Hedging its bets: La finta giardiniera at the Royal College of Music

Eden Shifroni (Serpetta), Eva Pearson Maxwell (Arminda) and Edvard Adde (Don Anchise)

Cecilia Yufan Zhang (Ramiro)

Charlotte Jane Kennedy (Sandrina)

Francis Melville (Belfiore), Edvard Adde (Don Anchise) and Eve Pearson Maxwell (Arminda)

By Dominic Lowe, 18 March 2026

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“Stephen Barlow’s production is a cheerfully chaotic affair”

Reviewed at Royal College of Music: Britten Theatre, London on 16 March 2026

Mozart, La finta giardiniera

RCM Opera Studio

Michael Rosewell, Conductor

Stephen Barlow, Director

Yannis Thavoris, Set Designer

Tim Mitchell, Lighting Designer

Royal College of Music Opera Orchestra

Eve Pearson Maxwell, Arminda

Charlotte Jane Kennedy, Sandrina

Francis Melville, Belfiore

Edvard Adde, Don Anchise

Eden Shifroni, Serpetta

Cecilia Yufan Zhang, Ramiro

Zhen Liu, Roberto

The other Don Giovanni: Gazzaniga's take on the legendary lothario

Dominic Lowe, 20th November

It premiered in the same year as Mozart's opera, but Gazzaniga's Don Giovanni is virtually unknown. Despite the best efforts of an energetic student cast it doesn't come close to hitting the heights that Mozart and Da Ponte reached.

***11

Nightmares dressed as daydreams: Respighi and Ravel at the RCM

Dominic Lowe, 13th March

An opportunity to hear one of Respighi's operas in the UK is a real treat; the composer's take on Sleeping Beauty, La bella dormente nel bosco, is an ideal companion to to Ravel's L'Enfant et les sortilèges in a terrific double bill at the Royal College of Music.

****1

Candy and Communism: Hänsel und Gretel at the Royal College of Music

Dominic Lowe, 14th March

A new production of Humperdinck's charming fairy-tale opera is always to be welcomed, particularly when performed with such enthusiasm by the students of the Royal College of Music.

****1

Tuneful desert island fun: Robinson Crusoe at the RCM

David Karlin, 13th March

A delicious evening which showed off its young talent to best advantage and made us want more Offenbach.

****1

Respighi’s Lucrezia compels in Guildhall School’s double bill

Dominic Lowe, 3rd November

Pleas for more Respighi operas are answered as the students of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama give the UK premiere of Lucrezia, paired with Ethel Smyth's Der Wald.

****1

Jonathan Dove’s Itch at Opera Holland Park

David Karlin, 3rd June

Simon Mayo’s Young Adult novels are turned into an operatic romp which explores the fascination of the elements with excellent music and setting, albeit riddled with plot lacunae.

****1

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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.

Hedging its bets: a merry La finta giardiniera at the Royal College of Music