Strathpeffer Pavilion, 27 February 2009

Samuel Evans and Joshua Ellicot (photo - Peter Dibdin)

WITH CHAMPAGNE, flowers, and laughter, four young singers pranced and trilled their way to the front of the Pavilion auditorium as if arriving at a rather good party, skipping onto the stage and launching straight into ‘L’orgia’, from Rossini’s Serate musicale, which extols the joys of wine and women.

Top marks to director Ashley Dean, as I cannot believe there was anyone in the capacity Strathpeffer audience who wasn’t instantly captivated by the collective vivacity and joie de vivre on show.

And the evening was a very good party, showcasing a wide-ranging box of operatic delights assembled by Scottish Opera’s Head of Music, Derek Clark. There was Mozart, of course, including a taster of SO’s next touring production by the great David McVicar, Cosi fan tutte, but also many unexpected gems including soprano Joanne Boag’s heartrending interpretation of ‘Senza mamma, o bimbo, tu sei morto’ from what is probably Puccini’s least-known opera, Suor Angelica.

Chloe de Backer’s performance of the ‘Flower Song’ from Gounod’s ‘Faust’ demonstrated the range and depth of her lovely mezzo-soprano, while bass-baritone Samuel Evans threw himself happily into the delightful ‘If you doubt me’ from Cimarosa’s The Secret Marriage, with its treasurably memorable couplet, “Would you like to be deflowered/ by a bully and a coward?”. Tenor Joshua Ellicott showed an equally deft and very endearing touch for comedy, displayed to perfection by both men in ‘Duetto de la Chartreuse vert’ by Chabrier.

Great opera performances require acting chops as well as great voices, and these four young singers, dressed in black, demonstrated their considerable range as they changed characters and moods in a trice by donning a shawl here, a hat there, or most impressively by a change of stance and mien.

Pianist (and Musical Director) Philip Voldman was as unobtrusive as a good accompanist must be. Particular mention must be made of Dundee’s Joanne Boag, making her second outing for Scottish Opera, who has that indefinable quality which makes an audience just dote upon her immediately. A name to watch.

The joy of the Essential Scottish Opera format is that it’s the ideal introduction to opera for audiences of all ages and a brilliant way of letting recent graduates learn the arcane skills of audience management in smaller venues. A lot more fun for them than standing in the back row of the chorus, and an evening of pure delight for audiences up and down the land, with a chance to spot the stars of the future.

The company encored with Noel Coward’s prophetic ‘Bad times are just around the corner’ from 1938, delivered with brio and elan. “We’d better all learn that one”, said my neighbour….

© Jennie Macfie, 2009

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