Fame and feuding on the Rhine: Longborough's new Götterdämmerung

Lee Bisset (Brünnhilde) and Catherine Carby (Waltraute)

Mae Heydorn, Katie Lowe and Harriet Williams (Norns)

Benedict Nelson (Gunther), Julian Close (Hagen) and Laure Meloy (Gutrune)

Lee Bisset (Brünnhilde) and Bradley Daley (Siegfried)

Mari Wyn Williams, Katie Stevenson and Rebecca Afonwy-Jones (Rhinemaidens)

By Roy Westbrook, 30 May 2023

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“Anthony Negus is a Wagnerian of considerable distinction, and far beyond Gloucestershire”

Reviewed at Longborough Festival Opera, Moreton-in-Marsh on 29 May 2023

Wagner, Götterdämmerung

Longborough Festival Opera

Anthony Negus, Conductor

Amy Lane, Director

Rhiannon Newman Brown, Set Designer

Emma Ryott, Costume Designer

Charlie Morgan Jones, Lighting Designer

Longborough Festival Opera Orchestra

Longborough Festival Chorus

Tim Baxter, Video

Bradley Daley, Siegfried

Lee Bisset, Brünnhilde

Benedict Nelson, Gunther

Laure Meloy, Gutrune

Julian Close, Hagen

Freddie Tong, Alberich

Catherine Carby, Waltraute

Mae Heydorn, First Norn

Harriet Williams, Second Norn

Katie Lowe, Third Norn

Mari Wyn Williams, Woglinde

Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, Wellgunde

Katie Stevenson, Flosshilde

Dorman’s Wahnfried receives its UK premiere at Longborough

Mark Pullinger, 27th May

Longborough Festival Opera, built on Wagnerian foundations, stages the UK premiere of Avner Dorman’s ambitious cautionary tale about the Wagner clan and establishing the composer’s legacy.

***11

An enthralling Walküre at Longborough Opera Festival

David Karlin, 18th June

Who wouldn't relish the chance of seeing a Ring cycle at close quarters? Longborough's Die Walküre isn't perfect, but it consistently delivers on the story and on character interpretation.

****1

Back to the Bard: Longborough's Fairy Queen

Roy Westbrook, 29th July

Polly Graham's production turns semi-opera into “three-quarters opera”, to good effect.

***11

Don't look back: Longborough's new L'Orfeo

Roy Westbrook, 11th July

Olivia Fuchs directs Monteverdi's early opera in a sparse staging with a consistently fine cast.

***11

Grief compellingly explored: Die tote Stadt at Longborough

David Karlin, 27th June

An outstanding performance from Rachel Nicholls lights up Carmen Jakobi's compelling production of Korngold's exploration of grief.

****1

Fearlessly heroic: Siegfried gets the Longborough Ring back on track

Matthew Rye, 30th May

Longborough Festival Opera’s ongoing Ring cycle returns to its fully staged form with a triumphant new Siegfried.

****1

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Roy Westbrook

Roy Westbrook gained a diploma in music history at London University (Morley College) and was for some years the head of music day schools at Oxford University, where he also led music summer schools. After some years leading the University's business school he has returned to music teaching and writing, and recently took part in the Arts in Residence courses on Bruckner, Mahler and Bach He is co-author (with Terry Barfoot) of a history of opera, and has taught day schools on Sibelius in Oxford and elsewhere.