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Showing 14 of 14 reviews

Christine Rice (Judith) and Nathan Berg (Bluebeard) © Dafydd Owen

Gothic and Greek: Welsh National Opera’s double bill opens in Cardiff

By Mark Valencia, 20 September 2026

Finding a partner for Bartók's creepy one-acter is a thorny problem, but Welsh National Opera pairs it with Stravinsky's ‘opera-oratorio’ for its season opener.

***11

***11

Cardiff

20 Sept 2026

Gothic and Greek: Welsh National Opera’s double bill opens in Cardiff

By Mark Valencia

Andrés Presno (Cavaradossi) and Natalya Romaniw (Tosca) © Dafydd Owen

Southampton

A magnificent Tosca from Welsh National Opera at the Mayflower

By David Truslove, 3 October 2025

WNO imports Edward Dick’s exceptionally fine production, which benefits from from superb casting and outstanding performances led by Natalya Romaniw.

*****

*****

Southampton

3 Oct 2025

A magnificent Tosca from Welsh National Opera at the Mayflower

By David Truslove

Mark Le Brocq (Gustav von Aschenbach) and Antony César (Tadzio) © Johan Persson

Cardiff

Welsh National Opera stages Death in Venice for the first time... and it’s a triumph

By Mark Valencia, 7 March 2024

Olivia Fuchs solves the problems of Britten's thorny opera in a brilliant new production that hits the heights, featuring Mark Le Brocq as earthbound scholar, Gustav von Aschenbach.

*****

*****

Cardiff

7 Mar 2024

WNO stages Death in Venice for the first time and it’s a triumph

By Mark Valencia

Jaquelina Livieri (Margarita Xirgu) and Hanna Hipp (Lorca) © Johan Persson

Cardiff

Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar revived by Welsh National Opera for its 2023 tour

By Mark Valencia, 9 September 2023

Deborah Colker's production, seen last season at Scottish Opera, moves to the Wales Millennium Centre for an autumn tour.

****1

****1

Cardiff

9 Sept 2023

Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar revived by WNO for its 2023 tour

By Mark Valencia

Julia Sitkovetsky (Queen of the Night) © Craig Fuller

Birmingham

WNO’s abstract Magic Flute proves more contemporary than cohesive

By Robert Gainer, 3 May 2023

WNO delivers a well-performed production of Mozart’s Magic Flute with some fresh ideas, but other which dilute it.

***11

***11

Birmingham

3 May 2023

WNO’s abstract Magic Flute proves more contemporary than cohesive

By Robert Gainer

London

Flogging a dead horse: a new Salome at English National Opera

By Dominic Lowe, 28 September 2018

ENO's new production of Salome which opens the season features some commendable music-making, but is let down by a flawed concept and dull staging.

**111

**111

London

28 Sept 2018

Flogging a dead horse: a new Salome at English National Opera

By Dominic Lowe

Glyndebourne

Seriously funny, musically transcendent: Glyndebourne's Rosenkavalier

By David Karlin, 20 May 2018

Strauss' mix of bedroom farce, comedy of manners and bittersweet musing about aging is acted and sung superbly in this revival of Richard Jones' production.

*****

*****

Glyndebourne

20 May 2018

Seriously funny: Glyndebourne's Rosenkavalier

By David Karlin

Cardiff

Wheel of Fortune: Preziosilla spins Pountney's Force of Destiny

By Mark Pullinger, 2 February 2018

When the entire plot is triggered by a freak accident, you can't blame director David Pountney for making Fate itself one of the key characters.

****1

****1

Cardiff

2 Feb 2018

Wheel of Fortune: Preziosilla spins Pountney's Force of Destiny

By Mark Pullinger

High Wycombe

Le nozze di Figaro at Garsington

By Katherine Cooper, 4 June 2017

A slick production from the Garsington Opera Company, who use the location of the Wormley Estate to their full advantage.

****1

****1

High Wycombe

4 Jun 2017

Le nozze di Figaro at Garsington

By Katherine Cooper

Glyndebourne

Downtown Nagasaki comes to Glyndebourne in Annilese Miskimmon's Madama Butterfly

By Mark Pullinger, 14 October 2016

How picturesque do you like your Puccini? Do you take your Turandot sweet or sour? How much lacquer is layered over your ideal Madama Butterfly?

***11

***11

Glyndebourne

14 Oct 2016

Downtown Nagasaki comes to Glyndebourne

By Mark Pullinger

London

Flawed casting in Minghella's widescreen Butterfly at ENO

By Mark Pullinger, 16 May 2016

The sheer opulence of Minghella's staging often overwhelms, drenched in colour. Is that enough to really get to the core of the drama though, or is it all surface gloss?

***11

***11

London

16 May 2016

Flawed casting in Minghella's widescreen Butterfly

By Mark Pullinger

London

An atmosphere filled with dust and testosterone: Bieito’s Carmen returns to ENO

By Mark Pullinger, 20 May 2015

Calixto Bieito updates the Carmen to the final years of Franco’s dictatorship and in Joan Anton Rechi’s revival, the results are often gritty and fierce, if unlikely to do anything for the Spanish tourist trade.

***11

***11

London

20 May 2015

Carmen: An atmosphere filled with dust and testosterone

By Mark Pullinger

London

A fabulous Figaro from Fiona Shaw for English National Opera

By Charlotte Valori, 16 October 2014

Full of physical comedy, joyous and enthusiastic, Fiona Shaw's vision of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro makes the most of its taut and energetic plotlines, intense charactisation and beautifully balanced music.

****1

****1

London

16 Oct 2014

A fabulous Figaro at ENO

By Charlotte Valori

London

ENO's Madam Butterfly is once again a must-see

By Julia Savage, 14 October 2013

To describe this revival of Puccini's much-loved Madam Butterfly as a visual spectacle would be to do it a disservice. Originally directed by Anthony Minghella in its first outing in 2005, it is one of ENO's greatest success stories.

****1

****1

London

14 Oct 2013

English National Opera: Madam Butterfly

By Julia Savage