Arthur Bruce - Baritone

April 2023

Arthur Bruce sings the Priest and the Angel of the Agony in a performance of Elgar's 'The Dream of Gerontius' at the Basilica Papale di San Paolo Fuori le Mura (St Paul's Outside the Walls) in Rome.

Arthur Bruce - Baritone

Simon Over - Conductor

Southbank Sinfonia

The Parliament Choir

August 2023

The world premiere of Granville Bantock's epic song cycle 'The Sphinx' setting Oscar Wilde's 'Letters to the Sphinx'

https://youtu.be/Ubo5rt8CX5w?si=3YG3tJ3A_KTy3rp3

Arthur Bruce - baritone

Edward Jowle - bass-baritone

Nigel Foster - piano

Simon Butteriss - actor

This concert is the world premiere of The Sphinx, a song cycle by Sir Granville Bantock, written in the 1940s but unperformed until now, setting Oscar Wilde’s poem of the same name. Sir Granville Bantock was well-known in his day for works such as the Hebridean Symphony and the Festival March, but his music is unfairly forgotten today. The Sphinx is passionate, erotic and salacious, and for this performance, the songs are combined with readings of extracts from the transcript of Oscar Wilde’s trials and his De Profundis, written while in prison, to create a celebration of the extraordinary force of nature that was Oscar Wilde.

This performance uses a new performing edition of The Sphinx prepared by Bantock specialist Dr Andy H King.

September 2023

https://vimeo.com/861406323

Music: Robert Reid Allan

Words: Gareth Mattey (after primary sources)

Direction: Sam Redway

Videography: Sasha Balmazi-Owen

Peter Tatchell: Arthur Bruce

Simon Hughes: Oskar McCarthy

Violin: Emily Earl

In 1983, Peter Tatchell stood as the Labour candidate for the seat of Bermondsey in the upcoming by-election. Following a bitter and fractious campaign that extensively targeted Tatchell’s gay rights advocacy and left-wing politics, the seat was won by Simon Hughes of the Liberal party (who himself came out in 2006) in what remains the largest swing of any by-election in British political history.

This new multi-media verbatim opera interrogates the personal and political impact of this campaign, and the long shadow it has cast on British politics, using the very words of those who lived through it. Following residencies at Snape Maltings in Aldeburgh and LOD muziektheater in Belgium, we are excited to present a full performance of ‘Bermondsey, 1983’ on the 40th anniversary of this infamous by-election.

June 2021

Catriona Hewitson - Adina

Shengzhi Ren - Nemorino

Arthur Bruce - Belcore

Roland Wood - Dulcamara

Elena Garrido Madrona - Giannetta

Erika Gundesen - Actor/fortepiano

Directed by Roxana Haines

Choreographed by Monica Nicolaides

Music Director Stuart Stratford conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of Scottish Opera.

December 2020

Charlie Drummond – Fiordiligi

Margo Arsane – Dorabella

Shengzhi Ren – Ferrando

Arthur Bruce – Guglielmo

Michael Mofidian – Don Alfonso

Catriona Hewitson – Despina

Directed by Roxana Haines

Music Director Stuart Stratford conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of Scottish Opera.

Read more in the digital programme here. All performers observe physical distancing guidelines throughout. Running time approx. 2 hrs 20 mins. Sung in Italian.

June 2020

Now available to watch online at Marquee TV (subscription required)

https://www.marquee.tv/videos/scottish-opera-the-narcissistic-fish

This was the first digital short commissioned by Scottish Opera. Arthur sings the role of Angus, the angry Head Chef claiming all the credit for his restaurant's success. Read more here.

Music by Samuel Bordoli

Libretto by Jenni Fagan

Directed by Antonia Bain

Musical direction by Susannah Wapshott

May 2020

Filmed in lockdown in London in April 2020.

Derek Clark – Piano

October 2020

Filmed at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock in October 2020, and working to Scottish Government distancing guidelines for singers.

Catriona Hewitson – Soprano

Margo Arsane – Mezzo-soprano

Shengzhi Ren – Tenor

Arthur Bruce – Baritone

Susannah Wapshott – Piano

Directed by Rosie Purdie.

September 2020

A short film documenting the journey from Lockdown to Live Opera, with contributions from a range of people at Scottish Opera, both on the stage and behind the scenes of the recent outdoor performances of Puccini's La bohème.

September 2020

'Bella siccome un angelo' – Malatesta's aria from Donizetti's Don Pasquale

Arthur Bruce – Baritone

Michael Papadopoulos – Piano

Alfie – Dog

Directed by Roxana Haines

Filmed in London in July 2020.

May 2020

Arthur was invited to take part in the 'Opera in Unlikely Places' festival in Samsø, Denmark in 2019.

Here you can hear him singing Papageno in the quintet from Die Zauberflöte.

July 2020

This event was curated and accompanied by Scottish Opera's Head of Music, Derek Clark, and hosted by Scottish Opera's Staff Director Roxana Haines.

Arthur sings:

Balfe's Excelsior! with Mark Nathan at 2:40

Ricci's 'Sulla poppa del mio brich' (La prigione di Edimburgo) at 14:10