British Youth Opera takes on a New World in Britten's Paul Bunyan

By Jaime Robles, 10 September 2013

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Reviewed at Sadler's Wells: Peacock Theatre, London on 7 September 2013

Britten, Paul Bunyan

British Youth Opera

Southbank Sinfonia

Peter Robinson, Conductor

Will Kerley, Director

Christopher Jacklin, Baritone

William Edelsten, Vocals

Timothy Connor, Baritone

Samuel Smith, Tenor

Emily Vine, Soprano

Grace Durham, Mezzo-soprano

Ayako Tanaka, Soprano

Peter Kirk, Tenor

Louise Kemény, Soprano

The Enchanted Island a rich and strange Baroque confection

John Johnston, 5th September

Rather than compiling a Top Ten of Baroque Hits, The Enchanted Island amounts to much more than a gallimaufry of choice gobbets, seasoned with French galenterie.

****1

Impressive Rake’s Progress from British Youth Opera

David Truslove, 4th September

Fine performances from a confident cast brought some terrific singing as well as depth of characterisation in Stravinsky’s only full-length opera.

****1

Eccentric circles: a youthful take from BYO

Matthew Rye, 7th September

British Youth Opera revives a forgotten operatic entertainment from the 1960s with flair and professionalism.

****1

Soaring straight into our hearts

Charlotte Valori, 8th September

Jonathan Dove's joyous old-fashioned fairytale, magically realised in a very stylish production including some wonderfully original puppetry, is a fabulous talent showcase from British Youth Opera - and fun for all the family.

****1

Fall in love all over again: Cimarosa's The Secret Marriage with British Youth Opera

Charlotte Valori, 11th September

The Secret Marriage has been a hit from its earliest days. At its 1792 première in Vienna, King Leopold II was so delighted by the performance that he ordered the whole company to repair to his mansion, be treated to a magnificent dinner, “and then play the entire opera through again, immediately”.

****1

British Youth Opera 25th anniversary season: A Night at the Chinese Opera

Paul Kilbey, 12th September

British Youth Opera have been fostering the best of young British vocal talent for 25 years, and it’s a delight to see them celebrating their anniversary this year with a work precisely as old as they are: Judith Weir’s A Night at the Chinese Opera dates from 1987, and made for a lively showcase for these rising stars at London’s Peacock Theatre last night.

***11

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Jaime Robles

Jaime Robles has previously written in the San Francisco Bay Area, including for the San Francisco Classical Voice. Also a poet, she has written song lyrics and librettos for several one-act operas, including Inferno (music by Peter Josheff), staged in 2009 by San Francisco Cabaret Opera, and Vladimir in Butterfly Country (music by Anne Callaway), staged in 2012.