Snowflakes and sunflowers in Leeds

By Mark Pullinger, 22 January 2017

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“a vodka-soaked jilted bride in a wedding dress resembling a giant Italian meringue”

Reviewed at Leeds Grand Theatre, Leeds on 21 January 2017

Rimsky-Korsakov, Snegurochka, The Snow Maiden (Sung in English)

Opera North

Leo McFall, Conductor

John Fulljames, Director

Giles Cadle, Set Designer

Christina Cunningham, Costume Designer

Aoife Miskelly, Snegurochka

Heather Lowe, Lel

Yvonne Howard, Spring Beauty

Bonaventura Bottone, Tsar Berendey

Phillip Rhodes, Mizgir

Dean Robinson, Bermyata

Elin Pritchard, Kupava

Claire Pascoe, Bobylikha

James Creswell, Frost

Orchestra of Opera North

Chorus of Opera North

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*****

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****1

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****1

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****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.

Snowflakes and sunflowers: rare Rimsky-Korsakov opera revived by Opera North