Tawdry goings on: Gala at Grimeborn
The topic of Ergo Phizmiz’s small opera Gala is Gala Dalí’s overwhelming passion for Jeff Fenholt, the original star of Jesus Christ Superstar, who was a ‘boy toy’ for Gala when she…
Love conquers all, kills some, exiles others: Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea at Grimeborn
Ryedale Festival Opera’s version, in a clear and lyrical new translation by John Warrack, absolutely understands Monteverdi’s sophisticated agenda: and, with a talented cast in director Nina Brazier’s capable hands,…
Biting the hand that feeds: Madame X at Grimeborn
Masetto (now an impoverished immigrant artist, more reminiscent of Puccini’s poet Rodolfo than Mozart’s Masetto) and Zerlina (all girlish scruples definitely removed, along with most of her charm) encounter Don Giovanni…
Luxurious, plaintive and dark: Massenet’s Werther, Grimeborn
Massenet’s Werther is a tragic tale of unrealised and forbidden passion between a dutiful wife (Charlotte) and her husband Albert’s best friend, Werther, whose final, violent resolution comes at that most…
Pseud Psychic: Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium at Grimeborn
OperaView have created a small and intense production in which Menotti’s music comes across clearly: a ravishing piano accompaniment, played by Maite Aguirre, veers from schmaltzy sweetness, reminiscent of a…
Go down to the woods today: Pelléas et Mélisande at Grimeborn
“She was a poor, mysterious little creature, just like anyone else…” When the ageing Prince Golaud finds the beautiful Mélisande crying beside a well in the forest, he is instantly…
Back to the grindstone: The Miller’s Wife at Grimeborn
“The windmill goes round and round… It is a simple life”. The Miller‘s Wife opens, and almost closes, with a similar scene: the miller’s wife in the garden of the mill, while…