Longborough Festival Opera - Longborough | 26 April 2024 |
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Performance reviews
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The Fairy QueenLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 4 |
Longborough’s season ends with a ravishing interpretation of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen |
5 Aug 23 / Seen and Heard |
The young cast of singers give exacting accounts of Purcell’s music |
3 Aug 23 / Classical Source |
An uplifting celebration of hybridity |
31 Jul 23 / Opera Today |
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Back to the Bard |
31 Jul 23 / Bachtrack |
L'OrfeoLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 5 |
La production d’Olivia Fuchs se singularise par une transposition cohérente et inventive |
26 Jul 23 / Anaclase |
Longborough’s successful season continues with a dissonant interpretation of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo |
22 Jul 23 / Seen and Heard |
This production is a vital demonstration that less is more in Monteverdi’s enduring masterpiece |
21 Jul 23 / Classical Source |
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Ether, electric guitars and a deus ex machina |
14 Jul 23 / The Guardian |
Don't look back |
13 Jul 23 / Bachtrack |
L'elisir d'amoreLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 3 |
Longborough’s L’elisir d’amore excitingly transfers from a Basque to a Cotswold village |
24 Jun 23 / Seen and Heard |
Country life |
23 Jun 23 / Opera Today |
Sunny and occasionally sentimental |
23 Jun 23 / The Stage |
GötterdämmerungLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 7 |
It avoids the trap of trying too hard and ending up with intellectual incoherence |
15 Jun 23 / The Article |
Großes Musiktheater auf höchstem musikalischem Niveau mit Picknick auf dem Lande |
11 Jun 23 / Opera Online (German) |
Valhalla or bust: Götterdämmerung at the LFO |
6 Jun 23 / Great British Life |
more reviews [+]
Excellent singers, conductor and orchestra makes Götterdämmerung Longborough’s best Wagner yet |
3 Jun 23 / Seen and Heard |
A magnificent Götterdämmerung at Longborough |
1 Jun 23 / Opera Today |
Conductor Anthony Negus is the lord of this Ring |
31 May 23 / The Guardian |
Fame and feuding on the Rhine: Longborough's new Götterdämmerung |
31 May 23 / Bachtrack |
Spell BookLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 3 |
Longborough Festival Opera’s investment in Emerging Artists pays dividends |
6 Aug 22 / Seen and Heard |
A rewarding, complementary preface to La liberazione di Ruggiero |
5 Aug 22 / Classical Source |
The pitfalls of diversity |
1 Aug 22 / The Arts Desk |
La liberazioneLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 3 |
Longborough Festival Opera’s investment in Emerging Artists pays dividends |
6 Aug 22 / Seen and Heard |
Lauren Joyanne Morris as Alcina brings intensity and allure to the role |
5 Aug 22 / Classical Source |
The pitfalls of diversity |
1 Aug 22 / The Arts Desk |
Die Tote StadtLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 5 |
A youthful masterpiece |
30 Jul 22 / Stratford-upon-Avon Herald |
The psychology of grief compellingly explored |
30 Jun 22 / Bachtrack |
Rachel Nicholls’s remarkable versatility in Die tote Stadt delivers another Longborough success |
29 Jun 22 / Seen and Heard |
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Korngold’s ‘Die Tote Stadt’ revived in the Cotswolds |
27 Jun 22 / The Article |
As Paul, Peter Auty never flagged in this exhausting tenor role |
23 Jun 22 / Opera Today |
CarmenLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 2 |
‘Comrades in adversity’ pull together for a Longborough Carmen with a difference |
12 Jul 22 / Seen and Heard |
A triumph over adversity as cover singers save the day |
11 Jul 22 / The Guardian |
SiegfriedLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 7 |
Directed by Amy Lane, this was a Siegfried to remember |
16 Jun 22 / Stratford-upon-Avon Herald |
A gripping Siegfried at Longborough Festival Opera |
6 Jun 22 / Opera Today |
Longborough’s Siegfried benefits from generally clear storytelling and solid musical values |
3 Jun 22 / Seen and Heard |
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Siegfried is another triumph in Longborough Festival Opera’s Ring cycle |
3 Jun 22 / Music OMH |
Heft and heroics as Longborough again proves its Wagner chops |
1 Jun 22 / The Guardian |
Atmospheric and economical |
1 Jun 22 / The Stage |
Fearlessly heroic: Siegfried gets the Longborough Ring back on track |
1 Jun 22 / Bachtrack |
The Cunning Little VixenLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 6 |
A magical offering of fun and fantasy in this wonderful outpouring of late Janáček |
21 Aug 21 / Stratford-upon-Avon Herald |
Longborough’s 2021 season concludes with a production representing a new direction for its Emerging Artist programme |
6 Aug 21 / Music OMH |
Vivid and potent musical performances, which convey the life-affirmative spirit of Janáček’s creation |
4 Aug 21 / Classical Source |
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Longborough Festival Opera's new Vixen a cunning, charming success |
3 Aug 21 / Bachtrack |
Life, death and the menopause in the forest |
2 Aug 21 / The Arts Desk |
Longborough’s emerging artists and youth chorus fashion a Cunning spirits-lifting close to the season |
1 Aug 21 / Seen and Heard |
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patriaLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 2 |
A taut new production |
21 Jul 21 / iNews |
Tenderness and thuggery plus a touch of the Pythons |
15 Jul 21 / The Guardian |
Così fan tutteLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 4 |
Così fan tutte is living proof of Longborough Festival Opera’s extraordinary inventiveness in the face of adversity |
17 Jul 21 / Stratford-upon-Avon Herald |
One of the best productions of Così I have seen |
6 Jul 21 / Classical Source |
As Longborough’s 2021 season moves beyond Wagner, a new venue takes centre-stage and the fun flows freely |
6 Jul 21 / Music OMH |
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Longborough’s Big Top Così fan tutte just about survives the cuts and the re-orchestration |
30 Jun 21 / Seen and Heard |
Die WalküreLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 5 |
A socially distanced semi-staged Die Walküre with many musical highlights returns summer opera to Longborough |
11 Jun 21 / Seen and Heard |
A semi-successful semi-staging of Die Walküre at Longborough Festival Opera |
9 Jun 21 / Bachtrack |
This is a Wagner performance that stands out on its own highly creditable terms |
8 Jun 21 / Classical Source |
more reviews [+]
A powerful electricity runs through the evening |
4 Jun 21 / Music OMH |
Covid constraints achieve intimacy and intensity |
3 Jun 21 / The Guardian |
Don GiovanniLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 6 |
The singing for this production was of the highest order |
20 Aug 19 / Stratford-upon-Avon Herald |
The best singing of the evening comes from Paula Sides as Donna Anna |
18 Jul 19 / Music OMH |
Longborough’s female-centric Don Giovanni |
15 Jul 19 / Seen and Heard |
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Characterisations are well-defined through strong, authoritative singing |
13 Jul 19 / Classical Source |
Longborough’s female-centric Don Giovanni |
13 Jul 19 / Seen and Heard |
“The Predator Punish'd”: Longborough's new Don Giovanni |
13 Jul 19 / Bachtrack |
La CalistoLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 3 |
Longborough Festival Opera’s 2019 Young Artist production is a highly dynamic telling of La Calisto |
5 Aug 19 / Music OMH |
The production winningly adapts much of the fun of Cavalli’s original |
31 Jul 19 / Classical Source |
In La Calisto, Longborough’s Young Artists Spectacularly Defy Human Frailty |
31 Jul 19 / Seen and Heard |
Anna BolenaLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 6 |
La distribution du jour fait bon effet |
14 Jul 19 / Anaclase |
Longborough’s Anna Bolena continues the 2019 season’s success |
28 Jun 19 / Seen and Heard |
Longborough has done it proud |
27 Jun 19 / Classical Source |
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Masks and marriages |
26 Jun 19 / Bachtrack |
Tudor Queens in the Cotswolds — Italian style |
26 Jun 19 / The Article |
A highly memorable evening |
24 Jun 19 / Music OMH |
Das RheingoldLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 6 |
Anthony Negus conducts Das Rheingold at Longborough |
14 Jun 19 / Opera Today |
English Summer Opera gets underway |
12 Jun 19 / The Article |
With Das Rheingold Longborough sets off once again on the Ring road |
11 Jun 19 / Seen and Heard |
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Mark Stone, with his powerful baritone, arguably produces the strongest singing of the evening as Alberich |
9 Jun 19 / Music OMH |
Longborough begins new Ring with assurance and clarity |
7 Jun 19 / The Guardian |
For Wagnerians, the next four years are sewn up |
7 Jun 19 / Classical Source |
associated articles [+]
The miracle of Longborough
Ring cycles have been known to break national opera companies. Longborough Festival Opera is about to embark upon their second. How do they do it?
Ring cycles have been known to break national opera companies. Longborough Festival Opera is about to embark upon their second. How do they do it?
L'incoronazione di PoppeaLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 4 |
L’incoronazione di Poppea constitutes Longborough Festival Opera’s 2018 Young Artist production, and the cast is magnificent |
4 Aug 18 / Music OMH |
Young Artists show their talent in Longborough’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea |
2 Aug 18 / Seen and Heard |
Victims of love |
31 Jul 18 / The Critics' Circle |
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The vitality of Monteverdi’s score remains more or less intact in Jeremy Silver’s reading |
30 Jul 18 / Classical Source |
Ariadne auf NaxosLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 8 |
Thrilling energy & humour from Longborough Festival Opera |
26 Jul 18 / The Spectator |
Captivating and glorious |
25 Jul 18 / Seen and Heard |
What really brings it all to life is the conducting by Anthony Negus |
18 Jul 18 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews |
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A game of two halves |
18 Jul 18 / Bachtrack |
Anthony Negus was the star of this show |
17 Jul 18 / The Critics' Circle |
Alan Privett’s production of Ariadne is another huge Longborough success |
16 Jul 18 / Seen and Heard |
Never less than a highly accomplished production that, in such an intimate setting, packs quite a punch |
16 Jul 18 / Music OMH |
Like the staging, the music jumps off the page |
15 Jul 18 / Classical Source |
La TraviataLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 3 |
Shame, camera, action |
29 Jun 18 / Bachtrack |
This interpretation of La traviata is as successful as it is innovative |
28 Jun 18 / Music OMH |
An emotionally-charged La Traviata |
26 Jun 18 / Classical Source |
Der Fliegende HolländerLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 10 |
Opera needs this kind of intrepid eccentricity |
18 Jun 18 / The Observer |
An exhilarating storm-tossed evening in the Cotswolds |
16 Jun 18 / Bachtrack |
Longborough continues to be a refuge for British Wagnerians fleeing idiotic productions |
14 Jun 18 / The Spectator |
more reviews [+]
A welcome addition to the festival’s exploration of Wagner's earlier creations |
13 Jun 18 / Music OMH |
Anthony Negus’s conducting allows Longborough’s Der Fliegende Holländer to conquer high seas |
11 Jun 18 / Seen and Heard |
Longborough’s track record with Wagner’s works is an astonishingly thrilling achievement |
9 Jun 18 / Stratford-upon-Avon Herald |
Negus sets up the story’s tensions in a passionate, spacious account of the overture |
8 Jun 18 / Classical Source |
Beautifully played but dramatically inert |
8 Jun 18 / The Stage |
A production that really flies |
8 Jun 18 / Telegraph |
The Flying Dutchman opens this year's Longborough Festival and a star is born |
8 Jun 18 / What's on Stage |
Orfeo ed EuridiceLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 7 |
The cast reveals a wealth of talent |
10 Aug 17 / Music OMH |
Jagusz’s production certainly confirmed the artistic power of economy |
7 Aug 17 / Opera Today |
A Bollywood Orfeo ed Euridice showcases Longborough Festival Opera’s young artists |
7 Aug 17 / Seen and Heard |
more reviews [+]
Simplicity in Longborough's Orfeo ed Euridice |
4 Aug 17 / Bachtrack |
To hell and back |
1 Aug 17 / The Critics' Circle |
Music conquers all |
1 Aug 17 / The Stage |
The three vocal soloists emerge as musically distinctive, independent figures |
31 Jul 17 / Classical Source |
Die ZauberflöteLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 3 |
The audience at Longborough Festival Opera seemed to enjoy The Magic Flute far more than I did |
20 Jul 17 / The Spectator |
Who pulls the strings? Mozart's Magic Flute at Longborough |
19 Jul 17 / Bachtrack |
A mixed bag in which the musical dimension is more appealing than the production |
15 Jul 17 / Classical Source |
FidelioLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 8 |
Une poignée de bons chanteurs engonce loyalement la production |
17 Jul 17 / Anaclase |
There is something slightly discomfiting in the tricksy production director Orpha Phelan offers here |
8 Jul 17 / The Oxford Times |
Among the singers, the soprano, Elizabeth Atherton, as Leonore/Fidelio emerged as the real star of the show |
8 Jul 17 / Stratford-upon-Avon Herald |
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As Leonore, Elizabeth Atherton produces a very clean, pure and accurate sound |
5 Jul 17 / Music OMH |
That this Fidelio is merely frustrating counts as something of a success |
29 Jun 17 / The Spectator |
A challenging, provocative and highly rewarding evening |
29 Jun 17 / Independent |
Impressive singing in Longborough Fidelio
|
27 Jun 17 / Bachtrack |
It’s a miracle that the music makes any headway |
26 Jun 17 / Classical Source |
Tristan und IsoldeLongborough Festival OperaNo. of reviews: 9 |
A world class Tristan und Isolde in a barn shed |
11 Jul 17 / Opera Today |
Lee Bisset as Isolde was glorious |
29 Jun 17 / Seen and Heard |
One of the most exalting operatic experience I have had |
22 Jun 17 / The Spectator |
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Tristan und Isolde is so hot it sizzles |
17 Jun 17 / The Observer |
Anthony Negus and Carmen Jakobi’s Tristan und Isolde at Longborough excels musically and scenically |
15 Jun 17 / Seen and Heard |
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Performance schedule
Wagner
16 Jun to 4 Jul 2024
Wagner
18 Jun to 14 Jul 2024
Wagner
20 Jun to 7 Jul 2024
Wagner
22 Jun to 9 Jul 2024
Puccini
27 Jul to 6 Aug 2024
News & Articles
We're all going to the circus |
Longborough Festival Opera's imaginative solution for Summer opera. |
1 Mar 2021 / Planet Hugill |
Longborough Festival Opera, 2020 reporté en 2021 grâce aux dons |
Le Festival d'Opéra de Longborough a été contraint d'annuler son édition 2020 (en mars dernier) mais dans un Royaume culturel désuni et en ruines, il a pu en sauver une belle proportion ainsi que des engagements d'artistes pour 2021. |
14 Nov 2020 / Olyrix |
Longborough Festival Opera announces 2021 season |
The U.K festival, which is scheduled to take place between June 4 and August 3 will showcase four productions. |
24 Jul 2020 / OperaWire |
Longborough Festival Opera audience members raise over £300,000 |
The Longborough Festival Opera has announced that 1,000 audience members have chosen to donate the value of their tickets, generating a fund of over £300,000. |
25 Apr 2020 / OperaWire |
The miracle of Longborough |
Ring cycles have been known to break national opera companies. Longborough Festival Opera is about to embark upon their second. How do they do it? |
7 Jun 2019 / The Spectator |