★★★★☆ Australian Dane Lam conducts a fine performance with a firm grasp of Rossini’s style.

Opera Holland Park, London
July 20, 2016

It is a mistake to think that a Rossini comic opera is easy to perform just because it is fun to watch. As with comedy and farce in theatre, real skill and timing are required. The score for Cenerentola is no push over with its hectic speeds, complex ensembles and coloratura show pieces. Australian conductor Dane Lam sails through them all with aplomb, achieving high standards of musicianship from the City of London Sinfonia, Opera Holland Park chorus and soloists. Oliver Platt’s skilled direction also helps the evening fizz along.

Opera Holland Park is 21 years old this year, staging an ambitious five productions a year. There is a cleverly crafted stage which emerges from the ruins of Holland House and a sizable auditorium housed under a giant temporary cover. The stage may be a little wide and the acoustics not as perfect as some indoor venues, but the whole summer season has grown in reputation and has now become an important part of the London opera calendar. As testimony to their growing artistic reputation, La Cenerentola is a...