PRESS
“The City of London Sinfonia played brilliantly for conductor Lada Valešová, evincing total commitment, a wide palette of colours and attentiveness to detail.”
Opera Today
“The musicians of the Royal Academy Sinfonia proved just as impressive in the pit, incisively led by Lada Valešová. An ensemble of steel that could melt before our ears and the morning Roman sun, it drove and structured the action, ensuring that Britten’s opera for the most part overcame the limitations of its libretto and even hinting that there might be some post-Bachian truth in that problematical claim of redemption at the close.”
Mark Barry
“An element of savagery lurked in Lada Valešová’s sure-footed, sharp-witted conducting too, evident above all in the throb and sizzle of the percussion in the close-contact acoustic of the Susie Sainsbury Theatre.”
Yehuda Shapiro | Opera Magazine, August Issue
“Under Lada Valešová’s baton the Academy’s instrumentalists unveiled all the felicities of Britten’s delicate scoring… She drew out some memorable playing, no less so than a sinisterly alto flute and a beguiling cor anglais for the neo-baroque “Lucretia! Lucretia!”
David Truslove | Opera Today
“With Lada Valešová drawing incisive performances from her youthful players and cast, the stage director Paul Carr has a willing accomplice. Indeed, in more than half a century of Lucretia-watching, I don’t think I’ve seen a more compelling case for Britten’s operatic problem-child.
Valešová nurtured her young cast with coaxing care, ensuring their delivery of the text was never overwhelmed by the outstanding playing of the Royal Academy’s student chamber ensemble.”
Hugh Canning | Operalogue
“In the pit, Lada Valesova and the thirteen players of the Royal Academy Sinfonia brought out the vivid colours of the score. They did not try to pretend this was music written on a symphonic scale and indeed the theatre did not need this. Instead, we got big chamber music with lots of individual yet strongly coloured voices.”
Planet Hugill
“Conductor Lada Valesova gave a well paced and persuasive account of the score and the small group of twelve instrumentalists produced a musical web that allowed the singers space to flourish.”
Owen Davies | Plays to See
“ Lada Valesova, as both musical director and conductor, is also frequently on stage, and carries off her multiple roles with aplomb.”
The Herts Advertiser
“Conductor Lada Valešová communicates deep feeling for the light and shade of Tchaikovsky’s score, for its sorrowful sighing phrases and its whirling dances.”
The Sunday Times
“Although accompanying the opera was a completely unusual task for the Škampa quartet, under the leadership of Lada Valešová they managed it brilliantly. After all, Lada Valešová, a Czech conductor, pianist, chamber player living in Britain, a vocal and language consultant for foreign soloists studying Czech operas, but also a tireless promoter of Czech music, has a lot of experience with similar projects. Here in Czech Republic we were able to appreciate her in a very interesting staging of Janáček’s Diary of One who Disappeared, which was on the program of the Janáček Brno festival.”
Helena Havlíková | OperaPlus
“Lada Valešová skilfully delineates the different musical styles of the two works. Comedy on the Bridge is often darkly brooding with melodic lines that vividly come to the fore here, sustained quite heavily and pregnantly by the Royal Academy Sinfonia. The neoclassicism of Twice Alexander is delivered with levity and panache, drawing an apt contrast with the first half of the double bill. The neoclassicism of Twice Alexander is delivered with levity and panache, drawing an apt contrast with the first half of the double bill.”
Curtis Rogers | Classical Source
“In the pit, Lada Valešová led two fine orchestral performances, giving a particular leanness to Bridge’s already trim score and letting the orchestra veer into frothy delight in Alexandre bis.”
bachtrack
“Lada Valesova found all the colours in both scores, including some fine harp in the Cui and stretching to swanee whistle in Langer’s fun music.”
Keith Bruce | VoxCarnyx
“ The ensemble acted, sang and played the instruments and well done them. Czech conductor Lada Valešová added a serious, if still fun tone to proceedings. Her sometimes engaging with the action was dry, these little moments helped break down the show.”
getthechance.wales ****
“The directorial team of Adam Nichols, Julia Mintzer (Co-director) and Lada Valešová (Conductor and MD) must be congratulated for managing intensely rich content to achieve such a cohesive, well-oiled production over 2½ hours involving 15 performers playing multiple parts as well as 21 instruments (including spoons!). A remarkable team effort.”
www.fairypowerproductions.com
“Lada Valešová brings out the melancholic beauty of Opera Holland Park Eugene Onegin.”
Seen and Heard-International
“The conductor, Lada Valešová, judges the balance with the City of London Sinfonia sklifully.”
Financial Times
“The production is phenomenal. The ensemble cast of thirteen actor-musos doesn’t have a single weak link and the attention to detail in each performance is notable. the production is phenomenal. The ensemble cast of thirteen actor-musos doesn’t have a single weak link and the attention to detail in each performance is notable.”
Thereviewshub.com ****
“…superbly directed by the Czech conductor Lada Valesova.”
Seen and Heard International
“Lada Valešová conducted the City of London Sinfonia in a carefully shaped performance, drawing wonderful colours and surprising heft from the reduced orchestra.”
Bachtrack
“The players clearly respect her; beauty, predominantly of the melancholic kind, was everywhere.”
Seen and Heard International
“ Musically it is spot on, avoiding the pitfalls of some modern interpretations of jollifying the compositions.”
Thespyinthestalls.com
“The Czech-British conductor Lada Valešová drew superb playing from the chamber-size HGO Orchestra: textures were lucid, but the palette was ever warm.”
Claire Seymour | Opera Magazine
“The conductor, Lada Valešová, judges the balance with the City of London Sinfonia sklifully.”
Financial Times
“Derek Clark’s reduced orchestration for twenty-two instruments is beautifully interpreted by conductor Lada Valesova, making her debut appearance at West Green.”
Mark Aspen
“Guest conductor Lada Valesova made an immediate impact with Prokofiev’s Overture on Hebrew Themes which prefaced with operas.”
The Herald
“In the pit Lada Valešová drew finely detailed playing from the City of London Sinfonia, her reagard for the work showing in care she lavished on every moment. This was a performance where Tchaikovsky’s orchestration counted for a lot.”
Planethugill.com
“City of London Sinfonia sumptuously conducted by Lada Valešová.”
Operascene.co.uk
“City of London Sinfonia superbly conducted by Lada Valešová.”
Musicomh.com
