London report: Thea received standing ovation at ENO's opening of MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS
Robbie Guthrie
We just got back from London, enjoying the new production of Thea's Mary Queen of Scots at ENO (English National Opera). This was such a thrill, and we saw many long-time British friends there. The cast, orchestra, production, and conductor were all excellent, Although it was called a semi-staged production, it was fully active on stage - just in modern dress - where the personal tensions and political power struggles of Mary's era took on a more contemporary resonance for our own times.
REVIEWS
Both Thea and the English National Opera company, cast, and creative team received many rave reviews. The most praise-worthy aspect of ENO’s Mary, Queen of Scots is Thea Musgrave’s powerful and evocative score, which critics universally recognized for its dramatic intensity and masterful orchestration. Richard Morrison (The Times) lauded its ability to “blaze and thunder” while never overwhelming the voices, while Richard Fairman (Financial Times) highlighted its “highly charged” nature, seamlessly blending moments of contemplation with striking musical climaxes. The opera’s orchestration, described by The Guardian as a “tapestry of tension and passion,” was brought to life by the ENO Orchestra under Joana Carneiro, whose dynamic conducting ensured that the music drove the drama with unrelenting urgency. Through her richly expressive and emotionally charged composition, Musgrave reaffirmed her place as one of Britain’s most compelling operatic voices. Here are just a few of the raves, along with some pictures from the show, courtesy of ENO — production photos by Ellie Kurttz:
THE TELEGRAPH
Thea Musgrave’s opera returns to London sounding grander than ever
"The 96-year-old composer received a heartfelt standing ovation for her traditional yet bracingly modern 1977 was richly deserved."
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THE GUARDIAN
Trouser suits and relentless tension in Musgrave’s bleak opera
"Thea Musgrave’s 1977 account of the persecuted queen has been reimagined in terms of 20th-century sectarianism in Stewart production. It is sung and acted with blazing conviction by English National Opera."
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THE TIMES
Doing Thea Musgrave’s epic opera proud
"It simmers with raw passion, is infused with compelling theatricality and driven by an orchestral score that blazes and thunders, in a mostly atonal but approachable way, without ever obscuring the voices."
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BACHTRACK
ENO gives Thea Musgrave's Mary, Queen of Scots a worthy performance
"Musgrave’s music drives the action with constant tension, but also with remarkable flashes of orchestral colour...
Given the complexity of the characters and machinations, Musgrave’s own clear libretto meant that, even in modern dress without many visual clues, the plot was unexpectedly clear throughout. Conductor Joana Carneiro steered the musicians...through the challenges of the score with precision and energy."
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OPERA MAGAZINE
“Musgrave’s default musical language migt crudely be described as a somewhat unnuanced post-Bartókian atonality, whose weaving contrapuntal lines nevertheless capture the intrigue of the court, but also (in the manner of one of her musical heroes, Charles Ives) she is able to incorporate reference to other music to support the drama where appropriate, including Scottish folksong and Renaissance courtly dances…”