La princesse jaune and La colombe at the Buxton Festival

By Andrew H. King, 12 July 2013

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

Reviewed at Buxton Opera House, Buxton on 8 July 2013

Saint-Saëns, La Princesse jaune

Gounod, La colombe

Buxton Festival Opera

Anne-Sophie Duprels, Soprano

Ryan MacPherson, Tenor

Gillian Keith, Soprano

Emma Carrington, Contralto

Jonathan Best, Bass

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

Fresh peaches of temptation

Charlotte Valori, 8th July

A period-perfect Albert Herring from Francis Matthews for Buxton International Festival takes time to settle into its stride, but provides plenty of laughs along the way.

****1

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.

*****

More reviews...

Andrew H. King

Following training as a singer and conductor, Andrew is now completing a doctoral thesis on the life and songs of Sir Granville Bantock. Interests include English and American music, with an emphasis on opera, choral music and song. Andrew has been published in MUSO, Early Music, and by BBC Radio 3 and the BBC Proms.