Our Double Bill of Il segreto di Susanna and Iolanta opened on Monday night to critical acclaim, including five stars from The Telegraph. Here's your first chance to have a look at these two new productions.
Despite shared themes of secrets and lies, the two new productions Il segreto di Susanna and Iolanta could not be more different, and together they make for a “dreamy double bill” (Evening Standard, four stars).
Directed by John Wilkie and conducted by John Andrews, Il segreto di Susanna explores marital mistrust between newly-weds Gil and Susanna, as the Count convinces himself of his wife’s infidelity after smelling tobacco in their house. The cast features Clare Presland as Countess Susanna, Richard Burkhard as Count Gil and John Savournin as Sante, their silent and hugely comical butler.
Following Wolf-Ferrari’s fantastic farce is the spectacular Iolanta, directed by Olivia Fuchs and conducted by Sian Edwards. It stars Natalya Romaniw in the title role, the blind heroine who is redeemed through the love of the only man to tell her the truth, Count Vaudémont, sung by David Butt Philip. In the words of Rupert Christiansen (The Telegraph, five stars): “Their grand duet at the climax sent shivers down my spine: I don’t think I’ve ever heard such rapturously wonderful singing at Opera Holland Park.”
The cast also includes Mikhail Svetlov as King René, Laura Woods as Marta, Grant Doyle as Robert and Ashley Riches as Ibn-Hakia.
Both productions are joined by the City of London Sinfonia, with the Opera Holland Park Chorus.
There are five performances left of this unmissable Double Bill. Make sure to book your tickets here, before the production closes on 3 August.
All images are by © Ali Wright for Opera Holland Park.
