La traviata
★★★★★
“I have never seen a better Violetta … An all-round impressive show”
Richard Morrison, The Times, 28 May
★★★★★
“Douglas Boyd whips the Philharmonia Orchestra through a performance that makes a familiar score feel reinvigorated”
Erica Jeal, The Guardian, 28 May
“Garsington has become one of Britain’s great opera houses – and its new Traviata proves it”
Simon Heffer, The Telegraph, 6 June
★★★★★
“Louisa Muller’s stunningly beautiful, fabulously well sung and snappily directed production”
Melanie Eskenazi, MusicOMH.com, 28 May
★★★★★
“Oleksiy Palchykov was the picture of bewilderment as Alfredo is unable to process the reality of Violetta’s departure and his father’s blandishments”
David Carlin, Bachtrack, 28 May
★★★★
“The company’s artistic director, Douglas Boyd, favours swift speeds, crisp rhythms and much expressive detail from the Philharmonia Orchestra”
Richard Fairman, Financial Times, 28 May
★★★★
“This is a thrilling start to Garsington’s enticingly varied season”
Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph, 28 May
★★★★
“(Madison) Leonard’s sweet, varied tone and impressive technical skills to the fore”
George Hall, The Stage, 28 May
“Douglas Boyd’s meticulous conducting of the Philharmonia, and the focused and committed chorus contribute greatly to the admirable coherence of this first-class production”
Stephen Pritchard, The Observer, 6 June
“British baritone Roland Wood, as Alfredo’s father and Violetta’s nemesis, Giorgio Germont, created a compelling character portrait … Vocally, he was a proper Verdi baritone, his tone shifting easily between a dark chocolatey bottom and a glossy hefted top”
Clive Paget, Musical America, 1 June
“Smaller roles were well cast in a strong ensemble, particularly Mathilda Bryngelsson as Annina and Alexandria Moon as Flora”
Tom Hardwick, Arcana, 1 June
Der Rosenkavalier
★★★★★
“The whole thing looks sumptuous … The whole thing sounds sumptuous too … Finnegan Downie Dear conducted a swift account – and the Philharmonia responded, the horns biting into their ripe lines, the strings glowing”
“Soraya Mafi’s exquisite top notes gleamed as Sophie, a sparky presence who stands up to Ochs – and her father – decisively”
Mark Pullinger, OperaNow, 29 May
★★★★★
“Andreas Bauer-Kanabas is an Ochs you’d be happy to see anywhere in the world … he has the bass notes but also the refulgence for the glorious waltz-sequence which brings down the curtain on Act Two”
David Nice, The Arts Desk, 1 June
★★★★
“With endlessly eye-catching designs by Gary McCann, lit to their best advantage by Malcolm Rippeth, Bruno Ravella’s staging moves even further forward, its visuals from the late 20th century. The result is an alluring presentation”
George Hall, The Stage, 29 May
★★★★
“Matilda Sterby was a cool, elegant Marschallin … and presented a fully rounded character, sung with attention to phrasing and nuance and rising to the great peaks of the music with seemingly effortless grace. She looked wonderful in her Dior-influenced gowns”
Melanie Eskenazi, MusicOMH.com, 29 May
★★★★
“Niamh O’Sullivan was superb in the part of Octavian”
Roy Westbrook, Bachtrack, 29 May
“Robert Murray and Siân Griffiths take on the parts of the informers Valzacchi and Annina with comical flair”
Curtis Rogers, Seen and Heard International, 31 May
“Matilda Sterby as a Marschallin of superb vocal quality, Niamh O’Sullivan as a beautifully voiced Octavian, and Soraya Mafi as a clear voiced Sophie. Their wonderful trio under the baton of Finnegan Downie Dear was a joy to hear”
Mark Ronan, The Article, 2 June
“What makes this production particularly special is the casting of three superb female leads …. Vocal timbres are nicely differentiated, and the ease with which the singers communicate with one another is convincing”
David Truslove, Opera Today, 3 June
“Pride, pity and hurt ripple across the face of this Marschallin (a radiant Matilda Sterby) before she composes her expression into sweetness”
Richard Bratby, The Spectator, 4 June
“Niamh O’Sullivan’s bright mezzo has the soprano quality Strauss wanted and she has the physique du rôle in spades”
Hugh Canning, Operalogue, 4 June
Il ritorno d’Ulisse
★★★★★
“All the roles – large and small, with some doubling – are expertly cast and thought-through in their execution”
“Garsington hits the target with this lush Monteverdi extravaganza”
George Hall, The Stage, 16 June
★★★★★
“Cecelia Hall and Ed Lyon are outstanding”
“Yet another triumph for the team of Laurence Cummings, John Caird and The English Concert.”
Melanie Eskenazi, MusicOMH.com, 13 June
★★★★
“This production represents the best of the summer festival operas so far”
Richard Fairman, Financial Times, 16 June
★★★★
“A glorious journey into the magic of Monteverdi … the sheer quality of the music commands attention”
“Those purveyors of Baroque brilliance, the English Concert musicians – including a brace of theorbo – take their place on stage, following a promenade performance through Garsington’s teeming grasslands”
Claire Jackson, The Telegraph, 13 June
★★★★
“Another gold-plated Monteverdian triumph from Garsington Opera”
“Perfect ensemble of the very highest quality”
“Ed Lyon as Ulisse matched his fine Orfeo four years ago with another committed, intelligent portrayal”
Andrew Green, Opera Now, 15 June
★★★★
“Time after time, the music knocks your socks off”
“The cast made an eloquent case for Monteverdi’s place in the all time hall of fame”
“James Creswell offered some properly awesome basso profondo singing, plumbing untold oceanic depths as Neptune”
David Karlin, Bachtrack, 15 June
“In its fine balance between comedy and seriousness, and unforced enunciation of the music, this production remains true to the solemn spirit of the original, whose fusion of dramatic elements and deep expressivity is equalled but probably not surpassed in the whole subsequent history of opera”
Curtis Rogers, Seen and Heard International, 13 June