Massenet Cendrillon - Glyndebourne

★★★★ ½

“The atmosphere of the production is faithful to Perrault’s dark vision, and the musical direction, under the rising star Duncan Ward, is well nigh faultless, making Massenet’s romantic episodes swell with ardour and his capricious ones sparkle.”

Melanie Eskenazi, MusicOMH, 15 October 2018

★★★★

“this rich score, its sumptuous textures and delicate solos relished by the Glyndebourne Tour Orchestra and the conductor Duncan Ward”

Rebecca Franks, The Times, 16 October 2018

★★★★

“What else but magic can explain how Massenet conjures a world of enchantment out of simply a solo flute and a halo of strings for Cendrillon’s first encounter with her Prince Charming? This is a score of elfin delicacy, which the conductor, Duncan Ward, appreciates”

Richard Fairman, Financial Times, 15 October 2018

★★★★

“In the pit, Duncan Ward conducts with admirable lightness of touch and respect for the instrumental niceties…”

Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, 14 October 2018

“Duncan Ward and a crack Glyndebourne Tour Orchestra gave a scintillating account of Massenet’s sugared-almond score, with a magnificently robust Glyndebourne Chorus to ice the cake”

Mark Valencia, Bachtrack, 14 October 2018

“Conductor Duncan Ward is wonderfully alert to Massenet’s sensuously glittering textures, and the Glyndebourne Tour Orchestra play most beautifully for him.”

Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 15 October 2018

“Massenet is sometimes, perhaps often, both inside and outside France, seen as a bit of a workaday composer…But his youthful character does not bespeak musical acquiescence or unoriginality, as Duncan Ward’s prising out of great swathes of magnificent, and fresh, compositional detail here at Glyndebourne showed.”

Roderic Dunnett, Seen and Heard International, 16 October 2018