April’s first kiss: Gaspar’s Mimì shines

Par Mark Pullinger, 15 juin 2015

Chargement en cours, veuillez patienter...

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“Susana Gaspar was a peach of a Mimì, lovable and sincere”

Critique faite à The Grange, Alresford, le 14 juin 2015

Puccini, La bohème

Grange Park Opera

Stephen Barlow, Direction

Stephen Medcalf, Mise en scène

Jamie Vartan, Décors

Susana Gaspar, Mimì

Gianluca Terranova, Rodolfo

Brett Polegato, Marcello

Kelebogile Besong, Musetta

Quirijn de Lang, Schaunard

Nicholas Crawley, Colline

Nicholas Folwell, Alcindoro, Benoît

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Taj Mahal by Nishat Khan premieres at Grange Park Opera

David Karlin, 10th July

Scion of generations of sitar players, Nishat Khan is the perfect person to tell the "greatest love story never told" behind India's most iconic building.

***11

Ukraine matters: Tchaikovsky’s Mazeppa at Grange Park Opera

Roy Westbrook, 14th June

Why is Tchaikovsky’s very fine opera still a rarity outside Russia? David Pountney directs a new production at the Surrey festival.

****1

Pountney’s vivid Simon Boccanegra at Grange Park Opera

Mark Pullinger, 5th June

Sir David Pountney's 1997 staging for Welsh National Opera is given a welcome new lease of life at Grange Park Opera, splendidly cast... with one major exception.

****1

A confusing operatic take on The Tempest at Grange Park Opera

Nick Boston, 11th July

Strong vocal and orchestral performances, supported by impressive visuals, struggle to bring coherency to Anthony Bolton's Island of Dreams at Grange Park Opera.

***11

An impressive, minimalist Kátya Kabanová at Grange Park Opera

David Karlin, 27th June

A memorable performance, with Stephen Barlow conducting Janáček’s remarkable score with vividness and clarity, while David Alden's staging is a masterpiece of "less is more".

****1

Aleko on the Arno: Bryn Terfel leads fine new GPO double bill

Roy Westbrook, 6th June

An unlikely pairing opens Grange Park Opera's season, the two works united by the dominant central character of each opera – Sir Bryn Terfel.

****1

Plus de critiques...

Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

April’s first kiss: Susana Gaspar’s Mimì shines in a frustrating Bohème