United Kingdom Longborough Festival Opera 2026 [1] – Handel, Orlando: Soloists, Academy of Ancient Music / Christopher Moulds (conductor). Longborough Festival Opera, Gloucestershire, 31.5.2026. (CP)
Longborough Festival Opera promises to test the appetite of their audiences for bold and provocative work. To begin their season with Handel is hard evidence of this intention to be brave and adventurous. This season’s four operas will be directed by women and two will conducted by women and the leaders of the orchestras for Tristan und Isolde and Macbeth will both be women.
Within opera seria, Handel’s Orlando stands out from the operas of his contemporaries, a psychologically driven work with the inclusion of the first significant ‘mad scene’ of Orlando’s descent into insanity in Baroque history, and, at the end of three hours or more, there isn’t a happy ending! Longborough’s new staging adopts that dramatic volatility with imagination.
With the remarkable Academy of Ancient Music in the visible pit under Christopher Moulds’s leadership, the action on the stage reveals the beautiful crinoline dresses created by Anisha Fields (set and costume designer) and worn by three ‘continuity ladies’ who carry items, wear rabbit headpieces reflecting nature’s influence, share in a cleverly choreographed stringing exercise in Act II and are always available to ensure the five key players are never isolated! Her non-use of the spiral staircase which doesn’t reach the floor did not go unnoticed! Her nightingale on a stick and the introduction of butterflies held delicately aloft by the three ‘continuity ladies’ added to a pleasing picture on an often-confused platform – confused by Orlando’s struggles with his mental health in this whimsical world.
Those five outstanding exponents of Handel are Beth Taylor (Orlando), Katie Bray (Medoro), Anna Devin (Angelica), Kelli-Ann Masterson (Dorinda) with bass-baritone Andrew Foster-Williams (Zoroastro). What fun those punishing rehearsals must have been. Each would surely agree this quintet is an extraordinarily fine collaboration, the end result is a massive achievement, even though they all looked exhausted at the close of opening night. The five performances will be demanding but hopefully, rewarding. Director, Sinéad O’Neill is fortunate have such resources at her disposal. She gained a reputation for her uplifting work with Jonathan Dove on Uprising at Glyndebourne in their community project, and O’Neill brings a different and, at times, a fresh approach to Handel at Longborough this year with a production full of torment, moments of humour and risible behaviour.
Lighting designer Ben Ormerod is well known to Longborough audiences and there is extremely clever lighting with the use of spotlights throughout the three acts. It is an intelligent move, bringing a sense of precision and urgency to the stage where nothing stands still within these spotlights for long. Movement director, Michael Ashcroft who sat in the back row of the stalls on opening night watched the complicated string entrapment with concern. If anything was to go wrong on opening night, this was it, but it didn’t. And the action when Orlando uses his sword to cut the house open worked as hoped with the two halves separating precisely as planned!
Beth Taylor is a fine mezzo-soprano, whose energy levels are to be admired. In her role as Orlando she is seldom still throughout the opera except early in the first act when extracting a ‘doll’ from an onstage pool. Was this a female version of him? In Act III the female counterpart is found, so at least one mystery is solved. Anna Devin (Angelica) expresses her love for Medoro (Katie Bray) despite the attentions of Orlando. Devin’s remarkable resonant and exceptionally pure soprano voice is full of expression. Bray’s delightful depiction of Medoro is a memorable highlight, the duet with Angelica an appealing moment. Medoro, a wounded Saracen prince is, of course, ultimately responsible for Orlando’s descent into madness. Longborough’s Emerging Artist programme Kelli-Ann Masterson is a joy to watch. She brought a sparkle to the first act as the shepherd girl Dorinda; many will look forward to seeing her again as the Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel, working alongside Lee Bisset (as Mother/Witch), in the last production of this season. Handel’s wonderful music from the Messiah, ‘He shall feed his flock’ could be heard from the pit when Masterson was on stage. Andrew Foster-Williams as Zoroastro is given the biggest challenge of all the five outstanding performers. In Act I he rebukes Orlando for his devotion to love, in Act III he implores Orlando to accept the lovers’ betrothal and wishes Angelica and Medoro much happiness. He is a fine actor in addition to his skills as a bass-baritone; his was an impressive debut at Longborough.
Orlando flouts many Baroque operatic conventions; Angelica and Medoro are conventional lovers and when Orlando finally recovers from his hallucinating, he wishes them both well and they retreat upstage as the light fades to leave everyone in darkness. Maybe not quite the ending the audience expected but remember the Longborough promise of bold and provocative work.
Clive Peacock
Featured Image: Katie Bray (Medoro) and Anna Devin (Angelica) © Matthew Williams-Ellis
Production:
Director – Sinéad O’Neill
Set and Costume director – Anisha Fields
Movement director – Michael Ashcroft
Lighting director – Ben Ormerod
Cast:
Orlando – Beth Taylor
Angelica – Anna Devin
Medoro – Katie Bray
Dorinda – Kelli-Ann Masterson
Zoroastro – Andrew Foster Williams
Actors – Olivia Higginbottom, Anna Tolputt, Freya Storie