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Fresh peaches of temptation: Britten's Albert Herring at Buxton

By Charlotte Valori, 11 July 2017
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“Lady Billows’ nostalgic dream of a perfect village is as doomed as it is imaginary”
Reviewed at Buxton Opera House, Buxton on 8 July 2017
Programme
Britten, Albert Herring
Performers
Buxton Festival Opera
Justin Doyle, Conductor
Francis Matthews, Director
Adrian Linford, Set Designer
Bradley Smith, Albert Herring
Yvonne Howard, Lady Billows
Lucy Schaufer, Florence Pike
Mary Hegarty, Miss Wordsworth
Heather Shipp, Mrs. Herring
Kathryn Rudge, Nancy
Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts, Mr Upfold
Morgan Pearse, Sid
Nicholas Merryweather, Mr Gedge
John Molloy, Superintendent Budd
Northern Chamber Orchestra
More Opera reviews
From the ballroom to the trenches: The Land of Might-Have-Been
Sarah Noble, 15th July
Setting the life of Vera Brittain to the music of Ivor Novello, Buxton Festival's new musical is a welcome if overambitious showcase for them both.
***11
Arcadia in the Peak District: Mozart's Il re pastore in Buxton
Sarah Noble, 9th July
Mozart's early opera seria may not be his greatest achievement – but lightness of touch from all involved highlight its charms in Jack Furness' new production. 
***11
Buxton Festival celebrates 40th anniversary with Eugene Onegin
Robert Gainer, 6th July
Every July, Buxton’s charming opera house hosts an international festival of opera, literature and the arts. This year the festival opened with a strong familiar favourite, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.
****1
For teenage kicks: Mozart's Lucio Silla at Buxton International Festival
Charlotte Valori, 9th July
The fashion for reviving Mozart's teenage operas brings a vocally dazzling production of Lucio Silla to Buxton, nevertheless hampered by the work's own lack of believable drama and some fairly flat staging. 
***11
Verdi's Macbeth at Buxton International Festival
Charlotte Valori, 7th July
A searing, edge-of-your-seat spinetingler from Elijah Moshinsky makes the strongest possible case for Verdi's first Macbeth, ideally suited to the proportions of Buxton's beautiful Opera House.
*****
Games of Thrones: Handel's Tamerlano
Dominic Lowe, 10th July
Handel's psychotic Tartar leader and bedhopping nobles are well served in an excellent collaboration between the Buxton Festival and the English Concert with some outstanding singing from Marie Lys and Owen Willetts.
****1
More reviews...
Read reviews of
Adrian LinfordAlbert HerringBenjamin BrittenBradley SmithBuxton Festival OperaFrancis MatthewsHeather ShippJeffrey Lloyd-RobertsJohn MolloyJustin DoyleKathryn RudgeLucy SchauferMorgan PearseNicholas MerryweatherNorthern Chamber OrchestraYvonne Howard
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Charlotte Valori
Charlotte Valori
Charlotte Valori read Classics at Christ Church, Oxford. As a classicist, her main interest is Greek tragedy and its reception by later cultures, which has led to a continuing passion for theatre and opera. Charlotte reviews for several online magazines, and won the Bachtrack Opera Award 2015 for Best Written English Review. Follow her on Twitter @operissima.