Christopher Ainslie makes “thrilling” ENO debut

Countertenor Christopher Ainslie has made his debut with English National Opera‘s “striking” new production of the UK premiere of Detlev Glanert’s Caligula.  Boasting a stellar cast (including other Rayfield Allied artists Julia Sporsén and Eddie Wade as Livia and Mereia/Lepidus, respectively), Christopher Ainslie gives a “genuine edge-of-the-seat” performance.

Christopher sings the role of Helicon – “a star cameo part for countertenor Christopher Ainslie” (The Australian, Hugh Canning) – in the opera, which has been hailed as a dramatic tour-de-force, with The Guardian’s Tim Ashley commenting that “the cast is consistently superb ... the way Ainslie conveys a sense of servile evil beneath immense surface charm is unforgettable”.  Reporting for The Stage, George Hall goes on to say that “the cast excels, too, in the huge demands placed upon them - notably ... Christopher Ainslie in his immaculately sung performance of Caligula’s slave, Helicon”.

Future operatic appearances include his debut with Opera North as Oberon A Midsummer Night’s Dream and also Voice of Apollo Death in Venice (a role he has already had great success with at Opera de Lyon).