Belly laugh: Falstaff ends CBSO season

By Mark Pullinger, 14 July 2016

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“double basses scrabbling around like elephants en pointe”

Reviewed at Symphony Hall, Birmingham on 13 July 2016

Verdi, Falstaff

Edward Gardner, Conductor

Ambrogio Maestri, Sir John Falstaff

Nicholas Pallesen, Ford

Corinne Winters, Alice Ford

Sofia Fomina, Nannetta

Justina Gringytė, Meg Page

Jane Henschel, Mistress Quickly

Sam Furness, Fenton

Peter Van Hulle, Bardolfo (Bardolph)

Lukas Jakobski, Pistola (Pistol)

Graham Clark, Dr Caius

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

CBSO Chorus

Reality television: ENO’s Angel’s Bone in Manchester

Lawrence Dunn, 12th May

Kip Williams and ENO mount an extraordinary new production of Du Yun and Royce Vavrek’s multifaceted opera, with performances of great emotional directness broadcast live on camera.

*****

Sir Thomas Allen’s Figaro for Scottish Opera still entertains

David Smythe, 9th May

A traditional Marriage of Figaro entertains with a strong cast, eye-catching design and lighting, and Amanda Holden’s earthy libretto.

****1

Sasha Cooke brings sharp intelligence to Seattle Opera’s Carmen

Thomas May, 8th May

Sasha Cooke’s thoughtful role debut anchors Paul Curran’s visually and musically alert but dramatically uneven production.

****1

Rossini’s Cenerentola proves great fun in Adelaide

Sandra Bowdler, 7th May

Neil Armfield’s production for State Opera South Australia combines a sparkling night of entertainment with first class musical values.

****1

Werther oozes quiet despair in new Canadian Opera Company staging

John Gilks, 7th May

Excellent performances cannot turn a conventional production of Massenet’s Werther into a dramatic experience for the 21st century.

***11

Welsh National Opera’s Dutchman docks in Birmingham

Rohan Shotton, 7th May

This bracing performance of The Flying Dutchman is a powerful reminder of the extraordinary musical standards which are at risk in the face of WNO’s subsidy cuts.

****1

More reviews...

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.

Belly laugh: Verdi's Falstaff ends CBSO season in high spirits