Così fan tutte, 2025
Opera North at Nevill Holt Festival
Conductor: Chris Hopkins | Designer: George Leigh | Costumes realised by: Stephen Rodwell | Lighting Designer: Mike Lock
Cast: Claire Lees, Egor Zhuravskii, William Dazeley, Seán Boylan, Heather Lowe, Ella Taylor, Charlie Drummond, Siân Griffiths, Stuart Jackson, Andrew Randall, Gillene Butterfield
★★★★
”Stinton places the cynical philosopher Don Alfonso at the centre of things. This Alfonso is not simply trying to prove his misogynistic point about women’s affections. He is trying to prove it inside an opera-within-an-opera version of Così that he is himself writing and directing… it is a device that offers plenty of opportunities for stage farce, as well as adding fresh layers of transgressive ambiguity to an opera that is already full of them”
The Guardian, Martin Kettle
★★★★
”an innovative and thoughtful production”
Music OMH, Sam Smith
★★★★
”real feeling turns the tables on stage artifice in Mozart that charms, and moves… an ebullient young cast bring zest, grace and bittersweet comedy to Stinton’s thoughtful but gimmick-free production. Aided by a witty English-language text delivered with bracing clarity, this Così consistently engages and entertains – while never denying the darkness of the plot”
ArtsDesk, Boyd Tonkin