Opera Holland Park so far…

Posted on: June 27, 2014 in: CLS Behind the Scenes, Opera Holland Park 2014

The summer months mean one thing and one thing only here at the City of London Sinfonia: Opera Holland Park! Marking our 11th consecutive year as orchestra-in-residence at “London’s Glydebourne”, this year’s season has got to be one of the finest. With so many fantastic productions to choose from –Britten’s haunting Turn of the Screw, Rossini’s ever-popular comedy La Barbiere di Siviglia and Bellini’s wonderful Norma…– and all amidst the leafy glades one of the most beautiful parks in West London, we couldn’t recommend the festival enough, even if only to witness the resident peacocks cooing along to the catchiest of arias or the tent-like theatre built upon the fragmentary ruins of Holland House.

Four weeks in and so far we’ve seen everything from counts, gold-miners, Sheriffs, Vegas-style polka saloons, doctors, barbers, disguise, love, lust, gambling, mischief and plenty of pizzazz. We also mustn’t forget the fantastic singers who really make the festival what it is. It’s definitely been a hectic, but very exciting, few weeks so far, and to think we are only half way through the season! Here are some of our favourite pieces of feedback from Opera Holland Park so far, along with some of the fantastic press it’s been getting:

La Fanciulla del West 

“Stuart Stratford conducted the City of London Sinfonia on peak form“, David Gutman, Classical Source, 5 June

“Conductor Stuart Stratford demonstrates an impeccable ear for the detail of superb Puccini’s orchestral writing“, George Hall, The Stage, 4 June

★★★ “Barlow just lets Puccini get on with it, which is probably why it works so well.”, Martin Kettle, The Guardian, 4 June

“With the expert City of London Sinfonia, in their raised pit, on constant display, Puccini’s score was spread out before us in all its ingenuity. On so many occasions the sonic effects or rhythmic brilliance prompted the thought ‘Puccini? Surely not!’.” – Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, 8 June

★★★★”The overture starts with a blinding flash of light, a fierce bass note and an exhilarating crash of wild, sweet music from the City of London Sinfonia.” – Anna Picard, The Times, 5 June

“Opera Holland Park has a knack of discovering young singers with big voices.” – Free News Pos, 8 June

★★★ “Puccini’s girl of the golden West has at last found the popularity she always deserved” – Richard Fairman, The Financial Times, 4 June

 

La Barbiere di Siviglia

★★★★”Matthew Waldren’s conducting is highly intelligent and controlled, and generates some beautiful playing from the City of London Sinfonia.” –  musicOMH, 14 June

“The warm tone of Kitty Whately as a pretty and determined Rosina was well matched by the strong vocal power of Nicholas Lester as Figaro, and their late Act I dialogue Dunque io son … was a delight.” – Mark Ronan, 15 June

★★★★ “Lam had a confident control of the complex rhythms in Rossini’s music, with some nicely steady ensembles and a highly infectious elan. The City of London Sinfonia responded with some vibrantly vivid yet controlled playing.” – Planet Hugill, 16 June

★★★★”The City of London Sinfonia responded well to Matthew Waldren’s baton, his apt tempo choices and a persuasive musical momentum compensating for an absence of pointillist detail. The strings were on gleaming form...” – Whats On Stage, 12 June

https://twitter.com/Sebastian_G_A/status/478649353239003136

 

Coming up at Opera Holland Park

Britten The Turn of the Screw, 1-12 July

Bellini Norma, 19 July – 8 August

Cilea Adriana Lecouvreur, 24 July – 9 August

 

All photos taken by Fritz Curzon, photographer-in-residence at Opera Holland Park.

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