Richard Farnes

Conductor

…with the conductor undoubtedly the star of the show: how long before Richard Farnes is recognised as a national treasure?

Rupert Christiansen, The Daily Telegraph

English conductor Richard Farnes is as persuasive in his interpretations of the operas of Britten, Mozart, Verdi and Janáček, as he is when he takes Wagner’s Ring Cycle on the road around the UK.

During his time at Opera North, he developed a close affinity with Wagner, touring concert performances of the operas across the UK. His project to perform the entire Ring Cycle six times in 2016 won public and critical acclaim, including the 2017 Royal Philharmonic Society Opera and Music Theatre award, with Farnes named Conductor of the Year.

In recent years Farnes’ international profile has flourished. He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in February 2019 with Verdi’s Falstaff and was due to return in 2020 to conduct Manon Lescaut, before the Coronavirus crisis. In 2020 he conducted La Traviata with Royal Danish Opera. As well as specialising in opera he guest conducts symphonic orchestras across the UK, including London Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.