London and Paris 'Baroque Style' with Ars Eloquentiae

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 13 June 2014

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Reviewed at Clifton Cathedral, Bristol on 12 June 2014

Locke, The Tempest

Lully, Le Bourgeois gentilhomme

Ars Eloquentiae

Katie Bray, Mezzo-soprano

Cocteau-esque camp: Alden’s Partenope returns to ENO

Mark Valencia, 20th November

Christopher Alden’s Olivier Award-winning production of Handel’s Partenope returns to the Coliseum, but it's the singing that earns the plaudits.

****1

Actéon and Pygmalion: three transformations for the price of two

Roy Westbrook, 9th October

Ovid’s Metamorphoses makes an ideal curtain-raiser to the Academy of Ancient Music's new season, with works by Charpentier and Rameau conducted by Laurence Cummings... who also sings!

****1

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

Parmesan hits the pasta in Garsington's new Barbiere di Siviglia

Dominic Lowe, 31st May

Come for the shave, stay for the comedy. Christopher Luscombe's new production of Rossini's beloved opera buffa avoids overcomplicating the plot, letting the work's humour and the abilities of the principals shine.

***11

Bangs and whimpers: Cal McCrystal directs Le Comte Ory at Garsington

Dominic Lowe, 2nd July

Garsington Opera's new production of Rossini's comic masterpiece is a bawdy hoot, but humour aside it features an ensemble who provide first-class bel canto singing.

****1

Vache Baroque opens with a fine Dido and Aeneas

David Karlin, 4th September

Purcell's counterpoint is beautifully sung by a young cast to inaugurate England's latest country house opera venue.

****1

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Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres is a Bristol-based film composer and classical electronic artist. Alexandra's passion in scoring and as a performer lie in the duality between the classical and electronica worlds, moving picture and her love for the piano. Her music has been described by The White Room Magazine as “majestic, at times monumental…the force and vastness of nature”.