News
London report: Thea received standing ovation at ENO's opening of MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS
March 11, 2025
We just got back from London, enjoying the new production of Thea's Mary Queen of Scots at ENO (English National Opera). This was such a thrill, and we saw many long-time British friends there. The cast, orchestra, production, and conductor were all excellent, Although it was called a semi-staged production, it was fully active on stage - just in modern dress - where the personal tensions and political power struggles of Mary's era took on a more contemporary resonance for our own times.
REVIEWS
Both Thea and the English National Opera company, cast, and creative team received many rave reviews. The most praise-worthy aspect of ENO’s Mary, Queen of Scots is Thea Musgrave’s powerful and evocative score, which critics universally recognized for its dramatic intensity and masterful orchestration. Richard Morrison (The Times) lauded its ability to “blaze and thunder” while never overwhelming the voices, while Richard Fairman (Financial Times) highlighted its “highly charged” nature, seamlessly blending moments of contemplation with striking musical climaxes. The opera’s orchestration, described by The Guardian as a “tapestry of tension and passion,” was brought to life by the ENO Orchestra under Joana Carneiro, whose dynamic conducting ensured that the music drove the drama with unrelenting urgency. Through her richly expressive and emotionally charged composition, Musgrave reaffirmed her place as one of Britain’s most compelling operatic voices. Here are just a few of the raves, along with some pictures from the show, courtesy of ENO — production photos by Ellie Kurttz:
THE TELEGRAPH
Thea Musgrave’s opera returns to London sounding grander than ever
"The 96-year-old composer received a heartfelt standing ovation for her traditional yet bracingly modern 1977 was richly deserved."
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THE GUARDIAN
Trouser suits and relentless tension in Musgrave’s bleak opera
"Thea Musgrave’s 1977 account of the persecuted queen has been reimagined in terms of 20th-century sectarianism in Stewart production. It is sung and acted with blazing conviction by English National Opera."
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THE TIMES
Doing Thea Musgrave’s epic opera proud
"It simmers with raw passion, is infused with compelling theatricality and driven by an orchestral score that blazes and thunders, in a mostly atonal but approachable way, without ever obscuring the voices."
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BACHTRACK
ENO gives Thea Musgrave's Mary, Queen of Scots a worthy performance
"Musgrave’s music drives the action with constant tension, but also with remarkable flashes of orchestral colour...
Given the complexity of the characters and machinations, Musgrave’s own clear libretto meant that, even in modern dress without many visual clues, the plot was unexpectedly clear throughout. Conductor Joana Carneiro steered the musicians...through the challenges of the score with precision and energy."
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A new TALE OF THREE CITIES for thea musgrave
May 27, 2024
NEW YORK CITY
April 21st, 2024
Taking advantage of British Countertenor Andrew Watts’ appearances with the NY Philharmonic the week before, Thea finally meets her ORLANDO in person (after 4 years on Zoom), and introduces her new chamber opera “ORLANDO-An Escapade” — in her own words — to an audience of 74 musicians and friends in the spacious Cooper Square apartment of hosts Jim St. George and Mark Sullivan. For the first time ever, Andrew Watts sings the aria from the second act, with Michael Fennelly accompanying.
Thanks to Jim and Mark for welcoming this enthusiastic crowd and allowing us to preview the new ORLANDO!
LOS ANGELES
April 28th, 2024
World Premiere of Thea’s ORFEO V for two flutes and chamber orchestra was performed at the Closing Concert of this year’s Hear Now Music Festival:
Schoenberg Hall, Los Angeles
UCLA Philharmonia
Neal Stulberg, conductor
J.R. Santiago, flute Katlyn Lang, flute
The concert also included Thea's former pupil, now colleague and friend, Jack Van Zandt’s piece on the same program!
LONDON
February 15-18, 2025
English National Opera Announces Thea’s MARY, QUEEN of SCOTS for its upcoming 2024-25 season
Making its ENO premiere, this critically acclaimed modern opera set 500 years ago tells the story that still resonates today. With hostile forces on every side, Mary I of Scotland attempts to secure a happy future for herself and her country.
One of Scotland’s most esteemed composers, Thea Musgrave captures the drama in a thrilling, atmospheric score rooted in the rough-hewn Highlands of Elizabethan times.