Orchestra of The Swan with Anton Lesser
This event is not bookable online. Please call the box office on 01432 340555 or pop into the foyer to book in person.
Event Information
Hambletts presents in association with Orchestra of the Swan
Red Sky at Sunrise – Laurie Lee in Words & Music
Following sell-out ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ performances at RSC and Oxford, Laurie Lee’s extraordinary story, told in a captivating weave of music and his own words..
Red Sky at Sunrise follows Laurie Lee through his much-loved Cider with Rosie trilogy – Cider with Rosie, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, A Moment of War – , when he famously walked out of the Slad valley one summer morning, and ended up fighting with the International Brigades against Franco’s forces in the Spanish Civil War.
Anton Lesser (Game of Thrones, Wolf Hall, Endeavour) and Charlie Hamblett (Missing You, Killing Eve, Ghosts) play the role of Laurie Lee older and younger, along with a rich array of other characters. Together, they celebrate Lee’s engaging humour, as well as his darker side, in a performance that has startling resonance with modern events.
A ‘breathtaking’ musical programme by Orchestra of the Swan weaves around Lee’s writing, from the lush Gloucestershire countryside made famous in Cider With Rosie, to the arid landscapes of Spain. Featuring music from Vaughan Williams, Britten, Turina and de Falla, with guitarist Mark Ashford performing Albéniz and Spanish Romance.
Anton Lesser
Orchestra of the Swan’s Associate Artist for 2024-2025 is acclaimed actor Anton Lesser.
Anton is well-known for his role as Thomas More in Wolf Hall, which earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Other credits include Qyburn in Game of Thrones, Harold Macmillan in The Crown, Endeavour, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Anton also has one of the country’s best known voices, thanks to his extensive work with BBC Radio (including Falco) and audiobooks, including most of Dickens’ novels. His recording of Great Expectations won him a Talkie Award. Anton’s majestic Paradise Lost featured on the BBC’s recent epic series, Art That Made Us. Anton Lesser most recently shot Serge Ioan Celebidachi’s new feature film The Yellow Tie.
Charlie Hamblett – Narrator
Charlie has performed extensively in theatre from a young age, including Michael Boyd’s History Cycle for the RSC, The Tempest (Ariel) and Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, both directed by Trevor Nunn, and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui in the West End.
Charlie is currently starring in Netflix’s new adaption of Harlan Coben’s Missing You. He also had a regular role in The Burning Girls for Paramount and the BBC/Amazon series Boat Story opposite Joanna Scanlan. Recently Charlie wrapped on Senna, a Netflix limited series about Formula One. Other upcoming projects include comedy feature Old Guy opposite Christoph Waltz and Lucy Liu.
Described by BBC Music Magazine as “A worthy successor to Julian Bream”, Australian born guitarist Craig Ogden is one of the most exciting artists of his generation. Craig Ogden has performed concertos with many of the world’s leading orchestras and is the most sought-after guitarist for chamber music in the UK. He regularly appears as soloist and chamber musician at major venues and collaborates with the UK’s top artists and ensembles. Find out more about Craig here.
