Conductor Ben Woodward somehow managed to create the impression of a Strauss orchestra with five (sic., there were 7...) unbelievably Stakhanovite instruments. I won’t forget this in a hurry. 5 stars.
Woodward paced the opera with a fine sense for the need to sustain both mood and momentum, while savouring the episodes of transformation and transcendence.
Woodward guided his forces through Wagner’s wise comedy with flair, insight and the fluency of a page-turner. The Meistersinger life-enhancing magic was out in force
Woodward, Fulham Opera’s artistic director, paced and shaped the drama to powerful effect…there was real poetry
Woodward did a marvellous job of shaping instrumental detail, while being unfailingly attentive to his singers, and his sense of pace made the narrative arc of Verdi’s most singular opera crystal clear.