WNO – A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

MAYFLOWER THEATRE Southampton

Review: Pat Hayward 1st October 2025

For the uninitiated this has nothing to do with The Marx Brothers but has everything to do with a selection of what is the absolute best in the world of opera. Welsh National Opera (WNO) have been regular visitors to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton since 1970 and over the intervening 55 years have performed most of the popular operas as well as more modern and little seen gems. Whilst all the other opera companies, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Opera and D’oyly Carte no longer visit and in fact no longer move from their base, WNO have somehow seem to have mastered life despite what seems a continuous reduction in Arts Council funding – but one has to wonder for how much longer.

The first night of their autumn visit to Mayflower Theatre was a wonderful insight into their repertoire and what an introduction it was – for anyone that enjoys musicals, the great rock bands or exploring different types of music, this was a perfect introduction. Firstly there is the 40 piece WNO Orchestra on stage, along with the 30 strong WNO chorus and some incredible soloists. Then you add music from Mozart, Verdi, Dvorak, Bizet, Lehar, Strauss, Tchaikovsky and Puccini with newer work by Smyth and Grace Williams and what you get is an auditorium that is full of melody, passion and the joy of perfect unamplified sound – voices that can reach every corner of the theatre and an orchestra that can lead or follow as the moment dictates.

The orchestra was under the baton of Finnegan Downie Dear, who ensured that every aspect of A Night At The Opera would flow with perfection from the opening with the overture of Don Giovanni through to the closing prayer with which the WNO chorus brought the evening to a close. The lead soprano soloist, Giselle Allen was perfection and it was amazing how easily she was able to slip between roles and bring her incredible voice into the character of each particular part. The lead tenor Adam Gilbert was indisposed, so stepping into his shoes was Andres Presno, but he was no understudy or alternative; this young man from Uruguay is definitely one to watch and he has the potential and ability to become a world class tenor, up there with the all time greats. He happened to be in Southampton as he is playing Tosca’s lover in the WNO production of Tosca on Friday at Mayflower Theatre – suggest you hurry to buy a ticket, you will not be disappointed.

As the evening reached it’s climax, Andres Presno stepped forward and with the 30 strong chorus alongside him and the full WNO orchestra behind him he took us into a performance of Nessun Dorma, the likes of which I have never experienced before – even back in the far off days of ‘The Three Tenors’ has it been done better – every note resonated around the theatre, the audience became spellbound and you knew that this moment was special and would remain with everyone for a very long time.

The evening was brought to a close with the chorus singing a beautiful Welsh anthem and it was sad and a little emotional and left me wondering whether this was their way of saying goodbye to Southampton, as I had noticed that there is no mention of any visits to the City in 2026 – which could mean that for the first time in almost 150 years there would be no opera in the South of England – from Dorset to Sussex the end of an era. Make the most of this week’s visit to show that Southampton cares and give the company the support they so deserve.