Gamely going where few such companies dare, there is much to enjoy in New Sussex Opera's production of Charpentier's David and Jonathan

Charpentier: David and Jonathan - Harun Ellis Tekin, Tom Lilburn - New Sussex Opera [Photo: Colin Chapman]

Charpentier: David and Jonathan (David et Jonathas); Harun Ellis Tekin, Tom Lilburn, Massimo Modoni, Daniel Chomiak, Nadiia Chaichenko, Ambrose Chiu, director: Paul Higgins, the Bellot Ensemble, conductor Toby Pursuer; New Sussex Opera at Cadogan Hall
Reviewed 20 October 2026

A brave step into 17th century French opera for this ever-daring company. Fine solo performances, enthusiastic choral and strong orchestral contributions bring the music alive though the dramatic temperature was sometimes rather cool

New Sussex Opera has always dared to venture where other companies do not. In the past they have given us gems such as Weber's Oberon and Chabrier's L'Etoile, and in recent years their stagings have included rare Offenbach, from the 19th century, Stanford's final opera, from the 20th century, and The Dragon of Wantley, from the 18th century [see my review]. For their latest offering the company has bravely ventured into the 17th century with Charpentier's David et Jonathas (billed as David and Jonathan).

Charpentier was one of the composers who suffered because of Lully's monopoly on producing opera. Charpentier would write a full scale opera for the Académie Royale de Musique, Médée in 1693, but the majority of Charpentier's operatic offerings are on the fringes. Many were smaller pieces written for the household of the Duchesse de Guise, for whom Charpentier worked, but he also had a link to the Jesuits. David et Jonathas has a curious history. It is a real five-act tragédie en musique, but on a Biblical subject. The libretto was written, in French, by a Jesuit priest and the work was performed with a spoken Latin drama, Saul with the acts of the opera alternating with those of the play! A storytelling device that clearly presupposes pre-knowledge of the plot.

Charpentier: David and Jonathan - Massimo Modoni - New Sussex Opera [Photo: Colin Chapman]

It is important to point out that at the heart of New Sussex Opera is the community-based chorus and unpaid administration and behind-the-scenes team. This year the company has launched The Chalk Cliff Trust NSO Emerging Artists' Scheme to enable six early career singers to take part in the production.

We caught Charpentier's David and Jonathan at Cadogan Hall on 20 October 2026 (following performances in Hove and Cuckfield, with Eastbourne and Winchester to come). The production was directed by Paul Higgins and Toby Purser conducted the period instrument Bellot Ensemble. Harun Ellis Tekin was David, Tom Lilburn was Jonathan, Massimo Modoni was Saul, Daniel Chomiak was Samuel and Achis, Nadiia Chaichenko was the Pythoness and Ambrose Chiu was Joabel. Designs were by Mollie Cheek, lighting by Daisy Hardwick and Namiko Gahier-Ogawa was both dancer and choreographer.

There are several reasons for not venturing into performing an opera like David and Jonathan. For a start, 17th century French opera appears on our shores so rarely that, unlike performing rare Handel (or Lampe's The Dragon of Wantley), the style is not ingrained. Also, thanks to its distinctive history, the story-telling in David and Jonathan is somewhat elusive, the work lacks the compelling narrative thrust of Handel's Saul. The usual features of French tragédie en musique are here: the tendency to pause for a divertissement involving chorus and dancers, the reliance on over-formal libretto with complex French verse and a fondness for using the haut-contre voice, that complex high tenor that sits somewhere between tenor and counter tenor. It also requires a large cast, in addition to the seven main characters there are numerous solo roles in the chorus divertissements, here sung by members of the Emerging Artists Scheme and other chorus members - nine soloists in total. Bravely, the company surmounted most of these obstacles and created a production that was intelligent and creditable.

The work was sung in Christopher Cowell's new English translation; this was a necessity as some of the company's venues do not have surtitle ability. Cowell contributed an admirable article in the programme book about the complexities of doing the translation. But...

Charpentier: David and Jonathan - Daniel Chomiak - New Sussex Opera [Photo: Colin Chapman]

The cast was of mixed nationalities - English/Turkish, English, Italian, Venezuelan, Hong Kong born, Ukrainian - and all concerned struggled with diction. Much of the opera was based on long dialogues and solos with little action and beyond the bald summary in the programme book we were rather at a loss to follow the details. This robbed the performance of much of its immediacy. It may well be that the venue was partly at fault too, and that if I had heard the production at the Windmill Theatre in Hove, I might have had a different view.

The setting was abstract and the majority of costumes were 1940s, though clearly Mollie Cheek had had great fun. There were some nicely detailed chorus costumes whilst Tom Lilburn's Jonathan had gilt embroidery under his regulation uniform! Massimo Modoni's Saul spent much of the opera in loose shirt and trousers that were timeless, but for more formal attire donned a coat and wig worthy of Louis XIV!

The opera's plot is rather odd for those of us who know the story from Handel's oratorio. The prologue covers Saul's (Massimo Modoni) visit to the Witch of Endor (here the Pythonesse, Nadiia Chaichenko) and the raising of the ghost of Samuel (Daniel Chomiak). Act One sees David (Harun Ellis Tekin) sheltering with the Philistines, led by Achis (also Daniel Chomiak). Thereafter the opera sees jockeying for support and dominance between Saul, David, Achis (who supports David) and Joabel (Ambrose Chiu) who is David's rival. Jonathan (Tom Lilburn) is seen mainly through his relationship with David.

Charpentier: David and Jonathan - Harun Ellis Tekin, Tom Lilburn
New Sussex Opera [Photo: Colin Chapman]

Tenor Harun Ellis Tekin studied at the Guildhall School and is now at the Curtis Institute. His tenor encompasses roles such as the Prince in Rossini's La Cenerentola and Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, and he brought a nice heroic edge to the haut-contre role of David, singing with admirable strength and little discernible strain. This David was a fighter, and Tekin made that believable, yet his scenes with Jonathan (Tom Lilburn) were touching and the end where David was left alone but gains the kingdom was suitably touching.

Countertenor Tom Lilburn, a member of The Queen's Six and first prize winner at the 2026 Northern Aldborough Festival New Voices Singing Competition, made a distinguished Jonathan. Dressed all in white, Lilburn brought an innocence to the role which aligned to the eerie beauty of his voice. His big solo in the second half was rather touching, and he made Jonathan's (extended) death scene rather moving and not at all risible. Lilburn and Tekin managed to make the most of the couple's relationship despite the opera skating over it. Presumably this male bonding was intended by the Jesuit librettist as some sort of allegory, but the work can easily be refocused onto a genuine relationship, as here.

Massimo Modoni made a vibrant Saul. Restless and angry at times but definitely virile, the link to Louis XIV made explicit via his costumes. This figure of Saul was a lonely one, our sightings of him were focused on solos and the character was less about his mental breakdown (as per Handel) and more about his obsessive anger at David.

Daniel Chomiak made the Ghost of Samuel into something suitably unnerving, whilst his Achis was vividly supportive. Yet the latter character never came quite into view and we saw him mainly through his robust interactions with Tekin's David.

As the villain of the piece, Ambrose Chiu had perhaps the easiest task. His Joabel was vividly sketched, a nasty piece of work who even had solos to this end address to the audience. Chiu grasped his opportunities and ran with them. It helped that Chiu was the most successful of the cast when it came to diction.

Mezzo-soprano Nadiia Chaichenko had the unenviable task of singing the haut contre part of the Pythoness. She was dressed as some sort of infernal nurse and the character reappeared during the opera as some sort of deus ex machina. Vocally Chaichenko managed the lower reaches admirably and rather than the eerie sound of a very high tenor, we had her wonderfully gravelly tones, definitely unsettling. She had a double, played by dancer/choreographer Namiko Gahier-Ogawa.

Charpentier: David and Jonathan - Ambrose Chiu
New Sussex Opera [Photo: Colin Chapman]

The chorus has a big role in the opera, with both on-stage and off-stage moments. There was a nice off-stage moment when the choral acclamations for David kept annoying Joabel (akin to the scene in Handel's Saul). The various choral soloists had plenty to do and the whole was a brilliant credit to everyone (chorus director Ruth Kerr). The choral soloists held the stage admirably. When it came to dancing, Namiko Gahier-Ogawa created some stylised but largely effective choral movement, brave but admirable.

The 12-piece band (strings, oboes/recorders, bassoon, harpsichord, theorbo) were placed to the side of the stage and made a wonderfully vivid sound. Under Toby Purser's admirable direction, for much of the opera their contribution was paramount, especially in the divertissements. They were supplemented by period percussion to create thunder, visually and aurally terrific.

There was a great deal that was admirable and enjoyable about this performance. Individual solo contributions were high quality, even if the dramatic temperature was a little cool at times. I felt that the production could have given us a great deal more help when it came to setting and plot, so that listeners did not feel quite as much at sea with the drama. This was one of those evenings where closing your eyes and enjoying the fine musical performance. That said, a 17th century French opera was a brave choice for this company and they deserve a great deal of credit for what they achieved, especially the way the non-professional performers took the piece onboard and ran with it.

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