Man of La Mancha: Don Quichotte at Wexford

By Mark Pullinger, 23 October 2019

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“The Georgian has a silky bass, weaving long legato lines around Don Quichotte’s serenade”

Reviewed at National Opera House: O’Reilly Theatre, Wexford on 22 October 2019

Massenet, Don Quichotte

Wexford Festival Opera

Timothy Myers, Conductor

Rodula Gaitanou, Director

takis, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Goderdzi Janelidze, Don Quichotte

Aigul Akhmetshina, Dulcinée

Ólafur Sigurdarson, Sancho Pança

Gavan Ring, Juan

Elly Hunter Smith, Garcias

Gabrielle Dundon, Pedro

Dominick Felix, Rodriguez

Henry Grant Kerswell, Ténébrun

Simon Corder, Lighting Designer

Chorus of Wexford Festival Opera

Orchestra of Wexford Festival Opera

Delius’ The Magic Fountain disappoints at Wexford

Eleanor Knight, 19th October

Frederick Delius' gigantic score is worth a listen but Christopher Luscombe doesn’t circumvent the problems of directing this opera in 2025.

**111

Handel’s Deidamia a triumph for Wexford Festival Opera

Eleanor Knight, 18th October

A rare opportunity to see Handel’s final operatic work, Deidamia, conducted – and staged – by George Petrou at Wexford Festival Opera.

*****

Spanish Civil War Trouvère opens Wexford Festival Opera

Eleanor Knight, 17th October

The 74th Wexford Opera Festival opens with the French revision of Il trovatore that Verdi reforged for the Paris Opera.

***11

Orpha Phelan delivers farcical Donizetti at the Wexford Festival Opera

Andrew Larkin, 20th October

Superlative singing, hilarious antics and an energetic production make Donizetti's Le Convenience ed inconvenience an exhilarating success.

****1

Stanford's hilarious The Critic proves a Wexford knockout

Andrew Larkin, 19th October

Conor Hanratty's humorous production is a triumph from beginning to end, a must see at this year's Wexford Festival.

*****

Mascagni's Le maschere struggles to take flight in Wexford opener

Andrew Larkin, 18th October

Excellent singing, an amusing production and lively staging showcases Mascagni's Le maschere in the best possible light at Wexford Festival Opera.

***11

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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.

Man of La Mancha: Massenet’s Don Quichotte opens Wexford Festival Opera