British Youth Opera 25th anniversary season: A Night at the Chinese Opera

By Paul Kilbey, 13 September 2012

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Reviewed at Sadler's Wells: Peacock Theatre, London on 12 September 2012

Weir, A Night at the Chinese Opera

British Youth Opera

Samuel Smith, Marco Polo

James Hall, Military Governor

Jean-Baptiste Mouret, A Mongolian Soldier

Jamie Rock, A Fireman

Helen Bruce, Old Crone

Louise Kemény, Soprano Actor

Thomas Elwin, Old Mountain Dweller

Johnny Herford, Chao Lin

Catherine Backhouse, Mezzo Actor

Peter Kirk, Tenor Actor

Stuart Barker, Director

Lionel Friend, Conductor

Southbank Sinfonia

The Enchanted Island a rich and strange Baroque confection

John Johnston, 5th September

Rather than compiling a Top Ten of Baroque Hits, The Enchanted Island amounts to much more than a gallimaufry of choice gobbets, seasoned with French galenterie.

****1

Impressive Rake’s Progress from British Youth Opera

David Truslove, 4th September

Fine performances from a confident cast brought some terrific singing as well as depth of characterisation in Stravinsky’s only full-length opera.

****1

Eccentric circles: a youthful take from BYO

Matthew Rye, 7th September

British Youth Opera revives a forgotten operatic entertainment from the 1960s with flair and professionalism.

****1

Soaring straight into our hearts

Charlotte Valori, 8th September

Jonathan Dove's joyous old-fashioned fairytale, magically realised in a very stylish production including some wonderfully original puppetry, is a fabulous talent showcase from British Youth Opera - and fun for all the family.

****1

Fall in love all over again: Cimarosa's The Secret Marriage with British Youth Opera

Charlotte Valori, 11th September

The Secret Marriage has been a hit from its earliest days. At its 1792 première in Vienna, King Leopold II was so delighted by the performance that he ordered the whole company to repair to his mansion, be treated to a magnificent dinner, “and then play the entire opera through again, immediately”.

****1

British Youth Opera takes on a New World in Britten's Paul Bunyan

Jaime Robles, 7th September

Wit is the ruling spirit of British Youth Opera’s delectable production of Benjamin Britten and W.H. Auden’s operetta Paul Bunyan, directed by Will Kerley.

***11

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Paul Kilbey

Paul was Reviews Editor at Bachtrack from 2012 to February 2014. He has written on music and culture for publications including Culture Wars, the Huffington Post, the Independent and the Guardian. He holds BA and MPhil degrees in music from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and is particularly passionate about contemporary music of all types. His website is here.