Reviews

An English language version of Donizetti's famous opera shone from Wild Arts, honouring all aspects of this miraculous score. 

Joseph Morris’ translation of Felice Romani’s libretto was a work of art in itself, beautifully comedic and in highly idiomatic English.  Just as effective was Hamish Brown’s ‘new orchestration’ for chamber ensemble, creating perfectly-judged textures from string quintet, clarinet, trumpet and accordion. 

Orlando Jopling’s conducting was superb, not only in his ability to create pinpoint ensemble, but also to hear – and project – Donizetti's larger structures. Sophie Lincoln’s costume designs were impeccable. Galina Averina revealed a gleaming, agile soprano, yet in her ‘Prendi Per me sei libero’ she proved herself in the lyric arena, too. Thomas Elwin carried his long lyric lines beautifully and brought the house down with his ‘Una fertiva lagrima’. Alex Jones' Doctor Dulcamara, a lovable rogue, was the dramatic apex. His stage presence is immense and his sure way with diction means that a 'patter song' is second nature. The Giannetta of Sofia Kirwan-Baez and the Lauretta of Rebecca Milford were both beings of lightness, balanced by Henry Jacques’ Claudio and Robert Garland’s Robert.

This L’elisir was 100% convincing at all levels. In 2024, Wild Arts will tour with a new translation of Mozart’s Zauberflöte by Jeremy Sams and in a new arrangement by Music Director Orlando Jopling. I can’t wait.

Colin Clarke

Read the full review here.

Stylish performances and an emphasis on character make this small-scale yet inventive production wonderfully engaging.

This a wonderfully enjoyable and engaging performance that really punched above its weight. The audience in Thaxted clearly loved it and were fully engaged, while this experienced reviewer was carried away as well. 

An admirably polished and rather sophisticated performance.

This was a remarkably compact production, Sophie Lincoln's designs consisted simply of a blue-sky backdrop, a pair of deck chairs and some bunting, but there were evocative 1950s-period costumes and plenty of amusing 1950s-style props for Dulcamara's sales routine. This was one of those lovely productions that had no axe to grind.

The 1950s period was simply an effective backdrop for an engaging and inventive production that was all about character. No-one sent up any of the characters, all the performers took their roles seriously, yet were clearly enjoying themselves, the comedy came from character, music and situation without any mugging or over-egging.

This was an Adina of real personality, brought out in the music, and Averina nicely took Adina on a journey. She was never nasty, but moved from being self-absorbed to something more admirable.

Elwin and Averina had a believably sparky relationship, from the outset they crackled and sparked together so that their crucial final scene together at the end of Act Two, made real sense and had a dramatic sparkle.

This Belcore was a wonderfully preening and self-absorbed man, clearly so enamoured of his own importance that he had no idea what was going on around him. Averina's Adina was clearly reluctantly mesmerised, and their scenes together were a complete delight. Such was Atkinson's engagement with the audience that when he got his comeuppance you felt like cheering.

Alex Jones was clearly having great fun as Dr Dulcamara, bringing out the character's knowingness. [His] hymning the praises of his elixir was a complete delight, but then Jones' whole performance was.

Robert Hugill

Read the full review here.

A joy beyond all expectation - sassily delivered and outstandingly well sung.

Michael White

Wild Arts’ sunny staging of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore confirmed that old adage, less is more.

[Elwin’s] sensitive interpretation of detail, musical and theatrical was telling. Nemorino’s transformation from gauche geek to dishevelled drunk was winningly done… No wonder everyone was delighted when Nemorino finally got his girl.

Galina Averina was a sassy Adina with a light, sweet soprano. This was a wonderfully engaging performance and ‘Prendi, per me sei libero’ evinced genuine care and remorse.

Claire Seymour

A positively life-enhancing performance of Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore in English with reduced ensemble by Wild Arts as part of their Summer Tour.

Colin Clarke

A fresh and pungent delight. What you are achieving is remarkable.

Guido Martin-Brandis clearly has a real understanding of the possibilities of small-scale opera. His production of L’Elisir d’Amore for Wild Arts had a brilliance of imagination and stylistic confidence that was truly impressive and really enjoyable.

A fine young cast excel in a refreshing production that launches Essex’s welcome new country house opera festival.

Performed on a simple stage with no scenery, and accompanied by Jopling’s clever orchestral realisation for just seven highly skilled instrumentalists, there was nowhere to hide for the young cast, yet they responded with engaging energy and superb singing.

It was all done with a knowing, cheeky sense of humour, while never detracting from Mozart’s delectable score.

Outstanding in a strong cast was the rising star soprano Ella Taylor as redoubtable Fiordiligi, a voice of tempered steel, wrapped in a warm velvet cloak. Martha Jones, as Dorabella, sang with grace, charm and a naughty twinkle; bass Gareth Brynmor John made a forceful, generous-voiced Guglielmo, a nice foil to Richard Dowling’s pleasingly light tenor as Ferrando. Always reliable Eddie Wade was a wily Don Alfonso, alongside Joanna Songi’s crafty, resourceful Despina.

Thinking back to his journey from the station to Layer Marney Tower (where the audience are driven in in an antique London Routemaster Bus) Stephen added: You can’t help but arrive with a smile.

Read the full review here.

Forget Glyndbourne, give Garsington the brush off, high summer in the world of opera has to be Childerley Hall... [the show was] inspirational.

Fast, funny, and brilliant. Every word was clear as a bell.

Full credit to Orlando Jopling, a monumental task brought off with that essence of good opera – style.

Read the full review here.