Scottish Opera Touring has a date with Seil Island Hall this month. Here event organiser Stephen Arnold of Netherlorn Music Scheme tells us why this is an opportunity not to be missed.
Stephen writes: A curmudgeon grumbles: Opera is such old hat. It’s been around for so long. Talk about long: it goes on for far too long, doesn’t it? And the hoo-hah over the dressing up, the etiquette, the foreign languages, the prices….
Despite such old critical chestnuts, we humans still love to tell and listen to stories, old and new; and we can’t stop singing our songs! Then there are all those surprises and magical moments, with all those evil villains, those dazzling heroines and lovers!
The Curmudgeon retorts: “Is it a kind of laziness that keeps the same-old, same-old rattling along the well-worn ruts of musical history? How boring. How annoying. How bewildering. Oh, and the noise it makes!”
If you suspect that such dreary views ever held sway, it is worth checking the current new wave of operatic art being offered by Scottish Opera. Don’t miss the opportunity!
Scottish Opera, which is more than 60 years old, has led the charge, from part-time local beginnings in Edinburgh and Glasgow, to become an internationally lauded, full-time company with its own orchestra and opera house, and a personal triumph for Sir Alexander Gibson, its founding director and conductor.
The company has developed deep roots by providing training-on-the-job for young professional singers, music directors and producers; it takes its productions to the major cities of Scotland. Of course, the number of suitable theatres is limited, and, in its determination to bring high-quality opera to the whole of the country, it has
launched Scottish Opera Touring which works with its education and outreach programme, by means which hundreds of schools and communities benefit each year. Its productions have been adopted by other opera companies, and gained respect and repute from its international forays to Europe, Canada and the United States of America.
Doubters may once have asserted that Scottish Opera only served the Central Belt. It is certainly true that the Scotland’s geography and unevenly distributed population makes it very difficult to tour the full company. Where are all the large theatres with orchestra pits?
In its determination to overcome these nationwide absences, Scottish Opera has established Scottish Opera Touring, directed by Dawn Rawcliffe, which has developed a radical approach to overcoming all these indisputable challenges: in its current iterations, not only does it reach even the smallest of Scotland’s widely distributed settlements, but it does so by providing professional opportunities and invaluable experience to young performers, producers and other support staff.
Scottish Opera Touring has embarked on a vast Scotland-wide tour which ought to dispel any remnants of doubting cynicism. They are out on manoeuvres, targeting 17 venues this autumn, and a further 18 next spring, with the essence of the operatic experience: stirring singing, comedy and tragedy all expertly delivered. This is an important public outcome of the company’s ongoing programme to train and to provide employment and performing opportunities to an international team of young musicians and directors who are learning their craft, their profession, on the job.
The music has all been chosen, from a vast and varied array of operatic sources, by the recently retired Scottish Opera music director, Derek Clark. His selections include some very well-known arias and ensembles by, for example, Handel, Mozart, Donizetti, Humperdinck, Sullivan and Walton.
The show’s designer is Ana Ines Jabares-Pita. A completely new dramatic narrative has been created by the show’s director, Laura Attridge, who engineers a tragi-comic set of awkward situations within the context of a wedding.
The various characters are sung and acted out by the singers Katy Thomson (soprano);
Katherine Aitken (mezzo soprano); Innocent Masuku (tenor) and Jerome Knox (baritone) accompanied by the music director, Toby Hession on his trusty Yamaha. Included in the sequence is a brand new piece by Toby, written especially for this production.
Photograph: Sally Jubb.
Here is director Laura Attridge, setting the scene: “We are here to celebrate a wedding and to explore the stories that happen in the margins of this kind of occasion. Our characters – four guests and four staff members – will find their narratives interweaving as the day progresses. We follow them through a series of intimate exchanges via a rich programme of operatic gems.
“The variety of musical styles you will hear, spanning three centuries of history, reflects the many different ways one can experience the world in all its complexity. At the same time, every scene ultimately comes back to the same core inquiry: what it is to be human.
“There is love, there is loss, and there is longing. Our characters meet and part; experience desire, pain, and joy; and move through fear and hope. They may all be ordinary people, but music allows us to get into their heads in an extraordinary way. That’s opera for you!
“We have woven this vibrant series of arias, duets, trios, and quartets together with a delicate, overarching narrative of our own invention, but each scene also stands alone and I would encourage you to enjoy the programme in whatever way suits you best. Like attending a wedding, everyone will have a different experience based on the stories they bring to it.
“So here we all are, gathered together to celebrate the marriage of Oscar and Hugo.
Let’s raise a toast: Here’s to love! Here’s to life! Here’s to opera!”
Although you will recognize some, if not quite all, of the music, this is, nevertheless, a new comic opera.
This is perhaps the most significant and astonishing point: that a brand-new opera has been created almost entirely from existing bits and pieces. While the story-line is as old as those of the traditional operatic uplands, everything is freshly thought out and re-assembled.
It is a pleasure to see and hear such young and talented musical artists perform, relishing the opportunity to develop their skills and artistry within the supportive framework of what could be Scotland’s greatest cultural asset, Scottish Opera.
Moreover, what a brilliant idea it is to bring these treasures, new and old, before all of Scotland, and not just hide them away in the swamp of the Central Belt.
You now have the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of this original creation on your doorstep, without that tedious journey down the road! Come to the Isle of Seil Community Hall on Saturday, October 14 at 7.30pm for a special night out!
Tickets are available at £6 for under 26-year-olds, standard price is £18 and admission is free for essential companions.
To book visit https://www.scottishopera.org.uk/shows/opera-highlights-202324/
or buy on the door on the night.