Garsington's Dream devoid of magic

By Mark Pullinger, 17 July 2015

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Reviewed at Garsington Opera, High Wycombe on 16 July 2015

Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture, Op.21

Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61 (Incidental Music)

Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Royal Shakespeare Company

Douglas Boyd, Conductor

Owen Horsley, Director

Rosanna Vize, Set Designer

The Gascoigne Orchestra

Anna Sideris, Soprano

Catherine Backhouse, Mezzo-soprano

Oliver Johnstone, Actor

Forbes Masson, Actor

Joan Iyiola, Actor

Hedydd Dylan, Actor

Simon Manyonda, Actor

Marty Cruickshank, Actor

David Rintoul, Actor

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

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

Werther in the woods: an intense new production at Grange Park Opera

David Truslove, 17th June

John Doyle's emotional staging of Werther gets to the heart of Massenet's engagement with Goethe in memorable performances.

****1

Death-devoted duo: a superb Tristan und Isolde at Grange Park Opera

Roy Westbrook, 8th June

Charles Edwards' ambitious production is well served by a strong cast as Grange Park Opera opens its season in the Theatre in the Woods.

****1

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

A Dream devoid of magic: Garsington’s RSC collaboration disappoints