Ireland’s Summer Opera Festival

“Giulio Cesare - characterful, lustrous Handel on parade. An infinitely various cast compels as the splendour falls on castle walls”

“Anna Devin’s achievement as an infinitely various Cleopatra will not be eclipsed by Louise Alder’s eagerly-awaited characterisation at Glyndebourne.”

“Over the Irish sea, in the grounds of a castle with exquisite gardens above the lushly wooded valley of the river Blackwater, they’ve pulled it off."

"This is a singular triumph of which Caesar would be proud”.

“This was earnest, dark-hued, grown-up, even a tad low-octane – but with high musical values and strong direction.”

“Anna Devin…covered all the bases of a complicated role, all sassy confidence in taunting Tolomeo and seducing Julius, then the sudden unexpected (to her and us) access of soul when she fears he is dead.”

“Sharon Carty’s great performance, fighting with fear and indecision with concentrated, undemonstrative actorly art. Carolyn Holt handled Cornelia’s monomaniac misery sympathetically, and the smaller roles (there are no boring ones, unlike much opera seria) were absolutely central to the drama and delivered terrifically well.” “Cornelia and Sesto brought a real emotional heart to things with centred, rock-solid performances.”

"Tolomeo’s arias were delivered with increasing feline stylishness (and the raised profile of him and the smaller 'adviser' roles skewed the drama in interesting ways)…”

“McGegan’s band played with a cultured bounciness, unafraid to take things strikingly slowly in the deeper arias, the virtuoso solos admirably done.”

“The abundance of mellifluous arias is well sung by the cast. Particularly powerful are the scenes between mezzos, Carolyn Holt as Cornelia and Sharon Carty as Sesto.”

“Anna Devin as Cleopatra moves effortlessly from coquettish seduction to emotional heartbreak. German countertenor, Nils Wanderer is both comical and menacing as Tolomeo.”

“American baritone Dean Murphy brings a welcome bass ballast to the ensemble.”

“In the title role, Dutch contralto Ingeborg Brocheler has a lovely moment in Act 3 when Caesar can’t resist a smile as the resident ‘augellin’ or little bird chirrups as if on cue in the aria Se in Fiorito Ameno Prato with in tandem with a violin obligado.”

“BVOF’s Giulio Cesare delivers in spades.”

“Ingeborg Bröcheler (contralto) as Giulio Cesare commands the auditorium with her swaggering presence. Nils Wanderer (countertenor) is brilliant as Tolomeo, the Egyptian king of high camp and Machiavellian darkness. Anna Devin (soprano) as the seductive Cleopatra, Carolyn Holt (mezzo-soprano) as the grief-stricken Cornelia and Sharon Carty (mezzo-soprano) as the vengeful Sesto, likewise deliver full blooded and nuanced performances.”

“The twenty-plus arias represent a smorgasbord of contrasting emotions and dazzling technical virtuosity from all the leads, but if forced to pick just one—a real sword-at-the-head choice—it would be (Anna) Devin’s “Se pietà di me non senti,” delivered with heart-wrenching emotion.”

“The 25-strong Irish Baroque Orchestra, steered by conductor Nicholas McGegan, interprets the rhythmically lively score with equal parts brio and aching finesse.”

“Bravura performances all round, further cementing Blackwater Valley Opera Festival’s reputation as a jewel in Waterford 's cultural calendar.”

“…This performance was almost perfect. Tom Creed, one of Ireland's leading theatre and opera directors, directed the actors with precision, attention to detail and, above all, a suspenseful mix of drama and humour…nothing distracted from their acting and, above all, their vocal art."

"First-class ensemble: Among the many brilliant performances, the leading Irish soprano Anna Devin in the role of Cleopatra was the undisputed star of the evening: vocally, she effortlessly and in a crystal-clear tone scaled the breakneck coloraturas of Handel's masterpiece. The German countertenor Nils Wanderer gave Tolomeo, Cleopatra's hateful and scheming brother, not only phenomenal vocal power at dizzying heights but also dazzling humour. The duet between mother Cornelia and her "son" Sesto - sung by the celebrated Irish mezzo-sopranos Carolyn Holt and Sharon Carty - was enchanting in its harmonic perfection. The Caesar of the Dutch contralto Ingeborg Bröcheler … improved to a touching, harmonious love duet with the ravishing Cleopatra of Anna Devin."