Werther in the woods: an intense new production at Grange Park Opera

Ginger Costa-Jackson (Charlotte) and Leonardo Capalbo (Werther)

Robin Horgan (Schmidt), Alan Ewing (Le Bailli), Ross Cumming (Johann) an ensemble

Dominic Sedgwick (Albert) and Leonardo Capalbo (Werther)

Ginger Costa-Jackson (Charlotte)

By David Truslove, 19 June 2023

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“Costa-Jackson... unleashed her inner turmoil in a performance of blazing intensity”

Reviewed at The Theatre in the Woods, West Horsley on 17 June 2023

Massenet, Werther

Grange Park Opera

Chris Hopkins, Conductor

John Doyle, Director, Set Designer

Gabrielle Dalton, Costume Designer

Tim Mitchell, Lighting Designer

The Gascoigne Orchestra

Leonardo Capalbo, Werther

Ginger Costa-Jackson, Charlotte

Iria Perestrelo, Sophie

Dominic Sedgwick, Albert

Alan Ewing, Le Bailli

Taj Mahal by Nishat Khan premieres at Grange Park Opera

David Karlin, 10th July

Scion of generations of sitar players, Nishat Khan is the perfect person to tell the "greatest love story never told" behind India's most iconic building.

***11

Ukraine matters: Tchaikovsky’s Mazeppa at Grange Park Opera

Roy Westbrook, 14th June

Why is Tchaikovsky’s very fine opera still a rarity outside Russia? David Pountney directs a new production at the Surrey festival.

****1

Pountney’s vivid Simon Boccanegra at Grange Park Opera

Mark Pullinger, 5th June

Sir David Pountney's 1997 staging for Welsh National Opera is given a welcome new lease of life at Grange Park Opera, splendidly cast... with one major exception.

****1

A confusing operatic take on The Tempest at Grange Park Opera

Nick Boston, 11th July

Strong vocal and orchestral performances, supported by impressive visuals, struggle to bring coherency to Anthony Bolton's Island of Dreams at Grange Park Opera.

***11

An impressive, minimalist Kátya Kabanová at Grange Park Opera

David Karlin, 27th June

A memorable performance, with Stephen Barlow conducting Janáček’s remarkable score with vividness and clarity, while David Alden's staging is a masterpiece of "less is more".

****1

Aleko on the Arno: Bryn Terfel leads fine new GPO double bill

Roy Westbrook, 6th June

An unlikely pairing opens Grange Park Opera's season, the two works united by the dominant central character of each opera – Sir Bryn Terfel.

****1

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David Truslove

After many years as a musician – conducting choirs, singing as a lay clerk at Winchester Cathedral and an involvement in education, David now writes programme notes, occasionally composes and enjoys a busy schedule of reviewing.