The Importance of Being Earnest
★★★★★
“Daringly chosen, superbly executed, Garsington’s new production of Gerald Barry’s brilliantly bonkers 2011 opera, The Importance of Being Earnest, is a blast from start to finish”
“Magnificently delivered by the Philharmonia under Douglas Boyd’s inspired direction”
Richard Morrison, The Times, 12 July
★★★★★
“Gerald Barry’s setting of Oscar Wilde’s ‘trivial comedy for serious people’ started life in 2011 … That it has now made it to one of the premier country house festivals is a mark not only of the composer’s prominence but also of the enticing nature of the title itself”
George Hall, The Stage, 13 July
★★★★★
“It’s all absolutely smashing”
“If silliness is to work on stage it must be taken seriously: comedy doesn’t work without risk. In embracing these principles Garsington have triumphed”
Elenor Knight, Bachtrack, 13 July
★★★★★
“Jennifer France as Cecily dispatches stratospherically high tessitura with disdainful panache, and contrasts charmingly with Holly Brown’s poised, precise and elegant Gwendolen”
“This opera is a one-off, in so many ways, but deserves to become a repertory piece”
Tim Hochstrasseer, Playstosee.com, 13 July
★★★★★
“Director Jack Furness … marshals the carefully choreographed antics of a musically and dramatically spot-on cast”
“A dazzlingly composed stage – the equal triumph of set designer Francis O’Connor, complemented by the wacky and always unpredictable costumes of Hannah Wolfe and Paul Pyant’s lighting”
David Nice, TheArtsDesk.com, 22 July
★★★★
“Gloriously madcap opera achieves new heights of delirium”
Flora Wilson, The Guardian, 12 July
★★★★
“Jack Furness’ gleefully surreal staging”
“The precision of both the original music and the execution in this instance produced astounding results, as Peter Lidbetter … proved equally adept at being a bass, percussionist and deadpan entertainer”
Sam Smith, MusicOMH.com, 12 July
“The standout role is Lady Bracknell … Henry Waddington has a high old time, kitted out as a German officer in black leather and plumed helmet”
Richard Fairman, Financial Times, 12 July
“Jennifer France’s stratospheric vocal leaps as Cecily Cardew were astonishing”
Ivan Hewitt, Daily Telegraph, 11 July
“Laughter … was loud and frequent on the steamy first night of Garsington Opera’s new production … which turns absurdity into a high art”
Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, 15 July
“Boyd sets a brisk pace, the musical straight-man enabling France’s high-wire acrobatics, as well as the bravura leaps and hairpin turns of Seán Boylan’s Algernon and Zahid Siddiqui’s Jack”
Alexandra Coghlan, Opera Now, 13 July
“This production is an absolute must for the first-time opera goer”
“One can only admire this staging’s level of directorial imagination and the sheer vitality of performances. Anarchic it all may be, but the fun factor is off the scale”
David Truslove, Opera Today, 15 July
“The Irish composer’s word setting drives the surreal comedy of Wilde’s play to electrifying effect”
Hugh Canning, Operalogue, 14 July
“Bonkers, brilliant and utterly unforgettable”
“The cast throw themselves into the madness with infectious commitment”
Amanda Sadler, Henley Standard, 23 July
“No one could act or sing it better, and the ensemble discipline required for such a performance, delivered at breakneck speed and without intermission, is nothing short of remarkable”
Mike Smith, Classiquenews.com, 25 July
“Henry Waddington is magnificent, often pushing his distinctive bass-baritone into falsetto”
Gina Thomas, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 24 July
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
★★★★
“Lyon is a superb Ulisse, drawing so much nuance from the text; his reunion with his son Telemaco (another mellifluous tenor, Dafydd Jones) is a tear-jerking highlight”
“John Caird’s Garsington Opera staging is glossy and elegant”
Neil Fisher, The Times, 19 June
★★★★
“From the moment the English Concert enters the theatre … there’s a feeling of festive inclusivity”
“James Gilchrist captures the simple-hearted loyalty and pastoral philosophies of the elderly shepherd Eumete, even as his nimble voice turns intricate somersaults”
Clive Paget, The Guardian, 19 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
“Cecelia Hall portrays a Penelope who commands the stage through stillness rather than volume; she is dramatically compelling, her long-standing fidelity entirely believable”
“Arielle Smith ‘s choreography effortlessly brings soloists and ensemble together”
Mike Smith, ClassiqueNews.com, 22 June
“Cecelia Hall is a dignified Penelope, steely in her initial scepticism at her husband’s return, moving in her final recognition that it really is he”
Hugh Canning, Operalogue, 24 June
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
“[Madison Leonard] was the indisputable star of the evening. Commanding all the role’s musical aspects, from glittering coloratura to exquisite pianissimos, the
American soprano was memorable above all for the emotional impact of her singing”
John Allison, Opera Magazine, 24 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
“Exuberantly conducted by Finnegan Downie Dear … Philharmonia Orchestra made the score glitter like a Viennese ballroom”
Mark Valencia, Opera Magazine, 24 June
“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
“Swedish soprano Matilda Sterby … was excellent in those meditations on the mysteries of life, faith and the passing of time that take us to the very heart of the opera”
Richard Osbourne, The Oldie, 26 June