Spanish sex and Gallic charm: a perfect Ravel double

By Mark Pullinger, 08 August 2015

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“De Niese’s coquettish Concepción is a delight... she brings plenty of sex and spice to the role”

Reviewed at Glyndebourne Opera House, Glyndebourne on 8 August 2015

Ravel, L'Heure espagnole

Ravel, L'Enfant et les sortilèges

Glyndebourne Festival Opera

Robin Ticciati, Conductor

Laurent Pelly, Director, Costume Designer

Barbara de Limburg, Set Designer

Danielle de Niese, Concepción, The Child

Cyrille Dubois, Gonzalve

François Piolino, Torquemada, Little old man, Tree frog, Wedgwood teapot

Étienne Dupuis, Ramiro, Cat (male), Clock

Lionel Lhote, Don Iñigo Gomez, Chair, Tree

Sabine Devieilhe, Fire, Nightingale, Princess

Hanna Hipp, Cat (female), Squirrel

Elodie Méchain, China Cup, Dragonfly, Mother

Caroline Ginet, Set Designer

London Philharmonic Orchestra

The Glyndebourne Chorus

Glyndebourne revives Michieletto’s Kátya Kabanová

Mark Valencia, 3rd August

Damiano Michieletto’s production of Janáček’s opera breaks a key tenet of high-concept opera: where it should reveal, it obfuscates.

***11

All the world’s a jest: Falstaff returns to Glyndebourne

Mark Pullinger, 23rd July

Richard Jones' 2009 production returns to Glyndebourne after a long absence, but the 1940s comedy scrubs up fresh.

***11

A strong new Figaro opens at Glyndebourne

Dominic Lowe, 29th June

Mariame Clément is a popular director at Glyndebourne, and her new production of Figaro shows her trademark approach to hardhitting comedy.

****1

Glyndebourne's Saul still packs a punch 10 years on

Nick Boston, 8th June

Returning from the original run, Christopher Purves and Iestyn Davies were joined by a strong cast and chorus for a revival of Barrie Kosky's striking production.

*****

Unhurried suspense in a very English Parsifal

Peter Quantrill, 17th May

Compelling singers carry the day in the Glyndebourne Festival Opera's first staging of Wagner’s swansong.

****1

Glyndebourne’s season opens with Rossini’s Barber of Seville

David Karlin, 16th May

Annabel Arden’s production provides joyous comedy, with vocal and orchestral performances of the very finest.

*****

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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.

Spanish sex and Gallic charm: a perfect Ravel double bill at Glyndebourne