L’elisir d’amore
★★★★★
“Luscombe and his uniformly excellent cast understand that while comedy provides the surface appeal of Donizetti’s enduring piece, not far beneath lies an essential pathos”
George Hall, The Stage, 29 May
★★★★★
“As conductor, the excellent Chloe Rooke directed with all the verve, flexibility and passion the score demands. It goes without saying that the Philharmonia Orchestra were everything that international audiences have come to expect across the decades and that Garsington audiences have been privileged to enjoy for a good few years now”
Andrew Green, Opera Now, 29 May
★★★★★
“The outstanding director Christopher Luscombe relocates the action to post-World War II Italy, complete with smoky mopeds, military uniforms, and a piazza so inviting you half expect to see Sophia Loren saunter through it”
David Bulcher, Playstosee.com, 2 June
★★★★
“There’s a core of tender feeling at the heart of the comic froth, and the performers draw it out with some subtle acting”
Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph, 29 May
★★★★
“In the opera’s hit number, Una furtiva lagrima, [Oleksiy Palchykov] … signed off with a beautiful pianissimo phrase that had the first night audience cooing”
Mark Pullinger, The Times, 29 May
★★★★
“Richard Burkhard ran the show as the quack Dulcamara, with a spring in his step and a twinkle in his eye”
David Karlin, Bachtrack, 29 May
★★★★
“The imaginative direction of one of the finest opera directors around at the moment, Christopher Luscombe”
David Mellor, Mail on Sunday, 2 June
“The Philharmonia provided a plush bed of glistening sound under the invigorating baton of Chloe Rooke … whose inspiring talent was on dazzling display throughout”
Mark Valencia, Opera Magazine, 28 May
The Queen of Spades
★★★★
“Jack Furness’s staging is something of a collector’s item among productions of The Queen of Spades”
Neil Fisher, The Times, 2 June
★★★★
“Musically, Tchaikovsky’s powerful score benefits from the infinitely varied colours drawn from the musicians of the Philharmonia Orchestra by Garsington’s artistic director, conductor Douglas Boyd: in particular, the dynamic range he summons up, from the softest pianissimo to the most overwhelming fortissimo, focuses attention on the extraordinary sound-world emanating from the pit.”
George Hall, The Stage, 30 May
★★★★
“This picturesque but fundamentally grim world is enlivened by the dancers in the ball scenes and above all by Garsington’s lavish 32-strong chorus, breathtakingly vigorous whether they’re playing eager gamblers round the gambling-table or the Countess’s chattering servants”
Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph, 30 May
★★★★
“Tchaikovsky’s brooding, melancholy masterpiece about an obsessive gambler comes chillingly to life”
Richard Fairman, Financial Times, 30 May
★★★★
“Aaron Cawley … has the just right type of voice for the role of Herman – plangent, intense, taut – and the right vocal weight, the voice forwardly placed”
Mark Pullinger, Opera Now, 30 May
★★★★
“This is an overwhelmingly convincing staging of a genuine music drama, and it will surely come to be seen as one of Garsington’s most notable milestones”
Martin Kettle, The Guardian, 30 May
★★★★
“The Queen of Spades contrasted the deceptive splendour of 18th century St Petersburg with the torment of the outsider in the person of Herman, presenting richly imagined scenes within which the characters played out their dreams and nightmares”
Roy Westbrook, Bachtrack, 31 May
“Another star turn came from the excellent Garsington chorus … the youthful company delivered some handsomely idiomatic singing”
Mark Valencia, Opera Magazine, 29 May
“Garsington Opera’s new staging by Jack Furness, conducted by artistic director Douglas Boyd, with the Philharmonia Orchestra in the pit, presents the gambler’s descent into madness in all its many-layered strangeness, and achieves impressive musical standards”
Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, 29 June
“Furness is on top form here, delivering multilayered storytelling underpinned by subtle characterisation. He has an eye for spectacle, as well as the tiny details that speaks volumes”
Richard Bratby, The Spectator, 5 June
“This will surely prove to be one of the best things to be seen among the summer opera festivals this season.”
Curtis Rogers, Seen & Heard International, 2 June
Rodelinda
★★★★★
“A feast of glorious singing, brilliant production and the most accomplished orchestral performance you could ever hope to hear”
Melanie Eskenazi, Music OMH, 14 June
★★★★
“Knight allows the opera’s many powerful moments space to breathe, aided by a splendid cast”
Mark Pullinger, The Times, 16 June
★★★★
“In collaboration with Leslie Travers (design), Ben Pickersgill (lighting) and Rebecca Meltzer (movement and direction), Knight puts together an endless stream of memorable images that articulate the narrative while highlighting the swiftly changing atmosphere of this complex moral fable.”
George Hall, The Stage, 16 June
★★★★
“The cast, led by Lucy Crowe’s powerhouse Rodelinda and Tim Mead’s gloriously rich-toned Bertarido, is first-rate, the playing of the English Concert thrillingly energised.”
Erica Jeal, The Guardian, 16 June
★★★★
“Peter Whelan‘s energetic yet unfailingly sensitive direction of the English Concert was well-calibrated in every last measure”
Andrew Green, Opera Now, 16 June
★★★★
“This is Handel opera at its finest”
Roy Westbrook, Bachtrack, 16 June
“The English Concert and their musical director Peter Whelan brought Handel’s fabulous score to life in a performance of surpassing rhythmic energy, richly dramatic colouring and heart-breaking lyrical grace.”
Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph, 14 June
“This production of Rodelinda was a perfect example of what Garsington does best. With a cast that included Lucy Crowe and Tim Mead, and a smart, good-looking and surprisingly witty staging by Ruth Knight – on this showing a directorial rising star – it was pure operatic gold”
Clive Paget, Musical America, 20 June
“From an impressive cast, Lucy Crowe stands out in the title role, her firm, glowing voice drooping with melancholy and making a sympathetic counterpart for Tim Mead’s equally expressive Bertarido”
Richard Bratby, The Spectator, 27 June
“Handelians rank this opera among Handel’s operatic top ten, and the Garsington performance tells us why”
Hugh Canning, Operalogue, 28 June
Fidelio
★★★★★
“…an evening of ambitious staging, superb singing and fascinating playing”
Melanie Eskenazi, Music OMH, 28 June
★★★★★
“South African bass-baritone Musa Ngqungwana is an imposing Don Pizarro … and his “Ha! Welch ein Augenblick!” is a thunderous showcase for his talents”
Adrian York, LondonUnattached.com, 28 June
★★★★
“Douglas Boyd conducts The English Concert with urgency and spirit, and it’s always a pleasure to hear Beethoven played on period instruments”
Marc Berman, Playtosee.com, 1 July
“As Rocco, the jailor, a full-toned Jonathan Lemalu is as sensitive as he is strong-voiced, with an enviable ease that’s an object session in relaxed physical and vocal confidence”
David Benedict, The Stage, 30 June
“What Garsington’s excellent, unpretentious production – originally devised in 2009 by John Cox and directed in this revival by Jamie Manton – achieves is clarity of storytelling”
Simon Heffer, The Telegraph, 6 July
“Douglas Boyd exerted authority over both the score and the band of The English Concert from the opening bars of the Overture … Perfectly pitched horns in their perilously exposed duet inspired further confidence, and proved a harbinger of consistently first-class playing”
Peter Quantrill, Bachtrack, 1 July
“Always impressive, the formidable house chorus – directed by Jonathon Cole-Swinard – brought gravity and passion to this iconic scene”
Boyd Tonkin, The Arts Desk, 30 June
“As Don Pizarro, Musa Ngqungwana was imposing in presence and thoughtful in approach”
Richard Whitehouse, Arcana, 30 June