An Evening at The Royal Opera House with Rémy Martin

I had been a member of the French cognac brand Rémy Martin‘s pop up bar, La Maison Rémy Martin for a few years. So, I was pleased when a permanent residence in collaboration with Claude Bosi opened its doors in London in September 2018. Alongside this base on Fulham Road in South Kensington, Rémy Martin continued to offer its unique members’ events.

I had therefore noticed that one of the recent invitations for members included a private visit to The Royal Opera House! It sounded very interesting to me to attend an evening with a private recital; so, I delightedly purchased a ticket and was very curious to discover what this evening with Rémy Martin would entail.

Rémy Martin Private Recital booklet of opera songs

Well, to put it simply, it was such a magical night!

Welcome Reception

The evening commenced with cocktails at the entrance to the terrace bar of the Royal Opera House. There was the choice of a Rémy Martin cocktail with rosemary as well as one with tonic. Additionally, there was a Maison Old-Fashioned cocktail or else the opportunity to sample some Rémy Martin neat. We were certainly spoilt for choice! I liked the sound of the rosemary infused cocktail which seemed interesting and so I opted to sample it as my first drink of the night.

Rémy Martin welcoming cocktail tray at the terrace bar of The Royal Opera House

The terrace bar’s setting was just idyllic, it is entered by way of an escalator at the side of the lobby area of the Royal Opera House and provides views across its restaurants. Prior to entering, a view across the glass windows of the opera house can be seen with the various ballet costumes on display.

Coincidentally, a few days earlier, I had been discussing watching the next Swan Lake performance and so I was definitely excited to see the costumes of Odette and Odile on display!

Odile from Swan Lake's costume as the black swan — Odile from Swan Lake’s costume as the black swan

After a welcome cocktail or two, it was time for the pièce de résistance which was the private recital! I, for one, was certainly very excited by that point! We were led through some back stairs into the MacMillan ballet studio. There were some ballet shoes contained on a shelf outside of the entrance, which looked very elegant and truly set the scene!

Ballet shoes on the shelf before the MacMillan ballet studio

Private Recital

It was fascinating to be privy to a behind the scenes look at the dance studios of the Royal Opera House and as a former ballet student, I was thrilled to have such an insight!

We were provided with an introductory presentation by a spokesperson from Rémy Martin who mentioned that this event was 2 years in the making! I was very pleased to have front row seats at the recital as a result!

Rémy Martin spokesperson gives introductory speech at private recital at The Royal Opera House

The performances were simply beautiful with arias from Carmen, being Votre Toast, which had even been performed 10 minutes earlier at that evening’s scheduled opera performance! The passionate singing from baritone Yuriy Yurchuk of that renowned piece from Carmen certainly warmed up the audience!

Baritone Yurih singing Votre Toast from Carmen — Baritone Yuriy singing Votre Toast from Carmen

The soprano Anush Hovhannisyan sang a rousing rendition of ‘Quando m’en Vo’ from La Bohème and added her own flair to the performance which was very tantalising. The experience was made all the more immersive when Anush infiltrated the audience!

Anush signing soprano from La Bohème at the private recital

It was truly a treat to be part of such a private recital with such talented singers! The duets were equally as impressive with the songs of ‘La ci darem la mano’ from Don Giovanni and ‘Lippen schweigen’ from Die lustige Witwe.

The Lippen schweigen song from the German opera was just so romantic and I found myself swaying from side to side in time to the music! I had not previously been in such close proximity to the singers of any opera performances and so it was a very delightful experience!

Duet at the private recital at The Royal Opera House

The ambience was absolutely magical with a fantastic panorama with London Eye in the distance. It all seemed so romantic and such a perfect midweek treat!

Sunset Views

Following the spectacular performances, a brief presentation was given by the Royal Opera House’s head of events and we were led on to the studio’s terrace for sunset views. Alas, on that day it was rather cloudy but the rooftop views on to Covent Garden Market and the roads leading up to Covent Garden tube were unparalleled! I couldn’t resist taking a photo or two!

Above the Covent Garden rooftops from The Royal Opera House

There were canapés, and more refreshing Rémy Martin cocktails, on the terrace which catered to all with vegetarian, fish and meat dishes. They were all very light and the perfect complement to a summer’s day. There were still peals of music from the piano that could be heard in the background whilst we were enjoying the canapés on the rooftop at sunset.

Tuna Sashimi canapé on roof terrace of The Royal Opera House

I certainly did not wish for that evening to end anytime soon as I enjoyed the private views from that terrace overlooking Covent Garden and viewing the London skyline from afar.

I could quite easily have remained within the studio for most of the evening listening to the music played by the pianist Anna Tilbrook which was very intoxicating on that summer’s evening! It certainly evoked images of several scenes from the film La La Land!

I will be very keen to attend other unique members’ events like this!

You, too, can apply for membership to La Maison Rémy Martin here