Donizetti: Poliuto (Glyndebourne)

Michael Fabiano (Poliuto ); Ana Maria Martinez (Paolina ); Igor Golovatenko (Severo); Matthew Rose (Callistene); Timothy Robinson (Felice ); Emanuele D'Aguanno (Nearco ); Enrique Mazzola (Conductor); Mariame Clément (Director);

Glyndebourne has brought to light a long-overlooked winner in Donizetti’s Poliuto, delivering ‘a superb musical performance’ (The Telegraph) offering ‘lucent accounts of the principal roles and an incandescent London Philharmonic Orchestra, under Enrique Mazzola’ (New York Times). This first-ever professional UK staging of the story of third-century Armenian martyr St Polyeuctus features a ‘trio of world-class young singers’ with Beverly Sills and Richard Tucker-award winning Fabiano displaying a ‘thrilling, vibrant tone’ in the title role, Martínez providing Paolina with ‘pinging coloratura’ and Golovatenko giving a ‘radiant-toned’ voice to Severo (The Guardian).

Reviews

"Musical standards, under the baton of Enrique Mazzola, were outstanding with tip-top playing from the London Philharmonic Orchestra (including a particularly lovely clarinet solo) and a trio of world-class young singers to the fore. The American tenor Michael Fabiano, in the title role, has a thrilling, vibrant tone, fearless in top notes, powerful in the middle and subtly expressive even when, as often with Donizetti, the emotional colours tend towards the downright obvious. Donizetti’s rarely seen gem proves a terrific opener to this year’s festival." (The Guardian ★★★★)

"[Michael Fabiano] sang with unfailing intensity and bravado, projecting a chesty forcefulness redolent of legendary Italians of yore [...] Ana María Martínez spun some exquisitely floated tone and deliquescent phrasing." (The Daily Telegraph ★★★★)

"Every now and then the world of opera unearths a forgotten masterpiece [...] Poliuto needs at least three world-class singers, and Glyndebourne has them." (WhatsOn Stage ★★★★)