The midsummer marriage

"Certainly, this performance, powered by the sumptuous playing of the LPO and the contributions of its chorus, is charged with a special intensity in every bar ... The soloists are generally good, too ... And through it all, the overflowing exuberance of Tippett's score carries everything before it".

Read review

"Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage, a modern retelling of The Magic Flute, is one of the major 20th-century operas. The music is tuneful, lyrical, bursting with energy, and wholly personal to its composer. The libretto is completely nonsensical - a jumble of myth, Jungian psychology, and operatic clichés, and yet as with all the best operas, the silliness of the words matters not a whit in the face of such magnificent music. The two are inextricably bound and each justifies the other. It could be no other way ... Conductor Edward Gardner proclaims his dedication to Tippett's music in a very sympathetic booklet note, and it really shows ... The fact that the orchestra managed this rhythmically tricky and often awkward music so confidently in one go is frankly pretty amazing ... The cast consists primarily of young British singers, and there really isn't a weak link among them ... I can't exaggerate the importance of this release ... A joy from start to finish".

Read review

"Die fünf Opern von Michael Tippett haben es selten über die britischen Inseln hinaus geschafft ... Umso schöner, dass jetzt immer beim eigenen Label der hervorragende Mitschnitt einer Konzertaufführung vom Herbst 2021 mit dem London Symphony Orchestra vorliegt ... Mit dem auch verbal eine Tippett-Lanze brechenden Edward Gardner steht einer der kompetentesten Klangverwalter englischer Musik am Pult, der mit behend-lässiger Hand die schillernd-lyrischen Naturstimmungen dieser immer sehr britisch dezenten Partitur aufscheinen lässt. Das Orchester spielt das toll, und fein ist auch die hier aufgebotene Garde englischer Sänger".

"Musically ... Tippett composed one of his most sumptuous scores for this, his first opera. And Edward Gardner making his debut as the principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, relishes every note and nuance ... Unexpectedly, it's the second pair of lovers, Bella and Jack, admirably sung by Jennifer France and Toby Spence, who capture your ear ... It's the villain who almost steals the show. Ashley Riches is chilling as King Fisher, a bully and a slave to his own dark ego. For all that, this is Edward Gardner's show, and he rises to Tippett 's challenge superbly".