Set: Jamie Vartan

Lighting: Simon Corder

Movement Director: Mandy Demetriou

Fight Director: Philippe d'Orleans

 

images by Johan Persson and Simon Corder

 

 

The Guardian
****
Tim Ashley

 “Haydn's point is that we must always be willing to build new worlds from the remains of the old, which allows director Rodula Gaitanou to set the opera in the wake of some unspecified ecological disaster. Her approach is primarily psychological rather than didactic, however, and the whole thing is a feelgood treat, guaranteed to put a smile on your face.”

The Independent
****
Michael Church

 “I had constantly to remind myself that their brilliant production of Haydn’s ‘L’isola disabitata’ was a cut-price student job, not a spare-no-expenses operation for the main stage upstairs. Its clever young director Rodula Gaitanou could teach the big shots a thing or two about how to evoke post-apocalypse disaster.”

Opera Britannia
****
Miranda Jackson

“However I think the last time I can remember the singing, the direction and the orchestral playing being of equal standard was at the world premiere of Pascal Dusapin’s Perelà,uomo di fumo at the Bastille in Paris, which was back in 2003. Such a happy conjunction makes for a great evening in the theatre.”[...] glorious singing and impressive stage business ”

 

What’s on stage
*****
Nick Breckenfield

“ Using not only singers from the Jette Parker scheme, but also young director Rodula Gaitanou and young conductor Volker Krafft, this is a fantastic endorsement of the quality of the scheme (and, of course, the artists on it), confidently filling the Linbury Studio with fantastic support from the Southbank Sinfonia, who played Haydn with joyous aplomb.  [...] If you can’t get to it (and, not surprisingly, it is sold out), hope that ROH2 and the Jette Parker scheme plan an early revival.”

 

The Stage
George Hall

“The piece comes to the ROH for the first time in this staging by the Greek director Rodula Gaitanou. Her staging, played in Jamie Vartan’s effectively grungy and distressed set [...] delivers the narrative and characterisations skilfully.”

 

Classical Iconoclast
Doundou Tchil

[...] “Haydn's L'Isola disabitata at  the Linbury Studio of the Royal Opera House was superb. (...) it worked well because it kept generating ideas even after it was over.  This is Haydn for modern audiences. Alienation, moral dilemmas, and the idea of faith in adversity. Even the suggestion of social revolution. No wonder it's become a cult. Being compact and chamber, it's easy to stage. We'll hear more Haydn L'isola disabitata in coming years but the London Young Artists production is a masterclass in how it can be done.”