I really enjoyed chatting to Hattie Butterworth at Gramophone about our Retrospect Opera recording of 'The Seal Woman' with Scottish Opera; and the joy of recording rare and unusual repertoire. It's available today wherever you get your podcasts!

Our recording of Kennedy-Fraser & Bantock's The Seal-Woman is now available to purchase! Here's a video by Yvonne Howard, who plays The Cailleach, discussing the opera, the legend, & what Kennedy-Fraser means to her. To order: retrospectopera.org.uk/product/the_se… Scottish Opera 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘄𝘀

This unique opera couldn't have asked for a better 21st century champion than 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘄𝘀. Hattie Butterworth talks to the conductor for the latest Gramophone Podcast about the Seal-Woman, a weaving together of traditional Outer Hebrides songs. gramophone.co.uk/podcasts/artic…

We had a fantastic launch event for The Seal-Woman on Friday at Gran T. After a small technical hitch with the livestream meaning our panel were very small on the screen, we’ve edited in the back-up video with closed captions: youtu.be/1VGQ547pbfw

One week on: some photos from last Friday's launch event for our recording of Kennedy-Fraser and Bantock's opera The Seal-Woman. To watch the launch: youtu.be/1VGQ547pbfw To order our recording: retrospectopera.org.uk/product/the_se… @jkaconductor @scottishopera retrospectopera.org.uk/the-seal-woman/

Last Sunday, six tracks from our recording of Kennedy-Fraser & Bantock's The Seal-Woman were broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland's 'Classical Now', presented by Jamie MacDougall & introduced by Catherine Carby who sings the title role. Listen here from 51.25-1.16.28: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00…

Congratulations to our Trustee David Chandler, whose co-authored book Succeeding Puccini: The Operatic Career of Italo Montemezzi, 1875–1952 is published today! More info: davidjchandler.co.uk/blogs/post/15-… To purchase: global.oup.com/academic/produ…

Here's a short video featuring @jkaconductor interviewed by Benjamin Hamilton in advance of our recent launch of Kennedy-Fraser and Bantock's The Seal-Woman: youtu.be/4zgXAFc6xI0 To order our recording of The Seal-Woman: retrospectopera.org.uk/product/the_se…

The longer version of the interview with @jkaconductor about our recording of Kennedy-Fraser and Bantock's The Seal-Woman has now gone live: youtu.be/vkIxvKnPTNY To order our recording of The Seal-Woman: retrospectopera.org.uk/product/the_se…

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: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0…

Review of Kennedy-Fraser/Bantock, The Seal-Woman (Retrospect Opera) by Jim Westhead, MusicWeb International: musicwebinternational.com/2025/07/kenned…

Our Trustee Valerie Langfield was in attendance at the Victorian Popular Fiction Association conference at The Birmingham & Midland Institute earlier this week, representing Retrospect Opera at a dedicated table. victorianpopularfiction.org/wp-content/upl…

The conductor for our Smyth releases, Odaline Martinez, was on today's 'In Tune' on BBC Radio 3 ahead of Pegasus Opera's production of Fete Galante later this week, which she is conducting; two tracks from our recording were broadcast. Listen from 1.29.25: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0…

#OTD in 1925, Dame Ethel Smyth's Entente Cordiale was premiered at the Royal College of Music, London. To commemorate this centenary, our own Christopher Wiley has written an article for Opera with Opera News. #EthelSmyth To donate to our upcoming recording: retrospectopera.org.uk/entente-cordia…

"Throughout the performance is well played and sung ... The extensive booklet notes are thorough and absorbing. This was clearly a labour of love." - Review of Kennedy-Fraser & Bantock's The Seal-Woman by Kevin Mandry for British Music Society, July 2025 britishmusicsociety.co.uk/2025/07/bantoc…

'Retrospect Opera has an excellent track record in recording largely unknown British operas ... John Andrews leads his forces in a well-shaped reading of the score.' - Review of The Seal-Woman by Philip Reed, Opera Now, 31 July 2025 gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/revi…

‘All credit to Retrospect Opera [...] Yvonne Howard is in fine voice as The Cailleach [...] Best of all is Catherine Carby as the seal woman’ - Review of Bantock and Kennedy-Fraser’s The Seal-Woman, Christopher Cook, BBC Music Magazine, 7 August 2025 pressreader.com/uk/bbc-music-m…

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

Congratulations to our former Trustee Andy King on the Keynote at the International Society for the Study of Egyptomania conference this weekend. issegyptomania.com Find out more about The Seal-Woman: retrospectopera.org.uk/product/the_se… And The Happy Prince: retrospectopera.org.uk/product/fete-g…