Oliver Gooch

If Opera: Lucia di Lammermoor and Die Fledermaus

Whether it is the most lavishly funded opera house or an independent summer festival, opera should be about the singing. Production qualities are important but must be seen as secondary. Sadly, this is not often the case. However, at the fascinating If Opera this short season you can see a performance of Donizetti’s Lucia di…

Luscious and powerful Fedora at If Opera

***** Again, If Opera punches above its weight with this luscious and powerfully sung Fedora, an oddly underperformed opera by Umberto Giordano that on the evidence of this outing deserves to be taken on by other opera companies. Charne Rochford Yes, it has the usual operatic excesses of verismo opera, and Act One in particular,…

If Opera delights its audiences with blossoming talent in Belcombe Court’s gardens

The enthusiastic response by audiences to If Opera’s 2022 season has demonstrated there is clearly an appetite for this repertory ensemble approach by the ambitious rebranded company, formerly Iford Arts. Taking place in the grounds of Belcombe Court no doubt added to the overall enjoyment of the festival experience. But the hearty responses to the…

Iford Arts New Generation Artists I Pagliacci

This Iford Arts New Generation Artists performance of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci at Belcombe Court demonstrated there is no shortage of developing talent and the vital role of performance experience. The audience was treated to individual performances that should soon happily grace some of our professional state funded opera companies. Clearly, carefully rehearsed by production director Christopher…

mezzoCav and I Pagliacci, Iford Arts

This delicious performance of the stripped back to its emotional basics I Pagliacci had an increased poignancy, being the last show of Iford Arts short summer festival. The story is of the troupe of travelling players about to make their own performance before packing up and heading back on the road, with all the challenges…

Iford Arts New Generation Artists to perform Pagliacci

Iford Arts New Generation Artists will be performing Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci at Belcombe Court. Alongside two returning young artists, Fiona Finsbury (Elixir of Love 2019) and Dan de Souza (Fairy Queen 2016) as the lovers Nedda and Silvio, the three new IANGA artists Welsh lyric tenor Thomas Kinch will sing Canio, Ryan Vaughan Davies will sing…