Rusalka – Dvorak – Glyndebourne

Rusalka – Dvorak – Glyndebourne

David Buchler
Glyndebourne

One of Dvorak’s most well-known operas composed at the beginning of the twentieth century is a lyric fairy tale in three acts and sung in Czech.  This production by Melly Still is more an imitation of the Hans Christian Andersen version of The Little Mermaid with tragedy at its core, but little to delight the fairy tale purists until a powerfully struck ending, both visually and musically, enables redemption at last.

Un ballo in maschera – Verdi – Opera Holland Park – Young Artist Performance

Un ballo in maschera – Verdi – Opera Holland Park – Young Artist Performance

David Buchler
Holland Park

The original Greek Director Rodula Gaitanou, with design by Takis, produced an attractive moveable wooden panelled set that was used throughout this opera - apart from the great entrance of the Fortune Teller.  In this Young Artist performance the direction was taken on by Rachel Hewer, who has worked on a number of shows at the Royal College of Music and Glyndebourne.  She had Sion Corder as her Lighting Director, Steve Elias as the Movement Director and Brett Yount as the Fight Director, all from the main production.  The work was updated to the 1940s, but still retained its ambiguous eccentricities and disguised assassin’s violence, which were a pre-cursor to the death of Gustavo.  The area of concern was always the replacement of the cemetery scene with a hospital scene, which didn’t necessarily reflect the storyline, particularly the need for Amelia to suffer injections to cure her love.  Bizarre!

Hansel & Gretel – Humperdinck – English National Opera & Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Hansel & Gretel – Humperdinck – English National Opera & Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

David Buchler
English National Opera, Regent's Park Theatre

ENO & Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre teamed up to provide a musical feast – literally – of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel.  Directed by the long-term Director of the Regent’s Park Opera Timothy Sheader and supported by the ‘Tony Award’ nominated, Peter McKintosh, as the Set and Costume Designer, Lizzi Gee as the Movement Director and Oliver Fenwick as the Lighting Director.  The team really produced a fun staging culminating in a great candy house with lots of colourful gingerbread men. 

Madama Butterfly – Puccini – Diva Opera at Syon Park & Children with Cancer UK

Madama Butterfly – Puccini – Diva Opera at Syon Park & Children with Cancer UK

David Buchler
Diva Opera

Children with Cancer UK teamed up with Diva Opera at Syon Park to deliver an adventurous piano-led Madama Butterfly, simultaneously raising sufficient funds for a very worthy cause.  Every year around 4,500 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK and the charity provides wide ranging practical and emotional support to families struggling with the effects of childhood cancer.

Falstaff – Verdi – The Grange Festival

Falstaff – Verdi – The Grange Festival

David Buchler
Grange Festival

Michael Chance took a real risk in his appointment as Artistic Director and CEO of the new Grange Festival, but with this wonderful production of Falstaff the risk really seems to have paid off.  He has overseen a very good season at The Grange Festival, but in conjunction with the Director, Christopher Luscombe, this Falstaff is a success in every department, particularly visually and musically.

Don Carlo – Verdi – Grange Park Opera

Don Carlo – Verdi – Grange Park Opera

David Buchler
Grange Park Opera

In an ambitious tilt at major opera houses, Grange Park Opera has revived its 2016 staging of the immense and dramatic Verdi opera, Don Carlo, which was premiered in 1867.  The original five act French libretto was shortened somewhat to a four act Italian version, which was on show in the Woods in Surrey and in this respect Jo Davies’s modest plain sets were more suited to this country house production.