JPYA make a decent fist of Handel's Susanna in the Linbury Theatre

By Mark Valencia, 06 March 2020

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“hyper-energetic Patrick Milne conducted a stylish London Handel Orchestra with calisthenic precision”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House: Linbury Theatre, London on 5 March 2020

Handel, Susanna

The Royal Opera

Patrick Milne, Conductor

Isabelle Kettle, Director

Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Susanna

Patrick Terry, Joacim

Yaritza Véliz, Daniel

April Koyejo-Audiger, Attendant

Andrés Presno, First Elder

Blaise Malaba, Second Elder

Michael Mofidian, Chelsias

London Handel Orchestra

The Turn of the Screw at RBO Linbury: Darkness and denial

Eleanor Knight, 26th March

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*****

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Dominic Lowe, 25th March

Sir Mark Elder celebrates 50 years at Covent Garden by returning to his first opera there in 1976 – Verdi's Rigoletto – in a revival of Oliver Mears' excellent 2021 production.

****1

Siegfried at the RBO: Kosky and Pappano surprise and delight

David Karlin, 17th March

A revelatory orchestral performance and a cast led by Andreas Schager, Christopher Maltman and Elisabeth Strid make this a Siegfried for the record books.

*****

Terfel’s craggy Boris Godunov returns to Covent Garden

Mark Pullinger, 29th January

The second revival of Richard Jones' staging of Mussorgsky's original 1869 version of Boris Godunov once again stars the Welsh knight.

****1

Ermonela Jaho returns in triumph to The Royal Opera’s Traviata

Mark Valencia, 8th January

Richard Eyre’s 32-year-old production is rarely out of The Royal Opera’s repertoire for more than a few months at a time, but this particular revival proves very special.

*****

Turandot drowned in an orchestral tsunami at The Royal Opera

David Karlin, 15th December

Andrei Șerban’s 40 year old take on Puccini's tale of the ice princess largely stands the test of time, but Netrebko and Eyvazov are short of their best form.

***11

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Mark Valencia

Mark has worked in arts journalism for four decades, both as a writer and as a French-English translator. Nowadays he focuses his energies on reviewing opera and music. Mark also writes for Opera magazine and for Musical America as a correspondent for Europe and the UK.