Touring opera’s in tune for Perth’s Arts Festival
A most welcome return visitor to Perth Festival of the Arts is always English Touring Opera.
This year it was the ever popular Puccini’s Tosca, played on May 18 before a well attended house in Perth Concert Hall, transforming itself excellently for opera, proscenium arch and a huge orchestral pit included.
Assistant conductor Jack Ridley at the pre-opera talk was full of praise for the acoustic of Perth Concert Hall both instrumentally and for the voice. A stage full of sweetspots, he opined. The only fault was that the screens for subtitles were set needlessly far to the side so reading them took your attention away from the singers.
English Touring Opera are well known for their usually unencumbered, thoroughly thoughtout productions. What the singers did on stage was spot on, with the possible exception of the howl from Spoletta at the end. Yet things were not made easy by a set that was often very dark, dark grey and with black drapes, full of steps and needless obstacles to fall
Tosca Members of the Jambouree Choir were part of the English Touring Opera performance over. No-one did, but they often looked to be picking their way, inhibiting performance.
Tosca herself was well taken by Paula Sides, less the stiff opera singer, her character was more sympathetic, though still crazed with unnatural jealousy.
Good at the conversational singing, her highlight was the confrontation cum interrogation with Scarpia, at its highpoint a supple and finely sung Vissi d’arte.
The constriction of the tower allowed her to make little of throwing herself to her death.
As her lover Cavaradossi, Samuel Sakker soon settled to give a good account of Recondita armonia, sadly not given the applause it deserved, even more grievously so for his E lucevan le stelle in the final act. Both interacted well when duetting.
Craig Smith’s Scarpia seemed more intent on domination of Tosca rather than passion, but was well and menacingly sung, fine in the suave to nasty Act 2 and Scarpia’s credo.
Young members of the Jambouree Choir practice musical director, Edna Auld
But time and again the reduced orchestra, as usual excellently conducted by Michael Rosewell, provided the greatest drama and lyrical impulse, with a fine clarinet to start E lucevan le stelle.
The well filled Perth Concert Hall gave enthusiastic appreciation. Due to the acoustic and particularly to the higher numbers attending, it is to be hoped that opera stays in the Gannochy Auditorium for coming Festivals. IAN STUART-HUNTER