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Welcome to the Stowe Opera Website. The Stowe Opera Company in past years, has performed Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky, Rusalka by Antonin Dvorak, Verdi's Don Carlos, Humperdinck's charming masterpiece opera "Hansel and Gretel", and Bizet's 'Carmen'. |
For 2012, Stowe Opera is presenting
Le nozze di Figaro, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
at Winslow Hall, Winslow, Buckinghamshire
Previous critical notices:
"One venue well worth seeking out in early August is Stowe Opera... Key to Stowe's sucess, as so often, was a strong chorus and well measured, yet also courageous pacing from conductor Robert Secret."
Roderic Dunnett in "Opera Now".
"Things really catch fire with the appearance of Yvonne Fontane's leggy, vampish witch, a performance that mixes panto with torching sexual ardour and genuinely artful singing - a kind of feral forest Carmen"
Robert Thickness in "The Times".
Musically, this Carmen is hard to fault. In the title role, Fontaine instinctively switches vocal timbre from sexy, to mocking, to dramatic, while Michael Bracegirdle's Jose sounds suitably hoarse with emotion. ...the chorus singing is terrific, and the responsive orchestral playing (under Robert Secret, as always) is first rate. Every year Stowe Opera seems to get better and better, and this year is no exception.
Giles Woodforde in "The Oxford Times"
Fidelity tested.
Emotions betrayed.
Lovers deceived.
'Le nozze di Figaro' is a comedy of shifting sexual dynamics, which gains depth and poignancy through some of Mozart's most exquisite vocal ensembles. There is a richness and abundance of ensemble writing which carries forward the action in a more dramatic way than reciatives would, and the music provides a natural reflection of the comedy and drama.
Mozart's Marriage of Figaro is the dramatic equal, and in many respects the superior, of Beaumarchais's work.
Winslow Hall is a country house on the outskirts of Winslow, a small town in Buckinghamshire, a few miles from Buckingham on the road to Aylesbury. The grounds are beautiful, just perfect for picnics, and there is ample parking across the road from the hall. We will have a covered stage and auditorium, and the audience seating will be raked with clear views for everyone.