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

By Mark Pullinger, 15 June 2015
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“Susana Gaspar was a peach of a Mimì, lovable and sincere”
Reviewed at The Grange, Alresford on 14 June 2015
Programme
Puccini, La bohème
Performers
Grange Park Opera
Stephen Barlow, Conductor
Stephen Medcalf, Director
Jamie Vartan, Set Designer
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
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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
More reviews...
Read reviews of
Bournemouth Symphony OrchestraBrett PolegatoGiacomo PucciniGianluca TerranovaGrange Park OperaJamie VartanKelebogile BesongLa bohèmeNicholas CrawleyNicholas FolwellQuirijn de LangStephen BarlowStephen MedcalfSusana Gaspar
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Mark Pullinger
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.