Five stars for Laurent Pelly and Barbara de Limburg
Created in 2012 in Glyndebourne, Pelly's production of L'heure espagnole and L'Enfant et les sortilèges has hit the roof yet again. The audience has fallen under the spell of this very contrasting double bill, spanish sex for the first part and gallic charm for the latter, brilliantly executed by a team of French singers under the direction of Robin Ticciati leading a flawless London Philharmonic Orchestra. Special mention to Danielle De Niese who has astounded the audience with an incredible performance, from a coquettish and voluptuous yet frustrated spanish housewife in the first part, to a plumpy and sulking child throwing a tantrum in the second.
Laurent Pelly's imagination excels in this production which fires up his sense of comedy as well as his fascination for the world of dream, magic and childhood. Together with Barbara de Limburg, who designed the set for L'Enfant et les sortilèges, they have created a real firework display as the closing production of Glyndebourne 2015.
As for Barbara de Limburg, a special mention to her highly praised work:
Barbara de Limburg’s realisation of Pelly’s vision is an object lesson in how all the elements of an opera can come together.