Classical Notes: Sam Carl

'Thomas Mole's Billy, full of wide-eyed innocence, held onto his blind belief in Captain Vere right to the very end, despite evidence to the contrary, and was convincingly moving throughout'.

'Allan Clayton's steely tenor was impressive as ever as Vere, and the transition from the troubled and flawed captain to the haunted old man of the Prologue and Epilogue, reflecting on his failure to protect and save Billy, was powerfully moving'.

William Thomas (Mr Flint), Allan Clayton (Captain Vere)
& Dingle Yandell (Mr Redburn)
© Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Tristram Kenton

'Sam Carl (Claggart) had the vocal range and ... his baritone was penetratingly evil'.

'The chorus excelled at full-voice, as well as in their quiet chanting resignation, and their choreographed resistance and rapid movement around the levels of the set were solid and convincing'.

'Nicholas Carter conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra with precision and energy, bringing brilliance to Britten’s searing score, especially from the gleaming brass'.

Clive Bayley (Dansker), Alasdair Elliott (Red Whiskers),
Samuel Dale Johnson (Donald) & Alex Otterburn (Novice's Friend)
© Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Tristram Kenton

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Tuesday, 14 November 2023

Confusion clouds any central critique in Clément's Don Giovanni at Glyndebourne

Andrei Bondarenko (Don Giovanni), Michael Ronan (Masetto),
Charlotte Bowden (Zerlina) and Chorus
© Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

Stephanie Childress (Conductor)

Mariame Clément (Director)

Paul Higgins (Revival Director)

Julia Hansen (Designer)

Bernd Purkrabek (Lighting Designer)

Étienne Guiol (Projection Designer)

Keith Wallis (Fight Director)

The Glyndebourne Sinfonia

Richard Milone (Leader)

Ben-Sau Lau (Fortepiano continuo)

Jonathan Tunnell (Cello continuo)

The Glyndebourne Chorus

Aidan Oliver (Chorus Director)

4pm, Sunday 12 November 2023

Glyndebourne Opera House, Glyndebourne

★★★

Sam Carl (Leporello)

Kseniia Proshina (Donna Anna)

Andrei Bondarenko (Don Giovanni)

Ivo Stanchev (The Commendatore)

Nico Darmanin (Don Ottavio)

Alexandra Lowe (Donna Elvira)

Charlotte Bowden (Zerlina)

Michael Ronan (Masetto)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Don Giovanni

(libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte (1749-1838))

'There is so much going on here – keys standing in for gravestone inscriptions (why?), dead body chalk outlines flashing up in lights, rapist masks and a rotting 10-foot high cake topped with the number 2075 (again, why?), to name but a few'.

'Bondarenko was nimble in voice and tone throughout. Sam Carl’s Leporello (complete with Columbo mac) was equally convincing vocally'.

'Proshina showed the full range of emotions, with fear and anger uppermost, with impressively steely coloratura in Act 2. Lowe by contrast gave us real despair and anguish in her tone'.

Sam Carl (Leporello), Andrei Bondarenko (Don Giovanni)
& Ivo Stanchev (Commendatore)
© Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

'Stephanie Childress conducted with energy and panache, and on the whole, ensemble was tight, and the complex sextets, septets and chain finales were given strong energy and drive'.

'Musically strong performances all round, but ultimately too much extraneous detail undermined what could have been a strong critique for our times'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Classical Notes

Sunday, 5 July 2026

Glyndebourne’s Billy Budd makes a welcome return, fresh and devastating as ever

Tuesday, 14 November 2023

Confusion clouds any central critique in Clément's Don Giovanni at Glyndebourne

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