Grange Park (again)

Re-reading the reviews, so far, of this year's operas at Grange Park I am struck again by how often the country house milieu seems to imbue to critical reaction. I don't think that Garsington Opera suffers from quite the same image problem, though they do get some critical reviews. Perhaps because Garsington's programming cannily mixes in a number of rarities (Rossini and Richard Strauss) which appeal to critical sensibilities. Perhaps also, because Garsington engage better (or better known) conductors; orchestral sound is one of Grange Park's weaknesses.

But for us, the great advantage of Grange Park over Garsington or Holland Park is that the opera takes place fully indoors in a theatre which seats just 530; perfect for their chosen repertoire. So for the moment we remain devotees.