Glyndebourne/Oae/Bolton - Handel: Saul

Glyndebourne�s Saul stole the summer and had critics raving. The Guardian (****) applauded �virtuoso stagecraft� from director Barrie Kosky in his debut production there, calling the show �a theatrical and musical feast of energetic choruses, surreal choreography and gorgeous singing�. For The Independent, which ranked it amongst five top classical and opera performances of 2015, there was �no praise too high� for the cast. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Ivor Bolton sparkles from the pit with period panache, and designer Katrin Lea Tag�s �exuberant costumes� (The Times ****) set the Old Testament story in Handel�s time, with a witty twinge of the contemporary.