On the edge of tragedy: The Rape of Lucretia at the Linbury Theatre

Anne Marie Stanley (Lucretia) and Carolyn Holt (Bianca)

Jolyon Loy (Tarquinius) and Anne Marie Stanley (Lucretia)

Jolyon Loy (Tarquinius)

Anne Marie Stanley (Lucretia) and Anthony Reed (Collatinus)

By Dominic Lowe, 15 November 2022

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“Mears’ deeply challenging production... made this an utterly gripping piece of theatre”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House: Linbury Theatre, London on 13 November 2022

Britten, The Rape of Lucretia (22nd November performance is cancelled)

The Royal Opera

Corinna Niemeyer, Conductor

Oliver Mears, Director

Annemarie Woods, Set Designer, Costume Designer

DM Wood, Lighting Designer

Aurora Orchestra

Sydney Baedke, Female Chorus

Sarah Dufresne, Lucia

Carolyn Holt, Bianca

Anne Marie Stanley, Lucretia

Michael Gibson, Male Chorus

Jolyon Loy, Tarquinius

Anthony Reed, Collatinus

Kieran Rayner, Junius

The Turn of the Screw at RBO Linbury: Darkness and denial

Eleanor Knight, 26th March

Natalie Abrahami’s mesmerising new production of Britten’s ghostly tale of sexual abuse is very dark indeed.

*****

A riveting Rigoletto revival at the Royal Opera House

Dominic Lowe, 25th March

Sir Mark Elder celebrates 50 years at Covent Garden by returning to his first opera there in 1976 – Verdi's Rigoletto – in a revival of Oliver Mears' excellent 2021 production.

****1

Siegfried at the RBO: Kosky and Pappano surprise and delight

David Karlin, 17th March

A revelatory orchestral performance and a cast led by Andreas Schager, Christopher Maltman and Elisabeth Strid make this a Siegfried for the record books.

*****

Terfel’s craggy Boris Godunov returns to Covent Garden

Mark Pullinger, 29th January

The second revival of Richard Jones' staging of Mussorgsky's original 1869 version of Boris Godunov once again stars the Welsh knight.

****1

Ermonela Jaho returns in triumph to The Royal Opera’s Traviata

Mark Valencia, 8th January

Richard Eyre’s 32-year-old production is rarely out of The Royal Opera’s repertoire for more than a few months at a time, but this particular revival proves very special.

*****

Turandot drowned in an orchestral tsunami at The Royal Opera

David Karlin, 15th December

Andrei Șerban’s 40 year old take on Puccini's tale of the ice princess largely stands the test of time, but Netrebko and Eyvazov are short of their best form.

***11

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Dominic Lowe

Dominic Lowe recently completed a degree in Classics, and one of his great interests is the reception of Greece and Rome in opera. A regular opera-goer since his very early teens, he is particularly keen on the hidden operatic gems of the 19th century. He is largely based in the South of England.