Mavra and Iolanta: a strong Russian double-bill

By Dominic Lowe, 02 November 2016

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Reviewed at Guildhall School of Music & Drama: Silk Street Theatre, London on 31 October 2016

Stravinsky, Mavra

Tchaikovsky, Iolanta

Dominic Wheeler, Conductor

Kelly Robinson, Director

Bridget Kimak, Set Designer

Margo Arsane, Parasha

John Findon, Vassily/'Mavra'

Jade Moffat, Mother, Martha

Chloë Treharne, Neighbour

Joanna Marie Skillett, Iolanta

Dominick Felix, Vaudémont

Dominic Sedgwick, Robert

David Ireland, King René

Anna Sideris, Brigitta

Bianca Andrew, Laura

Eduardo Mas Bacardit, Alméric

Bertie Watson, Bertrand

Joseph Padfield, Ibn-Hakia

Guildhall Symphony Orchestra

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Roger Smith, 5th June

I’m sure before long I’ll see a production of Daisy Pulls It Off that opens with modern day soldiers charging onto the stage waving rifles about – it seems to be the first image directors reach for these days.

****1

A sorta fairy tale: Sleepers Awake premieres at Opera Philadelphia

Cameron Kelsall, 22nd April

A new opera by Gregory Spears subverts the Sleeping Beauty trope, with middling results.

**111

Asmik Grigorian strengthens the Met’s revival of Eugene Onegin

Susan Stempleski, 20th April

The Lithuanian soprano’s riveting performance as the central character in Tchaikovsky’s operatic masterpiece lights up Deborah Warner’s mostly bland production.

****1

At half mast: Simon Boccanegra revived in Vienna

Orsolya Gyárfás, 19th April

Marco Armiliato's conducting thrills and Federica Lombardi's radiant Amelia stands out in the Wiener Staatsoper's latest revival of Simon Boccanegra.

***11

Anna Netrebko shines in Vienna’s timeless Tosca

Laura Servidei, 18th April

In a world where opera productions often stray into the abstract, the Wiener Staatsoper’s Tosca offers a refreshing return to tradition – and Anna Netrebko delivers a splendid performance.

****1

Weinberg’s The Passenger at Dutch National Opera

Clare Varney, 17th April

Tobias Kratzer's 2024 Munich production makes its way to Amsterdam, proving that Weinberg's opera has the power to transfix.

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Dominic Lowe

Dominic Lowe recently completed a degree in Classics, and one of his great interests is the reception of Greece and Rome in opera. A regular opera-goer since his very early teens, he is particularly keen on the hidden operatic gems of the 19th century. He is largely based in the South of England.

Mavra and Iolanta: a strong Russian double-bill at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama