Retrospect Opera

08/09/2025

Limelight magazine Editor's Choice - October 2025
Review of Kennedy-Fraser and Bantock's The Seal-Woman (Retrospect Opera, 2025)

Read the full review by Clive Paget (8 September 2025): https://limelight-arts.com.au/reviews/bantock-the-seal-woman-scottish-opera-john-andrews/

'Bantock’s one and only opera deserves its haunting debut on disc [...] this recording of his only foray into opera especially welcome [...] It’s all brought to life beautifully by conductor John Andrews who achieves as effective a balance between melodic reflection and narrative thrust as you might hope for.

A fine cast is headed by Australian mezzo-soprano Catherine Carby as the titular Seal-Woman. Singing with unforced power and heartfelt sympathy, she paints a portrait that is sensual, wistful and elemental all at once. She’s nicely complemented by Scottish soprano Catriona Hewitson as her sparky Seal-Sister, and by Yvonne Howard as the shadowy Cailleach, her rich lower register warmly resonant and her diction perfectly suited to her narrative role.

Seumas Begg’s fresh, lyrical tenor really makes you root for the heartsick Islesman determined to carry home his seal maiden. Like the rest of the cast, he’s a natural storyteller. Arthur Bruce and Christian Loizou are easy-on-the-ear and natural fits for his two fellow fishermen, the latter doubling as a lovelorn Water-Kelpie. Eve Pearson Maxwell, Caitlin Mackenzie and Amy Karensa sing sweetly as the three Swan-Maidens, and the Gaelic is convincingly done throughout.

Recorded in meticulous sound and perfectly balanced, The Seal-Woman is a delightful and tuneful find and well worth a listen.'

10/08/2025

Congratulations to our Founder and former Trustee Andy King who, with Campbell Price, gave the Keynote on 'Oscar Wilde, Granville Bantock and The Sphinx' at the International Society for the Study of Egyptomania conference this weekend: https://www.issegyptomania.com/

While modern Egyptomania is often dated to the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, which ignited a craze in fashion, art and music, Oscar Wilde's fascination with Egypt commenced somewhat earlier, seen for instance in his poem 'The Sphinx' in 1894.

Granville Bantock's interest in exotic subjects is discernible both in his engagement with Celtic Revival - which led to the opera recorded for our most recent release, The Seal-Woman (1924), composed in collaboration with Marjory Kennedy-Fraser - but also with other areas of the world, including his orchestral song-cycle on Wilde's 'The Sphinx' in 1941.

Images of Egypt are also seen in Oscar Wilde's short story The Happy Prince (1888), which provided the inspiration for another Retrospect Opera release, Liza Lehmann's recitation The Happy Prince (1908), which we coupled with Ethel Smyth's opera Fête Galante (1923).

To purchase The Seal-Woman: https://retrospectopera.org.uk/product/the_seal-woman/

To purchase The Happy Prince and Fête Galante: https://retrospectopera.org.uk/product/fete-galante/

08/08/2025

'it has been admirably served by Retrospect Opera with this first complete recording ... heroic efforts behind this undertaking - and the superlative performances by all concerned ... I have to salute the young tenor Seumas Begg for his sterling portrayal of the hapless Islesman, and conductor John Andrews marshals his Scottish troops with brilliance.'

— Review of Kennedy-Fraser and Bantock's The Seal-Woman by Geraint Lewis, Gramophone

07/08/2025

‘All credit to Retrospect Opera [...] Yvonne Howard is in fine voice as The Cailleach [...] Seumas Begg, a heldentenor in the making, tackles the Islesman with determination [...] Best of all is Catherine Carby as the seal woman turned bride – there’s heft and delicacy in a performance that is somehow suffused with Hebridean sadness.’

- Review of Kennedy-Fraser and Bantock's The Seal-Woman by Christopher Cook for BBC Music Magazine, 7 August 2025

Yvonne Howard, Cath­er­ine Carby, Catri­ona Hewit­son, Seu­mas Begg, Arthur Bruce, Chris­tian Loizou et al; Orches­tra of Scot­tish Opera/ John Andrews Ret­ro­spect Opera RO012 137:15 mins (2CD) All credit to Ret­ro­spect Opera for res­cuing...

01/08/2025

'Retrospect Opera has an excellent track record in recording largely unknown British operas: this latest release is not a disappointment'

'Yvonne Howard ... is a stalwart of the UK operatic scene; her perfect diction and warm tones make her ideal for this important role.'

'Catherine Carby ... is touching as the Seal-Woman, the object of the Islesman’s desire.

The latter is sung by Scottish tenor Seumas Begg, who presents an affecting and wholly believable performance. All the smaller roles are admirably taken. Conductor John Andrews leads his forces in a well-shaped reading of the score.'

- Review of Kennedy-Fraser and Bantock's The Seal-Woman by Philip Reed, Opera Now, 31 July 2025

27/07/2025

"Throughout the performance is well played and sung [...] The extensive booklet notes are thorough and absorbing. This was clearly a labour of love [...] there’s no question it is good to have this extremely enterprising release"

- Review of Kennedy-Fraser and Bantock's The Seal-Woman by Kevin Mandry for British Music Society, 18 July 2025

Decades ago there was a short-lived production of The Seal Woman in West London, which somehow eluded me: I’ve been waiting many years to discover what I’d missed...

22/07/2025

in 1925, Smyth's last opera, Entente Cordiale, was premiered in a student production at the Royal College of Music, London, in a double-bill with Smyth's penultimate opera, Fête Galante, with the composer conducting. The worst thunderstorm of the year was raging outside and the orchestra pit flooded!

To commemorate this centenary, our own Chris Wiley has written an article on Smyth's neglected final opera and its premiere production, which has just gone to press with Opera Magazine with Opera News and will be hitting the shelves very soon!

For further information and to donate to our upcoming recording of Entente Cordiale, please see: https://retrospectopera.org.uk/entente-cordiale/

21/07/2025

Our wonderful conductor for our Ethel Smyth releases, Odaline de la Martinez, appeared on 'In Tune' on BBC Radio 3 this evening ahead of the Pegasus Opera production of Smyth's Fete Galante at the Royal College of Music later in the week, which she is conducting (this week sees the centenary of Fete Galante having been produced at the Royal College of Music on 22-23 July 1925). Two tracks from the Retrospect Opera recording of the opera were broadcast as part of the interview. Listen from 1.29.25 here:

Katie Derham welcomes Marios Papadopoulos, Alison Buchanan and Odaline de la Martinez.

20/07/2025

Our Trustee Valerie Langfield was in attendance at the Annual Conference of the Victorian Popular Fiction Association held at The Birmingham & Midland Institute earlier in the week, representing Retrospect Opera at a dedicated table.

There were some great links at the conference with our catalogue, for example, Andrew King gave a paper on Bantock/Sappho, and Carolin Sternberg spoke on Jack Sheppard. Retrospect Opera also sponsored the silent film evening.

The full programme for the event is here:https://victorianpopularfiction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Conference-Schedule_FINAL.pdf

15/07/2025

'Retrospect Opera has excelled in the casting of The Seal Woman. The singing is uniformly very fine indeed, and John Andrews conducts the Orchestra of Scottish Opera sympathetically. The recording is very very good, well balanced and full, with a pleasant acoustic giving the sound bloom.'

Jim Westhead, MusicWeb International
Review of Kennedy-Fraser/Bantock, The Seal-Woman (Retrospect Opera)

Recording of The Seal Woman by Marjory Kennedy-Fraser and Granville Bantock on Retrospect Opera

05/07/2025

Great mention of the Retrospect Opera recording of C.V. Stanford's Shamus O'Brien this morning on BBC Radio 3, following broadcast of a movement from one of Stanford's symphonies. Listen from 13:13-13:51 here:

Join Emma Clarke every Saturday for Radio 3's Breakfast show

02/07/2025

Here's a short video featuring John Andrews, conductor interviewed by Benjamin Hamilton, in advance of our recent launch of Kennedy-Fraser and Bantock's The Seal-Woman.

You can also view this video here: https://youtu.be/4zgXAFc6xI0

The longer video is here (come back on 3 July for its official launch): https://youtu.be/vkIxvKnPTNY

To order our recording of The Seal-Woman: https://retrospectopera.org.uk/product/the_seal-woman



https://retrospectopera.org.uk/the-seal-woman/