Verdi: Falstaff ****
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 13th July 2016
Laughter is indeed the best medicine. As we try and make sense of the continuing political fallout post EU referendum, the CBSO offered the perfect prescription in the ample form of Verdi’s Falstaff. “All the world’s a jest!” quips the fat knight, leading the terrific closing fugue, “but the best laugh of all is the one that comes last.” Even given the restrictions of a concert performance, the jocular presence of Ambrogio Maestri, leading a fine cast, meant that this was a season finale that went off with a giant belly laugh.
Ambrogio Maestri
© Dario Acosta
Read the full review on Bachtrack.