Reviews

Ms Shaw has the singers act so well you could almost think they were performing in a straight play. Mittenhofer's put upon doctor was the excellent William Robert Allenby.

New York Times (George Loomis)

ENO assembled a terrific cast. William Robert Allenby (Mittenhofer's personal physicain Wilhelm Reischmann) contributed a vivid cameo.

Opera Magazine (Hugh Canning)

William Robert Allenby acquitted himself well in the role of Mittenhoffer's physician, evoking some genuine humour in his early scenes with Lina.

Opera Britannia

Fiona Shaw gets some fine dramatic performances out of her singers. William Robert Allenby's doctor was a solid interpretation.

Classical Source (Alexander Campbell)

Steven Page's performance as the monstrous Mittenhoffer, is a tour de force, and William Robert Allenby and Lucy Schaufer as the doctor and secretary, are equally impressive.

The Guardian (Andrew Clements)

William Robert Allenby as Dr Reischmann, Robert Murray and Kate Valentine as the lovers - are uniformly excellent.

Whats on Stage (Simon Thomas)

The rest of the cast are fully into their roles and give thier all, be it Lucy Schaufer, Mitterhoffer's secretary, [and] William Robert Allenby as the unsettled physician.

Musical Opinion (Colin Anderson)

Stefan Blunier making his ENO debut does well to coordinate the score. His cast, including William Robert Allenby as Dr Reischmann, give convincing performances under Shaw's direction. Fiona Shaws realisation is a triumph.

Evening Standard (Barry Millington)

All singers - that is, baritone William Robert Allenby(Dr Reischmann), tenor Robert Murray (Toni Reischmann), soprano Kate Valentine (Elisabeth), mezzo-soprano Lucy Schaufer (Carolina) and soprano Jennifer Rhys-Davies (Hilda Mack) - perform admirably and it is to be hoped that they will have further opportunities to sing their roles in this rarely performed opera. This rare event is not to be missed.

Musical Criticism (Agnes Kory)

William Robert Allenby brought the right sense of bumbling frustration to Bartolo...

Musical Criticism (Hugo Shirley)

William Robert Allenby, who played Bartolo in last year's Figaro, gives full reign not only to his voice but his acting talents in this production.

Fosse Way Magazine (GP-W)

... a terrific cast with ... William Allenby's biting Cornwall

Evening Standard (Tom Sutcliffe)

Bass, William Robert Allenby, the voice of dire warnings and reminders of man's foolishness, harnessed dramatic emphasis to his natural musicality with ease.
This must rate as one of the best performances of Handel's Messiah the society has given.

Halifax Evening Courier 2008 (Julia Anderson)

William [Robert] Allenby's shrewdly planned recital, to do the best justice to his considerable gifts ... he has a baritone voice of fine quality throughout its compass and capable of giving the authentic thrill in the upper range.

... He was able to capture the right mood immediately, as in Ireland's 'See Fever' and Quilter's 'Go, lovely rose'. Particularly impressive were his accounts of the very demanding lied, notably Schubert's 'Ihr Bild' and Richard Strauss' 'Traum durch die Dämmerung', where his diction, true feeling for and moulding of long phrases, and climaxes in proportion to the moods, were excellent.

Peter Jaekel (piano) was his assured and musicianly partner.

Hull Daily Mail (Douglas Bowen)