Perth slides along the Silken Ladder

For some time Scottish Opera and their orchestra have promoted Sunday concerts in Glasgow of orchestral works and operas in concert performances.

For the first time, Scottish Opera brought their ecstatically praised version of Rossini’s La Scala di Seta (Silken Ladder) to the stage of Horsecross, Perth.

With the orchestra to the back of the platform, the singers in front had two screens of garden trellis and a distinctly tatty armchair as setting for their fast and

Rossini: La Scala di Seta/Scottish Opera amusing production. vocal demands: a good legato

The scene was wittily set by and clean coloratura. In great British operatic addition they put over all the conductor David Parry who fun of the ludicrous plot then went on to a brilliant, behind his zany and stylish engaging performance of the tunes. well-known Overture, its stars Jennifer France as Giulia the nimble strings and the had the biggest part of the personable oboe of Amy evening and fulfilled it with Turner. As her desk partner charm and excellence. Katie Logan’s obligato cor Starting solo she had beauty anglais also well rates of line and finely accurate mention. fioriture. She was joined by

Rossini has so far come back the hapless manservant into fashion that all six of the Germano, always guaranteed principals were skilled in his to get the wrong end of any stick, in the first of many fine speedy cabalettas. As singing Nicholas Lester’s Germano had a nice line in gauche, misapprehension and was well up to standard in the coloratura.

Giulia’s husband since before the curtain rises (which, of course, it didn’t in the Gannochy Auditorium) was the Dorvil of Luciano Botelho, given a more graceful line but still with plenty of notes, both rapid and astonishingly high – in short, a Rossini tenor.

Blansac, the choice of Giulia’s guardian (blusteringly well done by Christopher Turner) as her intended (!) was the fine baritone Joshua Bloom, silky of voice and bombastic of manner.

Giulia intends to push him off on her friend Lucilla, finely sung by mezzo Katie Bray.

An evening of fizz and fun, tunes both graceful and sparky, beautifully played. I and the well filled auditorium, to judge by their applause, can’t wait to see Scottish Opera make another foray outside Glasgow and would love it to be in our direction.

IAN STUART-HUNTER