"The world has been able to see the fruits of Duchy Opera's three-year ambitious project to mark the centenary of Ethel Smyth's most famous, but rarely performed opera, The Wreckers. It was an updated version by Tony Burke who edited the score from an impossibly large orchestra to one of 32 players that complemented Amanda Holden's libretto revised from Smyth's own translation of the original French into German. The production under the expert direction of David Sulkin, and in a simple but effective set devised by Tom Barnecut Watson and Myriddin Wannell, was superb.
"For this production four principals were imported: Edward Goater, the landlord, Tallan; Martin Lamb, the pastor's deputy, Harvey, controller of the sprites - the oak leaves on his shoulder suggesting an old superstition; Paul Carey Jones, the lighthouse keeper and father of Avis - full marks for his commanding acting and clear diction; from Welsh National Opera, the tenor, Ian Yemm, as Mark.
"....a high point in Duchy's 29 years and they can look forward to a confident future. It will surely give them a place in operatic annals, since the new version, mainly funded by Arts Council England, becomes accessible to other operatic companies."
Eric Dare, West Briton, 16th November 2006
