard Hudson, while already established designers included Yolanda Sonnabend, Maria Bjornsen and Sue Blane. Young singers included Marie McLaughlin, Alison Hagley and Lesley Garrett. Over the years the festival was able to count on a devoted team of carpenters, electricians, propmakers, stage managers and cooks.
Opera at Batignano was staged using no scenery other than the background (sometimes enhanced) of the former monastic buildings. As well as the cloister from which the company took its name (Music in the Cloister), performance spaces included a large derelict barn, the apse of the church, the walled garden and an olive grove, all with good acoustics. The audience often moved from one venue to another between acts and, on occasion, during the action.
The company was resident in the monastery, but as numbers swelled, sometimes to over a hundred, many slept in tents or houses in the nearby village. There were never enough washing facilities and everyone had to do the washing-up no matter how grand they were. But despite - or perhaps because of - the discomfort, a remarkable company spirit produced remarkable performances, working for no fee, other than the pleasure of making theatre in a romantic building near the sea.
The company was a useful trampoline for young directors such as Graham Vick, Richard Jones, Tim Albery, Nigel Lowrey and Rupert Goold. Conductors included Jane Glover, David Parry, Christian Curnyn and Ivor Bolton. Among then-emerging designers were Anthony Macdonald, Nicky Gillibrand, Tom Cairns and Richard Hudson, while already established designers included Yolanda Sonnabend, Maria Bjornsen and Sue Blane. Young singers included Marie McLaughlin, Alison Hagley and Lesley Garrett. Over the years the festival was able to count on a devoted team of carpenters, electricians, propmakers, stage managers and cooks.
Opera at Batignano was staged using no scenery other than the background (sometimes enhanced) of the former monastic buildings. As well as the cloister from which the company took its name (Music in the Cloister), performance spaces included a large derelict barn, the apse of the church, the walled garden and an olive grove, all with good acoustics. The audience often moved from one venue to another between acts and, on occasion, during the action.
The company was resident in the monastery, but as numbers swelled, sometimes to over a hundred, many slept in tents or houses in the nearby village. There were never enough washing facilities and everyone had to do the washing-up no matter how grand they were. But despite - or perhaps because of - the discomfort, a remarkable company spirit produced remarkable performances, working for no fee, other than the pleasure of making theatre in a romantic building near the sea.