Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | John Savournin

A mafioso Merry Widow at Opera Holland Park

By Dominic Lowe, 19 June 2025

Despite some excellent music-making, John Savournin's production is hindered by a laboured New York relocation.

**111

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**111

London

19 Jun 2025

A mafioso Merry Widow at Opera Holland Park

By Dominic Lowe

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Lampooning the law: Scottish Opera’s satirical new double bill

By David Smythe, 14 May 2025

Scottish Opera’s double bill of Trial by Jury and the world premiere of Toby Hession’s fun-packed A Matter of Misconduct! features an ensemble cast, mostly of Emerging Artists.

****1

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****1

Glasgow

14 May 2025

Lampooning the law: Scottish Opera’s satirical new double bill

By David Smythe

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Scottish Opera’s Merry Widow tangles with the New York Mafia

By David Smythe, 30 April 2025

With misplaced horse heads, violin case guns and as many mafia gags as you could hope for, Scottish Opera’s Merry Widow may not be subtle but it looks and sounds gorgeous.

****1

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****1

Glasgow

30 Apr 2025

Scottish Opera’s Merry Widow tangles with the New York Mafia

By David Smythe

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The darker side of Gilbert and Sullivan: The Yeomen of the Guard at Holland Park

By David Karlin, 07 August 2024

Some good singing performances can't overcome a dated feeling of Gilbert's humour: the evening improves as the storm clouds gather.

**111

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**111

London

07 Aug 2024

The darker side of G&S: Yeomen of the Guard at Holland Park

By David Karlin

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Trapped in a vice: a terrific double-bill of Il segreto di Susanna and Pagliacci at Opera Holland Park

By Dominic Lowe, 17 July 2024

Joining OHP's 2019 production of Wolf-Ferrari's charming domestic comedy, a blazing new production of Pagliacci delivers everything that one could want from Leoncavallo's infamous opera.

*****

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*****

London

17 Jul 2024

Trapped in a vice: Il segreto di Susanna and Pagliacci at OHP

By Dominic Lowe

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High Wycombe

Some enchanted evening? Garsington Opera's new A Midsummer Night's Dream

By Roy Westbrook, 16 June 2024

In the first and last acts, ladies entered with a train still attached to a bolt of cloth, which was then cut to length by an attendant. Was this production brought to the stage in a great hurry, allowing no time for costume fittings?

***11

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***11

High Wycombe

16 Jun 2024

Garsington Opera's new A Midsummer Night's Dream

By Roy Westbrook

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Utrecht

Suck it and see: Powder Her Face premieres in the Netherlands

By Eleanor Knight, 08 February 2024

Sex, fame, luxury and envy meet in an irresistible cocktail as the Reisopera stages the Dutch premiere of Thomas Adès’ chamber opera.

***11

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***11

Utrecht

08 Feb 2024

Suck it and see: Powder Her Face premieres in the Netherlands

By Eleanor Knight

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Gloucester

Preaching to the converted: Elgar’s The Apostles at the Three Choirs Festival

By Simon Cummings, 29 July 2023

Adrian Partington and the Philharmonia give an impersonal, soporific rendition of Elgar's The Apostles at Gloucester Cathedral.

**111

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**111

Gloucester

29 Jul 2023

Preaching to the converted: The Apostles at the Three Choirs

By Simon Cummings

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High Wycombe

Send in the Clowns: Garsington's Bartered Bride returns

By Roy Westbrook, 30 June 2023

Paul Curran’s 2019 production is revived with some flair by Rosie Purdie, with a fine cast led by Pumeza Matshikiza.

****1

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****1

High Wycombe

30 Jun 2023

Send in the Clowns: Garsington's Bartered Bride returns

By Roy Westbrook

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Strauss à la Fellini: Ariadne auf Naxos at Opera North

By Richard Wilcocks, 18 February 2023

Rodula Gaitanou sets Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal's comedy in the Cinecittà film studios of the 1950s.

****1

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****1

Leeds

18 Feb 2023

Strauss à la Fellini: Ariadne auf Naxos at Opera North

By Richard Wilcocks

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Deborah Colker gives Golijov's Ainadamar energetic grit at Scottish Opera

By David Smythe, 29 October 2022

Scottish Opera’s visually stunning new production is headed by a strong trio of Lauren Fagan, Julieth Lozano and Samantha Hankey.

****1

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****1

Glasgow

29 Oct 2022

Deborah Colker gives Ainadamar energetic grit at Scottish Opera

By David Smythe

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HMS Pinafore at Opera Holland Park: infernal nonsense of the best kind

By Mark Valencia, 09 August 2022

It’s a risky business to describe comic nuance or timing, so please take my word that these qualities were as pitch-perfect as the vocal prowess on display.

****1

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****1

London

09 Aug 2022

HMS Pinafore at OHP: infernal nonsense of the best kind

By Mark Valencia

A musical joy and a comical hoot: The Pirates of Penzance in Holland Park

By Mark Valencia, 07 August 2021

John Savournin directs Opera Holland Park's end-of-term G&S romp.

*****

*****

London

07 Aug 2021

A musical joy and a comical hoot: The Pirates of Penzance at OHP

By Mark Valencia

Brush up your Janáček: foxy tales at Opera Holland Park

By Mark Pullinger, 13 July 2021

Jennifer France stars in Stephen Barlow's staging of The Cunning Little Vixen, set in the perfect surroundings of Holland Park.

****1

****1

London

13 Jul 2021

Brush up your Janáček: foxy tales at Opera Holland Park

By Mark Pullinger

Opera North's thrilling Street Scene brings Golden Age Broadway to Leeds

By Richard Wilcocks, 18 January 2020

Opera North brings Kurt Weill's “Broadway opera” Street Scene to the Leeds Grand Theatre in a thrilling production directed by Matthew Eberhardt and conducted by James Holmes.

****1

****1

Leeds

18 Jan 2020

Opera North's Street Scene brings Golden Age Broadway to Leeds

By Richard Wilcocks

Martinů's The Greek Passion: an opera for our times

By Mark Pullinger, 14 September 2019

At a time when the “relevance” is bandied around all too frequently in relation to opera, Martinů's really does deserve that tag.

****1

****1

Leeds

14 Sep 2019

Martinů's The Greek Passion: an opera for our times

By Mark Pullinger

Guilty secrets: Wolf-Ferrari entertains, Tchaikovsky bewitches at Opera Holland Park

By David Karlin, 22 July 2019

Wolf-Ferrari's Il segreto di Susanna provides an airy bon-bouche to Tchaikovsky's Iolanta, brilliantly sung by Natalya Romaniw and David Butt Philip and conducted to fairy-tale perfection by Sian Edwards

***11

***11

London

22 Jul 2019

Wolf-Ferrari entertains, Tchaikovsky bewitches at Holland Park

By David Karlin

Un ballo in maschera showcases Opera Holland Park at its best

By Mark Valencia, 08 June 2019

Gaitanou’s direction of the singers is so exact that it becomes impossible to separate them from their characters.

*****

*****

London

08 Jun 2019

Un ballo in maschera showcases Opera Holland Park at its best

By Mark Valencia

A fetching, inventive Magic Flute – with a dark side – from Opera North

By Richard Wilcocks, 19 January 2019

Sinister aspects are stressed in Mozart's The Magic Flute at Leeds Grand Theatre directed by James Brining and conducted by Robert Howarth.

****1

****1

Leeds

19 Jan 2019

A fetching, inventive Magic Flute – with a dark side

By Richard Wilcocks

A lovely, lurid Tosca from Opera North

By Richard Wilcocks, 16 September 2018

Edward Dick directs a Tosca full of contemporary references with Opera North at Leeds Grand Theatre, Puccini's score conducted by Antony Hermus.

****1

****1

Leeds

16 Sep 2018

A lovely, lurid Tosca from Opera North

By Richard Wilcocks

Brush up your Shakespeare: Opera North's Kiss me Kate arrives in London

By David Karlin, 20 June 2018

Cole Porter's exuberant wordsmithery and his smash-and-grab appropriation of a dozen musical styles can hardly fail to entertain; Opera North give us four top class leads.

***11

***11

London

20 Jun 2018

Opera North's Kiss me Kate arrives in London

By David Karlin

Funny blends with sinister: witty Don Giovanni revival at Opera North

By Richard Wilcocks, 21 February 2018

Alessandro Talevi's production of Don Giovanni, conducted by Christoph Altstaedt, receives a welcome revival at the Grand Theatre, Leeds.

****1

****1

Leeds

21 Feb 2018

Funny blends with sinister: witty Don Giovanni revival

By Richard Wilcocks

Don Giovanni all at sea at Opera Holland Park

By Mark Pullinger, 03 June 2017

Mozart's Don Giovanni is transported by director Oliver Platt to The Queen Mary in the 1930s. It looks handsome enough, but the concept is flawed.

**111

**111

London

03 Jun 2017

Don Giovanni all at sea

By Mark Pullinger

Opera North's Cenerentola provides plenty of comedy and revels

By Richard Wilcocks, 16 February 2017

La Cenerentola is the final component of Opera North's fairytale season, with every voice and every character getting a chance to revel in Rossini's intricate ornamentation.

****1

****1

Leeds

16 Feb 2017

Cenerentola provides plenty of comedy and revels

By Richard Wilcocks

Cardiff

A wonderful show: Welsh National Opera's Kiss me, Kate

By Simon Rees, 29 September 2016

Welsh National Opera's co-production of Kiss me, Kate is another good argument for opera companies to stage Broadway musicals.

****1

****1

Cardiff

29 Sep 2016

A wonderful show: Welsh National Opera's Kiss me, Kate

By Simon Rees

Bradford on Avon

Jungle drums beating true: Mozart's Magic Flute at Iford

By Charlotte Valori, 09 July 2016

John Savournin takes Mozart's Magic Flute on an exotic adventure into the Peruvian rainforest: and retrieves more than a sprinkling of Inca gold.

****1

****1

Bradford on Avon

09 Jul 2016

Jungle drums beating true

By Charlotte Valori

Brush up your Puccini: a 16th-century Bohème at Holland Park

By Mark Pullinger, 11 June 2016

La bohème staged as Tudorbethan drama? Opera Holland Park's quirky tribute to Shakespeare400 is a lot of fun.

***11

***11

London

11 Jun 2016

Brush up your Puccini: a 16th-century Bohème

By Mark Pullinger

Opera North's Kiss Me Kate is sheer joy

By Richard Wilcocks, 03 October 2015

Opera North's Kiss Me Kate directed by Jo Davies at Leeds Grand Theatre is sheer joy.

****1

****1

Leeds

03 Oct 2015

Opera North's Kiss Me Kate is sheer joy

By Richard Wilcocks

Taking wing: Dove’s Flight a soaring success for Opera Holland Park

By Mark Pullinger, 10 June 2015

Flight represents a brave new departure for Opera Holland Park, the first contemporary opera to take to its main stage, in a striking staging with top quality musical performances.

*****

*****

London

10 Jun 2015

Taking wing: Dove’s Flight a soaring success

By Mark Pullinger

Always a bridesmaid: Charles Court Opera's Ruddigore

By Charlotte Valori, 18 February 2015

Ruddigore is a glorious comic romp through a very English country village, full of wonderfully awkward Edwardian love and delicious puns. Whatever your Valentine experience this year, you can't help but be swept up in it.

***11

***11

London

18 Feb 2015

Always a bridesmaid: Charles Court Opera's Ruddigore

By Charlotte Valori