David Parry
Conductor
David Parry is acknowledged as an inspirational champion of operatic, concert and symphonic repertoire across a vast range. He is known both for the re-appraisal of important lesser-known compositions and for a consistently fresh approach to established repertoire.
Highlights from the last two seasons include Hänsel und Gretel for Scottish Opera, La cenerentola at the Grange Festival, La bohème at the Nederlandse Reisopera, Die Fledermaus at The Royal Northern College of Music, Dido and Aeneus at National Theater Mannheim and Offenbach’s Robinson Crusoe at the West Green House Opera.
Other recent operatic appearances include Pirates of Penzance for ENO, La traviata, Carmen and La scala di seta for Scottish Opera, Maometto Secondo (also recorded on Avie), L’italiana in Algeri and Il turco in Italia for Garsington, L’oca del Caïro with the London Mozart Players, a new production of Tales of Hoffman in Wuppertal, Mose in Egitto at Oper Köln, Mansfield Park and Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Grange Festival and at Theater Basel, Tosca with Nederlandse Reisopera, and the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Marx in London at Theater Bonn.
Significant credits include the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s The Adventures of Pinocchio for Opera North (and in a separate production for Staatstheater Stuttgart), Der Fliegende Holländer for Portland Opera, Madama Butterfly in Anthony Minghella’s production for ENO which earned him an Olivier Award, Cosí fan tutte and the world premiere of Dove’s Flight for Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Maria Stuarda for Stockholm Royal Opera.
David Parry made his operatic debut with La Cenerentola for English Music Theatre and subsequently joined the conducting staff first at Dortmund then at Opera North. He was Music Director of Opera 80, and founding Music Director of Almeida Opera, with whom he gave the world premieres of works by Nigel Osborne, Kevin Volans, Elena Firsova, and Param Vir. Other significant world-premieres have included Stephen Oliver’s Mario and the Magician at the Batignano Festival, and Jonathan Dove’s Tobias and the Angel in 2006 and his oratorio There was a Child at the 2009 Norfolk and Norwich Festival.
In the UK he has conducted frequently at both ENO and Opera North in repertoire ranging through Mozart, Rossini, Verdi and Britten, and at Garsington Opera where he is particularly noted for his Rossini.
International successes include the Spanish premieres of Peter Grimes and The Rake’s Progress, and Jenůfa, all in Madrid, the Greek premiere of Nixon in China at the National Theatre of Greece, the Dutch premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Flight at the Nationale Reisopera, a new production of Petrushka for Geneva Opera, Lucia di Lammermoor for Opera Murcia, Madama Butterfly at the Perth Festival in Australia, Die Zauberflöte at Oper Köln and Don Giovanni at Staatstheater Hannover. He has appeared at the Oviedo Festival and Quincena Musical San Sebastian in Spain, at the Hong Kong International Festival, New Zealand International Festival, New Israeli Opera and Theater Basel. He enjoys a close association with Staatstheater Stuttgart, where, in addition to The Adventures of Pinocchio, he has conducted Don Giovanni, Le Comte Ory, Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Turandot.
Much in demand from ensembles both in the UK and further afield, David Parry is regularly at the helm of orchestras including the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, English Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Hallé, BBC Symphony and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
He has an extensive discography with Chandos and Opera Rara labels. His recording of Rossini’s Ermione won a Gramophone Award for best opera recording 2011.
Future engagements include the UK premiere of Marx in London! with Scottish Opera, Lucrezia Borgia in Mannheim as well as an opera gala concert with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.