Rian Evans [The Guardian, 20 March 2006]

Of all the Mozart anniversary celebrations, this production by the Classical Opera Company of his very first opera may well turn out to be one of the most meaningful. Written when he was 11 years old, Apollo and Hyacinthus affords a better perspective on Mozart's extraordinary musical sensibilities than any historical account of the parading of his prodigious talent round the courts of Europe. It is not simply the fluency and stylistic flair that is astonishing, but the degree to which he is already able to create real characters and feelings. Logic would dictate that a boy could not possess the emotional maturity for such insights.