Verdi's La Forza del Destino at Opera Holland Park

By David Karlin, 30 July 2010

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Reviewed at Holland Park Theatre, London on 29 July 2010

Verdi, La forza del destino

Stuart Stratford, Conductor

Martin Duncan, Director

Gweneth-Ann Rand, Leonora

Peter Auty, Don Alvaro

Mark Stone, Don Carlo

Mikhail Svetlov, Padre Guardiano

Graeme Broadbent, Marquis of Calatrava

Carole Wilson, Preziosilla

Donald Maxwell, Fra Melitone

Olivia Ray, Curra

Aled Hall, Trabuco

Beautiful Sing, but no Spiel: an unusual Munich Entführung

Laura Servidei, 12th June

Ivor Bolton leads the Bayerische Staatsorchester in a delightful musical rendition of Mozart’s masterpiece, with a great performance by Pavol Breslik as Belmonte.

***11

Clown court: Offenbach's Fantasio at Garsington

Matthew Rye, 14th June

The UK stage debut of Offenbach’s neglected Fantasio reveals a musical sizzler, but directorially it needs a more sympathetic touch than Garsington musters.

***11

A superbly entertaining Kiss Me, Kate at the Theater Bonn

Cristina Burack, 10th November

Theater Bonn successfully tackles Kiss Me, Kate in an appropriately light production.

****1

Prom 57: On the Town

Sebastian Scotney, 25th August

John Wilson was constantly persuading the orchestra to dig deep and to unearth the riches and miracles in the orchestral writing.

****1

Dove's Flight takes off superbly

Mark Pullinger, 12th March

Dove's infectious score nods to Copland, Bernstein and Britten and its tongue-twisting ensembles and high-wire vocal writing were wonderfully performed.

*****

Personenregie perfection: Garsington's Turco in Italia

David Karlin, 26th June

Garsington's latest Rossini buffa is on the nail orchestrally, mixed vocally and one of the best pieces of acting and stage movement you'll see in opera.

****1

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David Karlin

David is a co-founder of Bachtrack. He is a musical omnivore interested in almost all types of music, but with a particular love of Italian opera. You can contact him from this link.