John's reduction of William Walton's opera Troilus & Cressida for the William Walton Trust was premiered by Opera Theatre of St Louis in June 2009 to great critical acclaim. In essence the work was reduced from triple to double woodwind with the brass reduced to standard orchestral size. The reduction gained wide critical acclaim: "Nothing about John Gibbons' reduced orchestration left one wanting for more" - Scott Cantrell - The Dallas Morning News.
John's reduction of Offenbach's Robinson Crusoe took a more extreme twist with the high violin lines of French Opera given to flute/piccolo and clarinet in a small chamber orchestra without violins. Again much positive critical comment supported this radical re-working of the orchestraion.