Booking is already open. Tickets from £65. To book, please click here.
Other discounted tickets available - for details, click here
(1) Inspire tickets at £26, for people who cannot afford regular tickets or first time to OHP, you need to fill in an application form online (recommend you do this asap before the booking opens), once approved, book online from Apr 8 at 10am.
(2) Limited tickets available for Monday Rush tickets at £40, booking for this performance opens on Aug 3 at 1pm.
(3) Blue Light Scheme for key workers - please inquire with the box office
A Whatsapp group will be set-up for this event to help co-ordination and deleted post the event. Please email socsocialATgmailDOTcom if you wish to be on it.
Weather looks fine for picnic. We will meet for picnic at the Dutch Garden behind the Opera Marquee from 6pm.
2 comments:
Several have booked rows L and M (LHS block - i.e. low number side)
Ten of us, including one who joined for the picnic after an unsuccessful attempt to secure a Rush ticket, gathered in the Dutch Garden for our pre-opera drinks and nibbles. It was one of those perfect summer evenings made for an outdoor social: warm, relaxed and convivial, with plenty of chatting, sharing of food and drink…. All too soon, the bell rang. The time had come to take our seats. At the interval, we were joined by another member, bringing our number to n=11, including our picnic-only walker.
The opera itself was fantastic, undoubtedly one of the best productions we’ve seen at Holland Park. The choreography and Verdi’s wonderfully melodic score were in perfect harmony, enhanced by the warmth of a beautiful summer evening.
A quick rewind nearly 20 years, our previous two outings to this opera were in 2009 and 2019, both at Holland Park, according to the meticulously maintained records of our Social Events Correspondent. This production has now risen to the top of the rankings. Is it because the years have softened our recollection of the earlier performances? Has Holland Park Opera simply got better? Perhaps there is some truth in both. Whatever the reason, we all thoroughly enjoyed this one.
For once, the critics were largely in agreement and here is their take:
“Nice music. Verdi is particularly great at marrying chorus and soloists. Some inventive changes of tone, such as the dark mood at the start of the witch’s seance. I also liked the rather sinister ha ha chorus. Good singers. A simple but effective staging.”
“I think the librettist might have read through his script and ironed out the inconsistencies. Why did Gustavo have to go to the ball in order to show he was not a coward when he was in such heavy disguise even his best friend could not recognise him? Why not just skip the ball and say he was there? If his intentions towards Amelia were so noble and pure, why was he so obsessive about having clandestine meetings with her? He could have been pure and noble with her in public. I know, it is opera: it is not supposed to make sense. But I can’t help thinking ChatGPT would have produced a more rational storyline….”
“HPO is always a pleasure. Such a nice way to spend a summer evening. Great picnic in the Dutch Garden. Interesting chat. Delightful to sit there with cool breezes blowing as you watch the performance.”
“a super evening, I loved the staging and Amelia/Elin was fabulous. The baby was a little stiff but given the lateness of the hour and the demands of the occasion that was totally forgivable.”
“Enjoyed very much. Thought Amelia had a beautiful, powerful voice. Loved the ball costumes at the end. Verdi is always tuneful.”
“Loved it last night, amazing singing: the duets between the Witch and Amelia were so powerful, and Amelia with her baby. I was glad to get a rush ticket!”
“My take is that the libretto was thin and hard to follow or care about. The male singers were forgettable at best and wooden at worst. But I'm still elated about the opera because the soprano's performance was so transcendent--I'll remember it for a long time-- and the harmonies and counterpoint in the chorus also thrilled me.”
There were lively discussions after the show about whether opera has lost some of its appeal to younger audiences, its enduring reputation as an elite art form, affordability, and ultimately, its long-term prospect of survival.
We hope Holland Park Opera will continue to flourish. After all, there is something rather special about having beautiful music, summer evenings and the occasional picnic to look forward to. Until next year....
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