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

By Dominic Lowe, 04 July 2021

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“every aspect of the staging is designed to provoke or facilitate humour”

Reviewed at Garsington Opera, High Wycombe on 2 July 2021

Rossini, Le Comte Ory

Garsington Opera

Valentina Peleggi, Conductor

Cal McCrystal, Director

takis, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Jake Wiltshire, Lighting Designer

Jack Swanson, Count Ory

Andrea Carroll, Countess Adèle

Katie Bray, Isolier

Patricia Bardon, Ragonde

Jacques Imbrailo, Raimbaud

Joshua Bloom, The Tutor

Milly Forrest, Alice

Tim Claydon, Choreography

Garsington Opera Chorus

Philharmonia Orchestra

A radically trad Fidelio at Garsington

Peter Quantrill, 27th June

Simple solutions prove the best in Beethoven's "problem" opera as John Cox's staging is revived at Garsington.

****1

Ravishing Rodelinda: Handel al fresco at Garsington Opera

Roy Westbrook, 13th June

Ruth Knight untangles Handel's Rodelinda, directing a new staging at Garsington which features a feast of fine singing.

****1

Three card trick: compelling new Queen of Spades at Garsington

Roy Westbrook, 29th May

Jack Furness directs a terrific new Queen of Spades at Garsington – haunting and harrowing.

****1

Garsington’s L’elisir d’amore: Dr Feelgood wins the day

David Karlin, 28th May

Simon Higlett’s exquisite sets and costumes give a backdrop to Donizetti’s frothiest of rom-coms.

****1

Madcap comedy from Verdi: Un giorno di regno at Garsington

David Karlin, 29th June

Christopher Alden, Chris Hopkins and an excellent cast send us a comic roller coaster ride with Verdi’s ultra-rarely performed second opera.

*****

Garsington Opera's new A Midsummer Night's Dream

Roy Westbrook, 16th June

In the first and last acts, ladies entered with a train still attached to a bolt of cloth, which was then cut to length by an attendant. Was this production brought to the stage in a great hurry, allowing no time for costume fittings?

***11

More reviews...

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.

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