ENO gives Thea Musgrave's Mary, Queen of Scots a worthy performance

Heidi Stober (Mary)
© Ellie Kurttz

English National Opera

Joana Carneiro (Conductor)

Stewart Laing (Director & designer)

Mady Berry (Associate costume designer)

D. M. Wood (Lighting designer)

Alex McCabe (Choreographer)

Martin Fitzpatrick (Assistant conductor)

Matthew Quinn (Chorus director)

Clio Gould (Leader)

Murray Hipkin (Musical preparation)

Alex Otterburn (James) & Heidi Stober (Mary)
© Ellie Kurttz

Heidi Stober (Queen Mary)

Alex Otterburn (James Stewart, Earl of Moray)

Rupert Charlesworth (Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley)

John Findon (James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell)

Barnaby Rea (David Riccio)

Darren Jeffery (Cardinal Beaton)

Alastair Miles (Lord Gordon)

Ronald Samm (Earl of Ruthven)

Jolyon Loy (Earl of Morton)

Jenny Stafford (Mary Seton)

Monica McGhee (Mary Beaton)

Felicity Buckland (Mary Livingston)

Siân Griffiths (Mary Fleming)

7pm, Saturday 15 February 2025

London Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, London

★★★★

Thea Musgrave (b.1928): Mary, Queen of Scots

(Libretto by the composer, based on work by Amalia Elguera)

Mary, Queen of Scots, cast
© Ellie Kurttz

'With relatively minimal resources, director Stewart Laing and the team delivered a powerful production of Thea Musgrave's complex and highly dramatic work'.

'It was an added bonus that the 96-year-old composer was present, taking a deserved standing ovation from her front row seat'.

'It was Heidi Stober’s Mary that stole the show here. Her vocal power, particularly at the top of her range, was highly impressive, as was her ability to steer a path through the dramatic manipulations her character faced'. 

'Musgrave’s music drives the action with constant tension, but also with remarkable flashes of orchestral colour, often in the woodwinds, but also lyrical use of viola and cello solos'.

'Conductor Joana Carneiro steered the musicians (uncredited in the programme, as were the full chorus) through the challenges of the score with precision and energy'.

Thea Musgrave
© Nick Boston

Read my full review on Bachtrack here. 

This review was updated on 19th February after it was pointed out that this performance was not – as claimed by ENO in its programme book – the English premiere. 

Spring has Sprung: a taste of live concerts to come from Paul McCreesh and the RNS

Paul McCreesh
© Royal Northern Sinfonia

Maria Włoszczowska (violin)
Royal Northern Sinfonia

Paul McCreesh (conductor)

7.30pm Friday 30 April 2021

Streamed live at sagegateshead.com

Sage One, Gateshead

★★★

Frederick Delius (1862-1934): On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring

Thea Musgrave (b.1928) (arr. by Martyn Brabbins (b.1959)): Green

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): The Lark Ascending

Robert Schumann (1810-1856): Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 38, 'Spring'

Maria Włoszczowska
© Royal Northern Sinfonia

Delius:
'The clarinet’s cuckoo was not overstated, emerging naturally from the textures, and the string sound was warm without excess weight'.

Musgrave:
'From a glassy, atmospheric opening to the frenzied intense climax, the RNS string players were in their element, with strong solo work and powerful contrasts between the lyrical and the harsher effects'.

Vaughan Williams:
'Włoszczowska’s playing ... was easy and relaxed, and the winding figures rising to the first high melodic statement were natural and effortless, with a singing, pure tone at the top'.

Royal Northern Sinfonia
© Royal Northern Sinfonia

Schumann:
'The Finale was the strongest movement here, with dancing energy, (and) precise articulation and detail from the strings'.

'“Spring in full bloom” ..., with bright brass and an emphatic finish'.   

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Light at the end of the tunnel from Elena Urioste and Aurora principals at Kings Place

Elena Urioste
© Nick Rutter

Elena Urioste (violin)

Aurora Orchestra - Principal Players

inc.

Sally Pryce (harp)

Ruth Gibson (viola)

Tom Service (presenter)

Streamed live online 7pm, Friday 26 February 2021

Kings Place, London

★★★★

Thea Musgrave (b.1928): Light at the End of the Tunnel

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Introduction and Allegro

Anna Meredith (b.1978): Music for Ravens

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) (arr. Iain Farrignton (b.1977)): The Lark Ascending

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847): Octet in E flat major, Op. 20

Sally Pryce
© Nick Rutter

Musgrave:

'Strikingly moving, and Aurora violist Ruth Gibson commanded the empty stage, a resonant cry of anguish contrasting with the glassy harmonics in this fleeting miniature'.

Ravel: 

'Harpist Sally Pryce was impressive in the extensive solo passages, the close microphones allowing her to contrast dramatic sweeps with extreme delicacy and pianissimo detail'.

Meredith:

'The Aurora players’ intensity and command of the complexity was impressive'.

Vaughan Williams:

'Urioste’s solo was sweet, effortless and relaxed, with breathy tone at the start of the solo passage in the lower registers, gradually warming up as the lark rises higher and higher, with a naturalistic rhythmic flexibility'.

Members of the Aurora Orchestra
© Nick Rutter

Mendelssohn:

'Their performance was full of exhilarating life and energy ... The finale was a masterclass in joyous performance, with constant communication and clear delight'.

Read my full review on Backtrack here.