Laurent Pelly’s new production of Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict is available online for a limited time only.
Glyndebourne Festival Opera’s new production of Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict has been made available for free streaming on both their website. Available on demand until August 17, 8:59am AEST, it is the first time Berlioz’s opéra comique has been staged at Glyndebourne.
Based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, the production is directed by Laurent Pelly, noted for his Royal Opera House La Fille du Regiment and Santa Fe Cendrillon, and conducted by Antonello Manacorda. French mezzo soprano Stephanie d’Oustrac, dubbed by The Financial Times as “a near-ideal Béatrice”, and American tenor Paul Appleby lead the cast as the eponymous couple. The Financial Times also commended the cast for combining “words and music together with needlepoint clarity”.
D’Oustrac has previously performed at Glyndebourne in Carmen and Giulio Cesare, while Appleby made his Glyndebourne debut in Barrie Kosky’s acclaimed production of Saul last year. The Guardian noted their “considerable sexual charge”, stating that the pair are “gorgeous in their arias”. Béatrice et Bénédict is not to be missed.
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