OPERA DELIGHTS – City of Manchester Opera
City of Manchester Opera comes regularly to the Buxton Fringe, and is as regularly well reviewed, so how did I miss them all this time? Error now corrected.
The Buxton Festival specialises in lesser known operas, but with this Fringe performance we got meaty extracts from mainstream works, favourites because they are so good, musically, dramatically, entertainingly, or all those things together. COMO does opera concerts large and small, as well as semi-staged and fully staged productions, in the original language, whatever that may be. The company is about 30 strong, and strong is the word, as the soloists come from the chorus, and step back into the chorus after doing their solo pieces. Many of the singers have bold and suitably operatic voice and delivery, and yet, back in the chorus they produce a melodious blended sound.
Since operas are mostly, to the English speaker, in foreign languages, the singers need to be nimble with their words, and to have their dramatic context explained. Several members of the company stepped up to make the introductions, as did the conductor, and the convoluted, not to say unlikely, plots were put before us with verve and no undue solemnity. The explanation of the hide & seek nonsense from Act 1 of The Marriage of Figaro might tax the memory of even those who already knew it, but it came over as funny, rather than simply contrived.
We had Verdi’s Otello, Act 1, with piano accompaniment (Jonathan Ellis) doing his best to stand in for mighty Verdian orchestration, followed by Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Lucy Lee an outstanding and moving Butterfly hoping for One Fine Day. From The Marriage of Figaro, Cherubino (Elizabeth Sillo) confronted the problems of love, Figaro (Simon Horsefield) cheerfully warned Cherubino of the hardships of the military life, and the trio contended with the hide and seek and involuntary revelations and confrontations already mentioned. The first half ended with more Verdi, this time Macbeth, with a notably tender lament from Macduff (Eric Cymbir) for his murdered children.
The second half had Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffman, the Barcarolle lilting and beautifully sung in the well balanced voices of Helen Sharpe and Elisabeth Sillo, and the rousing Septet to conclude. Duets from Bellini’s Norma, very demanding virtuoso writing, and Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, famously melodic and winning, were followed by Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (“a Scottish affair”). This was the wedding scene, with dramatic interruption (a plot device also used in Jane Eyre), in bravura musical form and ensemble singing. The programme ended with more Verdi, La Traviata, Violetta’s party in Act 1, the guests setting about the Brindisi with gusto.
I have not named here all the soloists, 14 by my count, though most of them merited it, had space permitted here. Their qualities vocal and musical seem to me outstanding, given that the whole company is amateur, even if a good many have studied music, and some have also sung in the chorus of professional companies (for instance Buxton Festival chorus) from time to time. Their director, Juan Ortuño, a graduate of the RNCM and busy figure in the music of the Manchester area, was deft, clear, clearly inspiring, as well as amusing in his explanations of plot (‘deft’, ‘clear’, ‘amusing’ are very good words in a conductor!). Jonathan Ellis did wonders with the piano reductions of the original great orchestral effects.
The company makes an excellent contribution to the mix of the Fringe, where they only do one concert. I can only urge opera lovers (or those who think they might like it if it isn’t too heavy, or too long) to make sure they catch their next visit.
Ursula Birkett
July 2014