Fledgling company’s ‘affordable and accessible’ opera policy is a triumph of high quality singing
Fringe Classical
and the singers’ diction in this production was remarkably clear, although William Grist and Percy Pinkerton’s English translation of the original libretto perhaps has a little too much swearing for my liking.
Director Thomas Henderson’s production is a very classic one, the staging and costumes further evoking the tale of our ill-fated Parisian bohemians. Italian soprano Francesca Matta was captivating in the role of Mimi, and her duet with Ian McBain as Rodolfo at the end of act three was beautifully passionate and angst-ridden.
Under the baton of artistic director Calum Fraser, the ninepiece chamber orchestra captured the lavish qualities of Puccini’s score in Kenneth Roberts’ orchestral reduction. WITH a programme of music set to Shakespeare texts, Edinburgh based vocal ensemble
presented a selection of different composers’ interpretations of Shakespeare’s words, under the direction of Stuart Hope. Opening with the New Mexican contemporary composer Z Randall Stroope’s Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day, the choir sang with a fresh, well-balanced blend and sophisticated synchronicity. The percussive nature of Double Double Toil and Trouble, the third of Finnish composer Jaako Mantyjarvi’s set of 4 Shakespeare songs was tightly executed, as were the ringing bell-like sounds in Vaughan-Williams’ Full Fathom Five.
With lush and sensitive accompaniment from Neil Metcalf, Hope’s own SATB arrangement of Finzi’s song cycle Let us Garlands Bring had an attractive depth, with Finzi’s melodies still being at the fore. A EUROPEAN Pilgrimage saw a cappella vocal ensemble
give a whistle-stop tour of the last six centuries of European sacred choral music. Singing with a rich, full bodied sound, the intermingling phrases of Tallis’ Loquebantur vaniis linguis weaved amongst each-other with balanced dissonance. Displaying a great versatility, Liszt’s Ave verum corpus was gently soothing, while Bruckner’s sumptuous harmonies in his Ave Maria were both potent and tender.
Moving on to the 20th century, with a selection of Baltic composers, Arvo Pärt’s The Deer’s Cry was compelling and contemplative, with impeccably clear diction throughout. Ending with a pair of pieces by contemporary Scottish composers Rory Boyle and Sally Beamish, with the choir bringing out a vast array of light and shade in Beamish’s Gaudent in coelis. Roddy Hart, Jill Jackson and The Wynntown Marshals.
Seven different venues are being used for a festival that has been part of Scotland’s live music scene since its launch in 2007. Over the past decade more than 120 acts have performed at Glasgow Americana, attracting more than 6,000 fans.
Some acts are making return visits to the festival, including Nashville-based Kim Richey and Otis Gibbs, pictured above. Making his debut is Sam Outlaw from South California, who counts Ry Cooder as a major guiding hand. glasgowamericana.com