Sixteen nuns executed near Winchester: Dialogues des Carmélites at Grange Park

By Paul Kilbey, 26 June 2013

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Reviewed at The Grange, Alresford on 22 June 2013

Poulenc, Dialogues des Carmélites

Grange Park Opera

Stephen Barlow, Conductor

John Doyle, Director

Matthew Stiff, Marquis de la Force

Hye-Youn Lee, Blanche de la Force

Nicky Spence, Chevalier de la Force

Anne-Marie Owens, Madame de Croissy, the prioress

Fiona Murphy, Madame Lidoine, the new prioress

Sara Fulgoni, Mère Marie

Kathleen Wilkinson, Mère Jeanne

Soraya Mafi, Sœur Constance

Olivia Ray, Sœur Mathilde

Nigel Robson, Le Père confesseur

Taj Mahal by Nishat Khan premieres at Grange Park Opera

David Karlin, 10th July

Scion of generations of sitar players, Nishat Khan is the perfect person to tell the "greatest love story never told" behind India's most iconic building.

***11

Ukraine matters: Tchaikovsky’s Mazeppa at Grange Park Opera

Roy Westbrook, 14th June

Why is Tchaikovsky’s very fine opera still a rarity outside Russia? David Pountney directs a new production at the Surrey festival.

****1

Pountney’s vivid Simon Boccanegra at Grange Park Opera

Mark Pullinger, 5th June

Sir David Pountney's 1997 staging for Welsh National Opera is given a welcome new lease of life at Grange Park Opera, splendidly cast... with one major exception.

****1

A confusing operatic take on The Tempest at Grange Park Opera

Nick Boston, 11th July

Strong vocal and orchestral performances, supported by impressive visuals, struggle to bring coherency to Anthony Bolton's Island of Dreams at Grange Park Opera.

***11

An impressive, minimalist Kátya Kabanová at Grange Park Opera

David Karlin, 27th June

A memorable performance, with Stephen Barlow conducting Janáček’s remarkable score with vividness and clarity, while David Alden's staging is a masterpiece of "less is more".

****1

Aleko on the Arno: Bryn Terfel leads fine new GPO double bill

Roy Westbrook, 6th June

An unlikely pairing opens Grange Park Opera's season, the two works united by the dominant central character of each opera – Sir Bryn Terfel.

****1

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Paul Kilbey

Paul was Reviews Editor at Bachtrack from 2012 to February 2014. He has written on music and culture for publications including Culture Wars, the Huffington Post, the Independent and the Guardian. He holds BA and MPhil degrees in music from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and is particularly passionate about contemporary music of all types. His website is here.