Bowler hats and lobsters: WNO's surreal Magic Flute returns

By Rohan Shotton, 19 February 2019

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Reviewed at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff on 17 February 2019

Mozart, Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) (Sung in English)

Welsh National Opera

Damian Iorio, Conductor

Dominic Cooke, Director

Julian Crouch, Set Designer

Kevin Pollard, Costume Designer

Ben Johnson, Tamino

Anita Watson, Pamina

Anna Siminska, Queen of the Night

Gareth Brynmor John, Papageno

James Platt, Sarastro

Jennifer Davis, First Lady

Kezia Bienek, Second Lady

Emma Carrington, Third Lady

Phillip Rhodes, The Speaker (Der Sprecher)

Claire Hampton, Papagena

Joe Roche, First Armoured Man

Simon Crosby Buttle, First Priest

Howard Kirk, Monostatos

Laurence Cole, Second Armoured Man

Welsh National Opera Chorus

Welsh National Opera Orchestra

A magnificent Tosca from Welsh National Opera at the Mayflower

David Truslove, 3rd October

WNO imports Edward Dick’s exceptionally fine production, which benefits from from superb casting and outstanding performances led by Natalya Romaniw.

*****

Bancroft and BBCNOW at the Proms: a deeply satisfying Mahler 3

David Karlin, 11th August

Bancroft and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales provide a Mahler 3 of exceptional clarity and forward momentum, with terrific posthorn solos from Corey Morris and Beth Taylor an outstanding soloist.

****1

A dark and disturbing Rigoletto from WNO at the Mayflower

David Truslove, 14th November

Fine performances in a punchy new production that coats this tragic opera in a large dollop of debauchery.

****1

WNO stages Death in Venice for the first time and it’s a triumph

Mark Valencia, 7th March

Olivia Fuchs solves the problems of Britten's thorny opera in a brilliant new production that hits the heights, featuring Mark Le Brocq as earthbound scholar, Gustav von Aschenbach.

*****

Musical performances keep WNO's new Così afloat

Mark Valencia, 6th March

Max Hoehn takes Così‘s subtitle, La scuola degli amanti (The School for Lovers), and connects it to Monty Python’s sex education sketch in The Meaning of Life. What larks, eh?

***11

Stacey Alleaume leads WNO's emotionally-charged Traviata

David Truslove, 24th November

Leading an international cast in a still-sumptuous revival in Southampton's Mayflower, Stacey Alleaume gives a sovereign performance as the ill-fated courtesan Violetta.

****1

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Rohan Shotton

Rohan has reviewed concerts and opera across the UK and Europe, but chiefly in Manchester, where he enjoys conducting and playing percussion and piano. He works as a hospital doctor, having studied in St Andrews and Manchester, and tweets as @RohanShotton.