Guy's Blog

I was lucky enough to obtain some tickets for us to see Trooping the Colour on Saturday 13th June so we decided to travel down to London on the Friday evening and take in a show. Believe it or not, neither Mrs E nor I had ever seen Phantom of the Opera (despite my having sung various songs from it over the last year or two) so we finally got to see why the show is such an enduring success. It really is excellent light entertainment and for anyone thinking of going to see it, I would say go along, you won’t be disappointed! It is one of the West End’s longest running shows having been first staged in 1986. Whether you like Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music or not, it is undeniably popular and Phantom has given us a fair number of really memorable tunes (e.g. Music of the Night, All I Ask of You, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, etc.). The advantage of having a production run in one theatre for such a long time is that you can modify the theatre to the production’s needs in a way that is impossible for theatres where the shows change regularly. Consequently, the staging and “special effects” in Phantom are pretty special. (We were sitting under the chandelier when it ‘fell’ from the ceiling!). The sight of the candelabra rising from the floor in the Phantom’s underground hideaway was equally impressive. The result was a veritable visual and musical feast, though not perhaps one that entirely satisfies the appetite for a rich emotional experience.

Trooping the Colour is, unquestionably, one of the capital’s most outstanding spectacles. I suspect that, having grown-up seeing highlights of it on the television every year (and having attended it a number of times before), it is easy to become rather blasé about the whole thing. The images of Trooping the Colour are truly iconic but rarely capture the awe-inspiring scale of the event (or the smell of the horses!). Regardless of whether you like military parades, it would be hard not to be hugely impressed by the extraordinary display of scarlet tunics, marching bands and immaculately turned-out horses. With the sun glinting off the brightly polished cuirasses and helmets of the Household Cavalry, it is easy to see why so many tourists flock to see the event and why it has become synonymous with “military precision”. If only every military activity could be so well-rehearsed and accurate. Being inside Horse Guards Parade to witness Trooping the Colour is a real privilege and one that no amount of television coverage can rival. We were sitting within a stone’s throw of Uncle Gordon, but no, we didn’t (throw a stone)! A really good military parade with marching and mounted bands must surely number among the things we British still to do really well, even if we do have a relatively small Army of fewer than 110,000 regulars!

Anyway, we didn’t have time to hang around for long after the parade as I had to get back to Wiltshire to sing in an evening concert with the Wessex Male Choir. The Choir opened this year’s Cricklade Festival in the lovely old St Sampson’s Church which boasts an impressive four turret-spired belltower, the third longest bell-ropes in England (apparently) and a church cat! The nave in St Sampson’s is rather narrow so the Choir had to squeeze in. This produces some unfamiliar dynamics within the choir (for example, I found myself standing next to a second tenor and a baritone – something that normally only happens at the bar), but hopefully it didn’t affect the overall sound. This was the Choir’s first opportunity to perform musical director Rob Elliott’s arrangement of the Celine Dion hit All by Myself, and for me to sing a little solo all by myself. As ever, I felt I could have done better, but for a first outing, it was probably okay. It was the first opportunity too for me to sing in Franz Beibl’s gorgeous seven-part setting of Ave Maria with Presto (the Choir’s smaller a capella group). In a church with such a lovely acoustic, the sound just seemed to float and, from where I was standing, the effect was wonderful. I hope the audience heard it the same way! We were delighted to have the senior choir from the Janice Thompson Performance Trust sharing the programme with us. Janice and her team do a wonderful job bringing on young singers and their enthusiasm is clearly infectious. The choir performed beautifully and put real feeling and life into their singing. As is traditional, after the concert, the Wessex choristers repaired to the nearest hostelry for liquid refreshment and to further indulge in our passion for singing. These “afterglows” are great fun but it is noticeable how the quality of singing diminishes in direct relation to the number of pints consumed. A particularly raucous but highly-spirited rendition of Nessun Dorma seemed to go down well although it was not perhaps as Puccini intended! The strong camaraderie and banter within the Choir is an essential part of the Wessex and singing with the choir is always good fun.

In addition to the usual round of rehearsals and concerts, I also went along to a committee meeting for the Swindon Recital Series. The hugely talented Paul Turner (the Series Artistic Director) works incredibly hard to promote the series which brings world-class performers to Swindon. I can’t help thinking that Swindonians seldom appreciate the quality of what is on offer, which is a real shame - and it irritates me when people say that Swindon is a cultural desert but then don’t bother turning out to support these events and to hear fabulous live chamber music! Having seen a list of the artistes that Paul has engaged for 2009/2010, I’m really looking forward to the start of the season in September. The SRS website is due for an overhaul this summer (on my “to do list”), but we should have the details of the season on the website fairly soon – so if you’re near Swindon, you will have no excuse not to come along!

Finally, White Horse Opera has given the first two performances of this year’s touring production, Otto Nicolai’s Merry Wives of Windsor (in a new English translation by the very humorous and multi-talented Graham Billing). I’m singing the role of Fenton (young, romantic, penniless, handsome lover). I object to this constant typecasting and am most upset that I am not valued for my intellect and Zimmer frame instead! The first performance was in a lovely English Country garden on a clear, if slightly chilly, summer’s evening. I was glad to be dressed as Oberon for the final act, resplendent in a very heavy cloak which could easily have doubled as a tent if the weather had turned nasty. As it was, I was grateful for the warmth because I had been strutting around almost bare-chested for most of Acts 1 & 2 in a costume that was a cross between Mr Darcy and Elvis Presley. The resident peacock clearly didn’t like the competition and at one point a vocal turf-war developed between the peacock and one of our sopranos. (It also crowed mockingly as I sang Fenton’s aria, “Hark! The Lark is on the Wing!”) As premieres go, it could have been better but at least no-one pelted us with eggs so I guess it wasn’t too bad! In fairness, the acoustic (outdoors) was challenging and at times it was quite hard to hear each other and/or the accompanist (who was almost hiding in the shrubbery). There were one or two first-night glitches with entries and ensemble togetherness, and the peacock hit several bum notes, but overall, everything seemed to work reasonably well. Our second performance (on Saturday 20th June) in the wonderfully resonant old church at Bishop’s Cannings, was very much easier from the performer’s point of view and musically was rather better than the Friday night performance. The organizers at both venues were wonderfully hospitable and far too polite to mention any passages that needed a little more “polish” – by the time we get to January 2010, it should be really, really good!

For once, I felt that the hype surrounding a new production was well deserved: David Alden’s Peter Grimes (for English National Opera) was a superlative production in so many ways and lived up to my expectations for this, the most iconic of all Britten's operas. Paul Steinberg’s austere set provided the perfect canvas for this bleak tale of xenophobia and hypocrisy although the sloping stage was not without its challenges. For example, on one occasion it looked as though Ellen was accidentally going to propel young John into the orchestra pit as she sent him hurtling down the slope! No wonder the double-bass section looked worried. The panoramic seascape, the backdrop for much of the action, was a work of art in itself, perfectly capturing a sense of the gathering storm, and the sloping stage added to the feeling of a community out of balance, sliding inexorably towards paranoia. In the penultimate scene, Grimes’ cottage precariously clinging to the cliff-edge, provides a very obvious metaphor for the way in which Grimes himself is clinging to his sanity. The tall buildings, which for most of the opera framed the action, provided a claustrophobic atmosphere from which the only and ultimate escape was the cruel sea that lay beyond.

Of course Britten’s Peter Grimes (set to Montagu Slater’s libretto and based on George Crabbe’s poem The Borough) is a depressing and dark tale of human failing, but the music alternately sparkles like the shimmering sea, or lashes you like a force ten gale! Superb though the libretto is, it is the music that really tells the story and the orchestra (under Edward Gardner) was on fine form, deservedly gaining a huge ovation at the end of the performance. I kept recalling verses from John Masefield’s Sea Fever as I was listening to the Sea Interludes (the musical passages that describe the sea’s changing state and are in some sense, entr'actes). It was a relief to enjoy the Interludes without any distractions on stage – altogether a much more liberating experience for the imagination than being presented with a director’s interpretation. Good decision Mr Alden! The large chorus of villagers inundated The Borough like a malevolent and unpredictable sea, one moment calm and pious and in the next, brooding, and intimidating. Their sheer numbers and anonymity seemed to generate disturbing undercurrents as they ebbed and flowed around Steinberg’s unsettling set.

I was expecting to see Stuart Skelton in the title role and was slightly disappointed to discover that on the night of this performance (30 May) the role was being sung by John Daszak. My disappointment was short-lived however as Daszak made an excellent Grimes, singing with great passion and integrity, particularly in the difficult a capella passages. Despite the character’s obvious flaws, it was hard not to feel considerable sympathy for Grimes who at times seemed imbued with an almost child-like quality. Although the libretto encourages sympathy, it was Daszak’s performance and Alden’s direction that delivered it.

Having missed Amanda Roocroft on a number of occasions recently due to illness (hers, not mine!) I was delighted that she was in dazzling form as the widow Ellen Orford, and if I needed a reminder about why I am such a fan of her luscious voice, then this was it. Frankly, her performance alone justified the ticket price. (The same cannot be said of the extortionately priced refreshments at The Coliseum!)

Gerald Finley’s Captain Balstrode was masterfully convincing and sung with such precision and clarity that even in this magnificent company, his diction stood out. Rebecca de Pont Davies as Auntie sang and played the part well enough but I felt she was a poor casting choice for the role which I feel demands a more mature and rather more earthy performer. Auntie’s “nieces” were portrayed in a rather quirky detached way that didn’t seem altogether coherent – on the one hand they were the worldly-wise “main attractions” at The Boar Inn and then curiously “innocent” school girls. Perhaps Alden was making the point that nothing is what it seems in The Borough? If the ambiguity here was somewhat unhelpful, it was welcome elsewhere: Alden neatly preserved a degree of ambiguity concerning Grimes and the audience is left judge Grimes for itself in much the same way that the people of The Borough do. And after all, Britten’s masterpiece is all about judgement and the closed minds that set Grimes against humanity.

If I needed a reminder about why I enjoy singing, then Amore! – a recital to raise funds for the children’s charity FreyaBeya - provided it. There can be few things to match the excitement and sheer enjoyment of singing live in front of a big audience, and on Saturday 9th May, along with Vikki Champion and Richard Fisher, I performed to a full house at the Viscountess Barrington Memorial Hall. The wonderfully talented professional accompanist and recital pianist, Paul Turner, accompanied us and pretty much stole the show with a hopelessly romantic piano interlude (Chopin’s - Fantaise Impromptu – Opus 66 in C Minor). I think the audience was completely bowled-over by the piece and as it ended, it felt as if everyone in the hall was holding their breath. Paul was simply awesome and we were incredibly fortunate to have his dazzling skills at our disposal: indeed, without him we could not have staged such a successful recital. My own “other half”, Sian Edwards, conquered her nerves and looked really quite relaxed playing a selection of gorgeous harp music during the interval and if the applause she got was anything to go by, the audience really enjoyed it too.

The team at the Swindon Advertiser provided some excellent advance publicity for the recital carrying an article about it on Thursday 7 May for which we were most grateful. However the report that “Vikki and Guy met at last year’s Swindon Music Festival and are now married” came as a shock to Mrs Edwards who called me at the office to demand an explanation! Thankfully everyone involved saw the funny side of the error although for a while my in-box was overwhelmed with enquiries (and messages of congratulations!) from people who were surprised by the news (but not as surprised as I was!).

Vikki and Richard sang wonderfully well throughout and I would be hard-pushed to say which song I enjoyed the most. I loved Vikki’s heart-rending and emotional aria about lost love - Ah! Non credea mirarti (from Bellini’s La Sonnambula) - but I suppose that my own personal highlight was singing the hugely popular Au fond du temple saint (from Bizet’s Pearl Fishers) with Richard. He has a magnificent rich baritone voice and our voices seemed to blend very well despite the lighter qualities of my own lyric tenor. If the audience enjoyed the number even half as much as I did, then it must rate as a real success!

From the organizational point of view, everything went pretty smoothly despite an unexpected last-minute demand for us to get the piano removed on the Sunday morning – incurring an additional £100 cost. The piano itself was loaned free of charge by the Piano Gallery in Faringdon who were absolutely superb (huge thanks to Claire). Trudi and Martin at the hall were also brilliant and sorted out a number of tricky problems for us. I would also like to put on record my thanks to Les & Gill at the Post Office and Sue at Bloomfields delicatessen in Shrivenham for providing box office facilities. And last, but by no means least, the inspirational Sarah-Jayne (FreyaBeya’s founder) without whose enthusiasm the recital would not have sold out! Keep up the brilliant work Sarah-Jayne, FreyaBeya is very special.

The feedback from the audience was overwhelmingly positive and many have asked if we will be doing another recital next year. Of course, most of the audience turned out to support the charity FreyaBeya which based locally, but with the hall filled to capacity (and people being turned away at the door!) the idea of another recital next year is certainly appealing. As a performer, it’s always great to hear the applause and “encores!” but for me, perhaps the biggest measure of success was that the recital raised over £1000 for FreyaBeya and we will have contributed to spreading a little happiness where it is most needed. A big "thank you" to everyone who supported us!

What a splendidly rollicking event Carl Rosa Opera’s HMS Pinafore turned out to be (Bath, Theatre Royal – 6 May) - musical candyfloss for sure, but none the less enjoyable for all that! Not all that many years ago, local amateur operatic groups staging Gilbert & Sullivan operettas were two-a-penny but the trend more recently seems to favour music theatre shows. That is a shame for a number of reasons: First, with G&S, most operatic groups were on fairly safe ground. The straightforward music and light-hearted content nearly always works even if the performers are not necessarily all that gifted or experienced - which is perhaps one reason why G&S used to be a very popular choice for school productions. (I well remember singing the role The Lieutenant of the Tower in a school production of Yeomen of the Guard¸ resplendent in plum-coloured wrinkly hose that would have done Nora Batty proud!). The same easy and accessible style is not always evident in music-theatre productions and consequently, amateur operatic groups that in the past have staged G&S really quite successfully have, in more recent years, committed some real howlers. Even though I am an amateur performer myself (and generally very sympathetic to other amateurs), I very nearly left one such show during the interval because it was so atrocious! Second, there is much to appreciate in Gilbert & Sullivan’s work. While it may not play on the emotions in the same way that grand opera does, it often provides a fascinating insight into British social mores, usually in a rather gentlemanly but nonetheless satirical way. One often senses too in Sullivan’s music, the desire to tackle weightier subjects, and some of his arias rival those of his more serious counterparts.

Carl Rosa Opera’s refreshing sea-breeze of a production ticked all of the boxes: satire, social commentary, love, greed and incompetence, all mixed up in a wonderfully light musical souffle! There was some great character acting, not only by the principals, but throughout the lively and very watchable chorus too. The sets were superb and an eye to detail was evident in every corner. My only criticisms are relatively minor: the bigger chorus numbers were not always as crisp and accurate as they might have been; and Jeremy Finch, playing Ralph Rackstraw (although he looked the part and acted really well) lacked the vocal quality, and dare I say, the technique to carry the role musically. There was a bit too much music theatre and pub-singer style creeping in for my liking, and I regard using the falsetto voice to hit the top notes as a form of cheating – especially in G&S which doesn’t exactly make impossible demands on the singer! In contrast, Olivia Safe whose demure Josephine was nicely judged, sang with more classical technique (as one might expect from a professionally trained singer) and the result was rather lovely. John Savident (of Coronation Street fame) was excellent in the character role of Sir Joseph Porter whose self-importance, hypocrisy and incompetence was portrayed in a most entertaining manner. There were brilliant performances too by Gareth Jones as Dick Deadeye and Beverley Klein whose sensitively played Little Buttercup was an unexpected delight. Su Douglas made the most of her role as Hebe, adding colour and comedy in equal measure. Wyn Pencarreg as Captain Corcoran was very much the star turn, possessing authority and vulnerability that lent credibility his plight. With a great voice and fine comic timing, he was the star of the show who was never outdone – well hardly ever!

Director Peter Mulloy really brought this G&S opera to life in a way that modern audiences could understand. I particularly liked the enactments (set 30 years before the story takes place) which set the scene so very well for us during the overture. Musical Director Martin Handley kept the orchestra in check and their accurate and spirited playing was always nicely balanced, never once threatening to drown out the ship’s company.

This was a most enjoyable evening’s entertainment and we left the theatre humming Sullivan’s wonderfully memorable tunes with a spring in our step and smiles on our faces! We are both looking forward to our next appointment with the Carl Rosa Opera Company when they stage Gilbert & Sullivan’s Yeomen of the Guard in the Tower of London later this year!

I’m not usually a “stressy” type but I’ve been under a fair amount of pressure these last few weeks and my “fuse” has been shorter than usual. No more Mr Nice Guy! I’m my own worst enemy of course – I keep on volunteering for things, taking on commitments and forgetting to factor-in time for sleeping, eating and other essential life-support activities. Anyway, a change of job location and being put under pressure to complete several major projects before starting my “new” job did little to improve my hectic few weeks. But having survived, I can now look back with a degree of satisfaction – and find time to take stock!

I fancy getting a singing diploma, but first, I needed to pass an ABRSM Grade 8 singing exam. I had never taken any singing exams until now and viewed it as a necessary evil. My sight-singing is complete pants and despite some intensive practice, I arrived at the exam knowing that success or failure could hinge on it. As it happens, I needn’t have been too concerned – I did passably well in the sight-singing and the five performance pieces all went pretty well (I even scored maximum points for one!). The result nevertheless surprised me…a distinction! Much of the credit for the result rests with my long-suffering and wonderful singing teacher, Debra Skeen, who is guilty of supporting me in my often over-ambitious endeavours!

At the same time as preparing for the exam, I was also trying to learn an audition piece for an audition with White Horse Touring Opera. Thankfully I was offered one of the two parts I had auditioned for and hence, I will be singing the role of Fenton in Otto Nicolai’s operatic romp The Merry Wives of Windsor. With eight performances already scheduled, I’m looking forward to it immensely – it will be my first taste of touring opera! (Check out my website for details!) There was also some good news about an earlier audition (although bizarrely, I am still awaiting official confirmation). It seems I have been selected as one of just 4 tenors to sing with the RAF’s newly formed national choir. There are some tantalizing suggestions of high-profile concerts, but I guess I’ll have to wait and see!

As if this were not enough, over the same 2 week period, I was also competing in the 100th Swindon Music Festival. There was some pretty fierce competition this year – presumably because of the centenary – and I only managed to come away with 2 trophies (plus some very useful, encouraging and positive comments from the adjudicators). My biggest disappointment was messing up in one of the duets which I sang with singing partner, soprano Vikki Champion: I was unaccountably nervous, lost the thread, and what should have been a spectacular duet came across as shaky and under-rehearsed. I was left feeling both embarrassed and guilty at having let my partner down. It’s at times like these that you have to remind yourself that you’re doing it for pleasure! I was delighted that Vikki also won two trophies and I like to think it bodes well for our joint charity recital in May. As ever, I was hugely indebted to the fabulous Paul Turner for his accompanying. He is never less than brilliant and helped to paper over several cracks in my hasty preparation (which included some “mix and match” German words in the Light Opera Class!). Although I had won a place to sing in the adult vocal championship on the Saturday evening, I forewent the opportunity because I was already committed to playing 'cello with the Wessex Concert Orchestra at our concert in Devizes.

It was the first time in many years that WCO has performed in Devizes and we were made to feel most welcome at our venue (St John’s Church). The turnout was pretty good too. I have to say that not all of the programme was to my personal liking (I've never been a great fan of Wagner) but the audience was treated to a good mix of music and doubtless there was something that everyone would have enjoyed. The highlight of the evening – Mozart’s 4th Horn Concerto – seemed to go really well and our soloist, the very talented and photogenic Lauren Reeve-Rawlings (17) (a finalist in this year’s BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Musician of the Year competition), played with real panache. Lauren has guested with WCO before, playing in the Horn section for our major concerts, so it was especially pleasing to hear her playing as a soloist. The remainder of the concert seemed to go well too, even the third movement of Beethoven’s Eighth (which had given the 'cello section nightmares). In fairness, section leader Cathy Oliver must take the credit for making it sound so good! (Review)

So after a frantic couple of weeks, it was a pleasure to start my new job and take stock of things. A successful concert with the Wessex Male Choir in Basingstoke rounded the week off nicely as we head into Easter and a much longed-for break! Rehearsing for Merry Wives of Windsor and for Opera Piccola’s opera show (“An Operatic Passion”) starts in earnest as soon as I get back from holidays! Now, where did I put that libretto….

I am currently doing an Opera Studies degree with Rose Bruford College in my “spare time” (usually between 10pm and 1am!) and a few weeks ago, as part of the course, I was lucky enough to attend study days at both Welsh National Opera (WNO) (at the Wales Millennium Centre) and the Royal Opera House (ROH). Living in Wiltshire, I’m pretty much half-way between the two venues so it was fascinating to compare these two very different opera companies and observe at close-quarters how an opera company works. Having seen the set for The Marriage of Figaro being made-ready at WNO, I decided I simply had to see the production and so booked up for one of the mid-week performances in the same week that we had already booked to go and see an Ellen Kent production of Verdi’s Aida at the Bristol Hippodrome.

WNO’s Marriage of Figaro was beautifully presented and the elegant set design and direction managed to achieve a spacious feel without swamping the performers. The diagonal orientation of the set effectively removed two-sides of the room and had the effect of drawing the audience into the action and creating a sense of intimacy despite the size of the stage at the WMC (an interesting take on the so-called “fourth-wall” concept so familiar in conventional theatre.)

There was also some clever use of furniture (mainly beds and benches) to add vertical extent to the action with the furniture sometimes being moved around the stage in a choreographed fashion to provide platforms for the performers. On such a big stage, it was nice to see the vertical dimension being so well employed! Some of the ensemble vignettes (particularly at the front of the stage) were also very nicely done and added to the feeling of intimacy.

There were some slightly odd moments – for instance, I’m still not entirely sure what all the nonsense with a silver bouncing ball was all about. Was it the moon? Was it “love”? Was it necessary? I found myself being distracted by it and wondering whether Figaro would drop it or kick it into the audience. On the whole though, Lluis Pasqual's direction was safely conventional.

The great mirrored walls made me think of the original Beaumarchais play’s provocative challenge to society to see its own moral inequities. I suppose that the mirrors, reflecting today’s audience, metaphorically challenged us to compare our own society’s morals with those portrayed on stage. In the opera’s farcical final scene (in which mistaken identities and trickery reach their inevitable conclusion) the mirrors were moved in and out to excellent effect to create a changing and bewildering maze of hiding places reminiscent of a hall of mirrors – a feat for which the technical team deserves considerable credit!

Musically, the performance was very solid. Noteworthy among the principal roles was Rebecca Evans as the Countess, her sublime tone, full of warmth and pathos was, for me, a real highlight of the opera. All of the cast turned in good performances with Jacques Imbrailo as the Count being sufficiently wicked without descending into melodrama but perhaps David Soar’s Figaro was rather too bland and lacking in mischief, albeit his singing was faultless. Rosemary Joshua was a wonderfully vivacious Susanna and enlivened the stage whenever she appeared. At times, the musical climaxes fell short of my expectation too and just seemed to lack the sparkle and drama one expects from WNO under Michael Hofstetter’s baton. (I do like a good fortissimo!) Overall, I felt that this was a very pleasing production but one that has potential to step up a gear.

Now I’ve written about Ellen Kent productions before, and much of what I’ve said on previous occasions holds good for her sumptuous production of Aida which played at the Bristol Hippodrome on 28 February. No bouncing balls here – what you get is a thoroughly traditional interpretation of a popular classic opera. Ellen Kent’s Amphitheatre Productions use a generic stage set (an amphitheatre design) which is dressed according to the time period and style of the opera being performed (albeit with some architectural anachronisms). As always, the costumary was magnificent but I was surprised that the budget did not extend to buying a slightly longer tunic skirt for Radames who, thankfully, never had to bend over or leap around in an excitable manner.

A frequent criticism of Eastern European opera singers (including Ellen Kent’s Chisinau National Opera hirelings) is that although they have wonderful vocal technique, they are seldom famed for their acting skills and this was certainly true of the chorus and lesser principals who were almost impressively wooden, showing little reaction to the events unfolding on stage before them. However, I was pleasantly surprised by both the fabulously expressive and passionate Zarui Vardanean who turned in a quite magnificent performance as Amneris and an equally impressive Irakli Grigali (Radames) (who trained in UK) who really carried the role well. Galina Bernaz in the title role never totally convinced me that she was in love with Radames although she gave a good and technically pleasing performance. The Priests’ chorus unwittingly provided entertainment by staging a “spot the false bald-head” competition (which was all too easy, particularly if you happened to be in the front row stalls.) This was a slightly surreal but uncharacteristic inattention to detail.

Now I know that from time-to-time it is traditional for opera singers to look at the conductor (just to make him feel loved). I’ve even done it myself on occasions and found it to be surprisingly useful. But there’s a balance, and, for all his mighty voice and great stage presence, Amonasro (played by Vladimir Dragos) spent more time eyeballing the conductor than he did looking at other members of the cast. Perhaps he was expecting the conductor to get Radames to reveal the Egyptian army’s line of advance? (This unfortunate habit is even more unnerving when a love duet is being sung and one is left with the impression that the performer has fallen in love with the conductor!) On the subject of conductors, Gheorghe Stanciu certainly knows how to deliver a good fortissmo – but more importantly, kept the orchestra well in check when sensitivity and a light touch was required. Bravo!

Now if all the above sounds rather harsh, I should put the record straight: this was another splendidly entertaining and enjoyable production and absolutely the sort of thing you could bring an opera novice to without scaring them off for life. The Hippodrome was barely two-thirds full, which is a great pity because this was a production well-worth seeing. I know plenty of opera-buffs who regard Ellen Kent’s productions as “rather too Classic fm” but I for one, appreciate their unadulterated presentation. Ellen Kent allows the composer and librettist to do the work, which is a refreshing change from directors who have some obscure point to make!

(A Review of Bath Opera’s “Jewels of the Madonna” (I gioielli della Madonna) by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari sung in English at the Wroughton Theatre, Bath on 19 February 2009)

As it said on the Bath Opera website “This production of Wolf-Ferrari’s The Jewels of the Madonna is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this amazing but rarely performed opera” and one can instantly see why the subject matter (violence, incest, rape, sacrilege and suicide) may have prevented the opera becoming more popular when it was premiered in 1911. “Jewels” is an opera in the verismo style, dealing with the unsavoury aspects of Neapolitan life, and one that takes a critical look at hypocrisy and morals.

The production opened with some old black and white looped film footage of Italian urban life to help set the context. As the screen rolled up to reveal a lively festival scene, Wolf-Ferrari’s intricate music immediately transported us into the bustle and excitement of the occasion. From the outset the 18-strong orchestra was never less than wonderful, playing with great precision and passion under the leadership of Lorna Osbon and the baton of Peter Blackwood to bring Wolf-Ferrari’s complex scoring to life.

The basic plot is not overly complex: Gennaro and his foster-sister Maliella live with their domineering Italian mama, Carmela, in the claustrophobic slum quarter of Naples. He is a mummy’s boy and a bit of a simpleton who secretly harbours a troubling desire for his foster-sister who dreams of escaping her dreary existence. Local thug and Camorra chief, Rafaele, also has designs on Maliella, and while they observe the bejewelled Madonna being paraded as part of the festival, he promises he will steal the jewels for her. This is overheard by Gennaro, who despite his religious convictions, decides to steal the jewels and present them to Maliella himself as a token of his love for her. Despite rejecting Gennaro initially, Maliella succumbs when he presents her with the stolen jewels and she surrenders to him, but later runs to Rafaele and confesses what has happened. Rafaele has Gennaro brought to his seedy headquarters and, apparently out of moral indignation as much as for his own pride, he forces both Maliella and Gennaro to commit suicide.

Hannah Lockwood as Maliella, was in fine form, hitting the top notes with dazzling confidence and real operatic verve - this was a big role which she carried off very well. Rupert Drury as the hapless Gennaro was also outstanding. He acted the role of simpleton with an awkward physicality and spent much of the time avoiding eye contact with the other characters – here was a clear case of ‘diminished responsibility’! Drury’s crisp lyric tenor was also a joy to hear and even though he often had to sing whilst sitting, kneeling, lying on his back, lying on his foster-sister or crawling across the stage, he sang wonderfully.

Neil Kirkman (baritone) as Rafaele had many of the opera’s finest and most complex tunes, but at times his vocal line was lost in the rich and powerful orchestral accompaniment. Judy Davis (as Carmela) had no such problems and her experience shone through, yet in character terms, she never quite seemed to be the stifling presence one expected. There was also a good number of well-played supporting roles: the old drunk, Biaso, played by Peter Redfern, and the younger drunk, Totonno, played by a worryingly convincing Tom Magnone whose rich tones were sadly under-utilised on this occasion. Edward Harper made a convincing priest and then there was the Camorra girls played by Louise Merrifield, Fiona Thompson and Leonie Martin, all with fine singing voices and acting skills to match. It must be most reassuring for Bath Opera to have such strength-in-depth. The principal Camorra men (Anthony Sanchez and Carl Speck) were equally well-sung and watchable. The chorus work was also of a very high standard and the men’s chorus, so often an Achilles’ heel in community opera, deserve special mention for their enthusiastically robust performance.

There were, however, a few areas that didn’t quite deliver to expectation. The first was the dynamic balance between orchestra and singers. Whether through first night exuberance or an unfortunate accident of acoustic architecture, the orchestra frequently drowned-out the principals. To make matters worse, diction was not all it might have been and within my small party we reckoned we understood less than fifteen percent of the sung words. Thank heavens for pre-reading and a good synopsis in the programme!

Director Ian Burton is more often to be found working at La Scala or Glyndebourne so with his returning to his roots to direct this once-in-a-lifetime production, something rather special was expected - and for the most he delivered it. Simple but effective set design, multi-layered movement and well thought-out positioning made best use of the comparatively small stage. At one point the Camorra delivered a very jolly serenade whilst peeping around the wings and seemed almost playful – a wonderfully light moment in such a dark opera. But given the obvious talent of the principals, Burton may have missed a trick by not developing the characterizations further. By the end of the opera I had expected to feel some sympathy for Maliella and Gennaro who were both, in different ways, victims, but even their suicides failed to move me - I had not been coaxed into caring about them. There was also a rather clumsy-looking scene transition in the first act after Gennaro has been comforted by his mother. As the orchestra played out the instrumental conclusion with great sensitivity, the Camorra thugs came centre-stage and violently attacked the old drunk, Basio. The image and music were gratingly mismatched at this point and if this was deliberate, it is hard to see what point it made.

In so many ways, this incredibly ambitious production by Bath Opera was a sparkling success but it is easy to see why Jewels of the Madonna is so rarely staged. Apart from the ‘difficult’ material it covers (arguably not so challenging for today’s audiences) the opera suffers from a slow-moving and rather one dimensional plot leaving an impression of a 2 hour opera crammed into nearly 3 hours! Despite some excellent performances, some fabulous music, and the production team’s best efforts, I was nevertheless left wishing for a fast-forward button at times, but that shouldn’t diminish Bath Opera’s pride in a job very well done.

www.bathopera.org

Well, the new season has brought some mixed blessings on the auditioning front. It seems I won’t be singing with White Horse Opera this season after messing up the audition (and doubtless competing with a better singer!) for a part in Verdi’s Macbeth. I was busily making up my own words (and notes) during the audition while wondering what had gone wrong with the timing! However, it seems an earlier audition in November for a place in a small national choir might yield a positive result (fingers crossed!). And then this week I auditioned and have been accepted to sing with another opera group (more of which in future blogs!).

The biggest project on the horizon so far for 2009, is the Charity Recital (Opera Amore!) I will be doing in May. (Check for details on my website at www.guyedwards.info). As well as satisfying an irrepressible urge to inflict myself on an unsuspecting public, I have the pleasure of knowing that the proceeds will go to support a local charity called FreyaBeya which does marvellous work funding music activities in special needs schools across Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. My singing partner, Vikki Champion (soprano) and I will be joined by Richard Fisher (a very talented baritone with a gorgeous voice) in a programme of love arias and duets throughout the ages (starting with a lovely duet by Monteverdi and finishing with some contemporary Music Theatre). We’ve been extremely lucky to persuade world-class accompanist, Paul Turner, to accompany us, and ‘She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed’ will also be performing some harp music during the interval! Now all I need to do is learn the music and words (preferably the right ones). By the way, how many tenors does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Six. One to change the bulb and the other five to tell him it’s too high for him. Ha-ha!

The 100th Swindon Music Festival also beckons (in March). It’s a great opportunity to sing under pressure and hear professional adjudications on your efforts. I find these festivals both nerve-wracking and exhilarating in equal measure and last year, nervous tension killed my appetite, and over the two weeks of the Festival I shed the extra pounds I had acquired over Christmas. The “Swindon Music Festival Diet” – most effective! Somewhere amidst all this preparation is a singing exam too, although perhaps not surprisingly some material is being recycled for economy of effort – after all, there are only 24 hours in a day!

Earlier this month, we were lucky enough to go and see Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag (of “Strictly Come Dancing” fame) at the Anvil Theatre performing in their Dance Show, “Cheek to Cheek”. I sat through most of the show in awe of the dancing but largely unable to figure out which dance was which. (“I’m sure our foxtrot looks nothing like that one…”). At one stage, Mrs Edwards tells me she recognized a feather step that looked vaguely familiar, but to be honest, there seems to be little connection between our stumbling efforts and the graceful, fabulously precise art form we saw on stage! It was all very inspirational and it gave me some ideas for the tango (if I can ever remember which foot to start with!). The show also featured three-times world salsa champions Chris Marques and Jaclyn Spencer whose dancing oozed Latin-American sensuality and vibrancy.

The music was provided by the London Concert Orchestra and singer Richard Shelton. Now I think I must be getting old. I’ve always been convinced that the music of Frank Sinatra only appealed to people of an older generation, but I found myself really rather enjoying Richard Shelton’s schmoozing. He sounded very much like “Ol’ Blue-Eyes” and covered his repertoire very convincingly. All-in-all, this was a very entertaining evening and it has inspired me to try harder with my dancing – even if I have more in common with Douglas Bader than Anton du Beke.

After my last, rather grumpy blog, I am pleased to say that my sense of humour has returned along with a healthy dose of Christmas Spirit and I'm dreaming of a...well, a restful Christmas! Early December was always going to be a bit busy with lots of parties and three concerts in a week but thankfully everything went according to plan. The first event was Wessex Male Choir’s Annual Christmas Concert at Holy Rood Church in Swindon on 5 December. This year we shared the stage with Phoenix Brass in a seasonal programme of Christmas songs and carols. I’m always gratified (and slightly amazed) that the 400-seat church is virtually packed to capacity for these concerts. People rave about the acoustic in Holy Rood but I’ve never been that impressed – I think it’s really quite unforgiving and just a little too ‘boomy’. Away from the centreline it’s easy to create a slightly ‘mushy’ sound unless the singing is incredibly accurate. With the adjoining school house being renovated, choir, band and audience all had to share just one loo. The concert programme was a bit shorter than usual, but with no interval and only one loo, that was probably a good thing. Holy Rood veterans are easily recognizable by the cushions they bring with them – the shallow pews are an ancient form of torture designed to ensure that congregations never get too comfortable or doze off during sermons. If they did, they would literally “drop off” the pew! The programme consisted of the usual fare including seasonal favourites like “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” and “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”. The only song that felt oddly out of place was the Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore. Try as I might, I couldn’t figure out the Christmas connection!

On 9 December, I had no such problem seeing the connections in White Horse Opera’s “Concert with Carols” at St Mary’s Church in Devizes. All of the works were very definitely tied into the Christmas theme – even the opera numbers. The concert gave me my first taste of Benjamin Britten’s opera Paul Bunyan and the interesting Christmas Party scene which comes complete with singing cats and dogs! Having nearly frozen to death during the rehearsal in the church on the preceding Sunday, everyone had come well-prepared for the concert but thankfully the heating was on! I admire church concert-goers: they’re a hardy breed with capacious bladders and bums of steel. During the interval, members of the opera company served the audience with wine and mince pies (which I thought was a nice touch) while Mrs Edwards played Christmas Carols on her harp. The concert also marked something of a personal “first” – it was the first time Sian and I had duetted in public with her on harp and me singing (we performed “O Holy Night”). We have performed together in public once before when we played an arrangement of the Ashokan Farewell for harp and ‘cello. There were some excellent readings and the very talented Graham Billing treated us to a humorous piece he had written entitled The Christmas Wrapper. Arne Kovac, WHO’s new Musical Director, made his debut with the company and although everything went well, I’m sure there are some things he will want us to tighten-up before our next concert in March and the main production of Verdi’s Macbeth in October 2009!

On 10 December, Wessex Male Choir set off to London amid much jollity in one of Mr Barnes’ finest coaches. For the second year running, we had been invited to front-up the annual Parkinson’s Disease Society Christmas Concert in London. This year’s venue was the fabulous Methodist Central Hall, Westminster. It has an impressive auditorium capable of holding more than 2000 people and was pretty-much full for the concert. Backstage is a bit of a rabbit-warren and we had to call out the local Mountain Rescue Team and several troupes of Girl Guides to assist in the search before we found our missing choristers who had set off in search of the gents several hours earlier. With celebrities such as the lovely Jane Asher (PDS President), Richard Briers, Bill Neely, Phyllida Law and Michael Palin doing the readings and the Crystal Palace Brass Band adding seasonal cheer, the concert seemed to go really well although the sound amplification system used for the readings created an echo, making it very difficult to understand what was being said ! Helping to raise funds for PDS has been an enduring feature of the Choir’s activities over the last few years (and even included running in the London Marathon to raise over £32,000 two years ago!). I hope we will be invited back again next year. After the concert, we joined our celebrity hosts and the audience for mulled wine and mince pies. Of course, being the Wessex Male Choir, we could not resist the opportunity to do some more singing and once the mince pies had all been eaten, we repaired to the nearest traditional hostelry where we sampled the local ale… and did some more singing!

Despite a fairly hectic schedule, I’m also committed to helping with the Swindon Recital Series and on 6 December went along to the Swindon Arts Centre to assist with front-of-house duties and to listen to the amazing Paul Turner performing a recital programme of Debussy’s piano works. The programme included a number of Debussy’s well-known works including Suite Bergamasque – part of which is the very well-known Clare de Lune. For me, this was the highlight of the evening. I’ve heard Clare de Lune played hundreds of times but never with so much sensitivity and beauty. This might sound odd, but Paul seems to have an innate empathy with the music and he uses silences and pauses every bit as effectively as the notes, allowing the listener’s imagination to fly free. I can’t believe my luck - Paul has been gracious enough to agree to accompanying Vikki Champion and me at a charity recital we are giving in May 2009 (see my website for details).

Well, only one more concert now before Christmas and then in January, the auditioning season kicks off. As this will be my last blog before Christmas, I would like to take the opportunity to wish my reader a Merry Christmas and a Peaceful and prosperous New Year. God Bless You!

Sometimes you wonder whether it’s all worth it.

Last night, I reckon that the Wessex Concert Orchestra gave one of it’s best ever performances in Chippenham with a programme of exciting and accessible orchestral music. But, despite our best efforts at publicizing the event (we even got a mention on the local TV news & weather programme) the audience totalled no more than ninety (and by my reckoning, half of those were probably friends or family of orchestra members).

Perhaps it is the venue that is putting people off. Let’s face it, we pay a considerable sum to hire St Andrew’s Church (much more in fact than for comparable or better venues elsewhere)for a venue that has only one outside toilet, no on-site parking, hard pews and a fair number of surly staff. (In fact one of the few “unloading” parking slots was taken by a member of church staff who did not have to lug a harp, a 'cello, lighting gantries, 2 heavy music-stand boxes, a set of display boards, a library box and other assorted concert paraphernalia into the church!) Thank you ever so much – and I’m sorry if our little concert inconvenienced you. The extra trek carrying all that equipment was much appreciated and made all the more pleasant by a very keen Traffic Warden hovering like a crazed wild-western gun-slinger, with ticket-pad at the ready. The only redeeming feature for St Andrew’s is the acoustic which is undeniably good. Nevertheless, I believe last night’s concert has finally forced our hand: No more Chippenham concerts for the foreseeable future. What a damning indictment on the Orchestra’s home town! I for one, as the orchestra’s manager, look forward to future concerts in Devizes, Malmesbury, Swindon and Keevil instead. In fact, anywhere but Chippenham. Although organizations like Perforum are making progress in developing the town's Neeld Hall, there is still no decent concert venue in Chippenham that has a good acoustic, is affordable, convenient, available and welcoming (and has the capacity required)!

On the positive side, the audience that did turn up will probably have enjoyed the concert. Our Musical Director, Andrew Baatz, had to rein us in on occasions – perhaps especially so during Darth Vader’s March from John Williams’ dramatic “Star Wars Suite” – the force was definitely with us last night! There was also (I like to believe) equal amounts of sensitivity – particularly in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and in the concert's opening number, the sumptuous Tara's Theme (from Steiner's magical soundtrack to "Gone with the Wind".) Our home-grown soloists all did us proud, perhaps none more so than Nicola Ashton (leader) for whom the many, many hours of practice really paid off with a lovely series of violin cadenzas. Well done to her!

So is it all worth it? Yes, of course it is. But I sometimes depair when it is easier to get grant support for workshops on African drumming or any arts event that includes the word “youth” than it is for a community orchestra. We are clearly too old (but not old enough to attract help from Help the Aged!), too elitist (if only you know how ridiculous that idea is!) or too indigenous to attract the sort of support that other organizations get. As far as I know, the WCO has never been awarded any grant for its activities (despite numerous applications). Perhaps we should try incorporating some circus skills in our next concert (accompanied no doubt by Fucik’s “Entrance of the Gladiators”.) Quietly, but surely, a real community tradition of music making (which in the WCO’s case began in 1940) is under threat both from the grant-giving organizations and from public indifference. Rant over. I must keep taking the pills!

What an absolute gift of a role Papageno is and I am so lucky to have sung it with Kennet Opera in their recent English-language production of Mozart’s Magic Flute at the Newbury Corn Exchange. Papageno is such a colourful character: he has the best lines, a number of great arias and a fair amount of license to be a complete buffoon on stage (to be honest, I really don’t need much encouragement!). In addition, I also got to stuff my face with pork pies, beer and wine on stage! (Not real alcohol of course, but I certainly consumed industrial quantities of iced-tea!) On grounds of taste and impartiality it would be wrong of me to “review” the production – (I’ll leave that to others e.g. the Newbury Weekly News - Review) so what follows is a personal view of the production and a bit of rant about arts funding!

Stage Director Oonagh Dockley’s contemporary setting of The Magic Flute saw the “temple” of Isis and Osiris transformed into a health-spa in which Sarastro (played by the brilliant Ian Caddy) was a latter-day lifestyle guru. Tamino’s journey from couch-potato to enlightened disciple seemed to work reasonably well, particularly when juxtaposed with Papageno’s simple earthiness, but the trials of fire and water sat awkwardly within this interpretation and the links to Freemasonry were pretty much lost. There were a number of other inconsistencies too, but let’s face it, Schikaneder’s original libretto stretches belief beyond its elastic limit anyway! In honesty I would have liked to do a ‘traditional’ setting of Magic Flute (partly because I loved the iconic Magic Flute imagery in Milos Forman’s 1984 film adaptation of Peter Schaffer’s play Ámadeus – especially Papageno’s colourful plumage.). In the event, the contemporary setting provided a decent enough vehicle for the bewilderingly odd plot – and also enabled Kennet Opera to keep costume and set costs to a minimum, which is a significant consideration for any community opera company.

In fact, this was opera on a shoestring budget and all credit should be given to Kennet Opera’s hardworking committee for staging such a show at all given the paucity of funding support they receive. I understand that at least one of their grants was halved this year, and amongst other things, this meant a much reduced orchestra. The highly talented Musical Director, Ed Lambert, rearranged the orchestral score for the eight or so musicians who formed the pit orchestra. Within budgetary constraints, this arrangement worked well, but at times, I felt the ‘orchestra’ lacked the rich texture needed to convey the full grandeur of Mozart’s music and, from a performer’s point of view, there were times on stage when it was extremely difficult to hear the orchestra. On a number of occasions, this led to some disconnects between singers (self included) and orchestra - especially when the MD was playing the harpsichord part rather than conducting! The set could hardly be described as lavish either, but Set Designer (and Stage Manager), Ro Robinson, produced a minor miracle given the limited funding she had. The obvious lesson is that if you want to see quality performance and develop a vibrant arts community capable of generating attendant commercial benefits, then you have to fund the arts properly.

Although the majority of the performers were amateurs like myself, in common with many community opera groups, Kennet Opera can rightly claim a semi-professional status, engaging as it does a number of professionals. I was delighted to work alongside so many very talented and professionally-trained singers in this production and I learnt a lot from them, particularly from Ian Caddy whose extensive professional career includes performing with all of the UK’s main opera companies. Generous to a fault with his encouragement, I greatly valued his advice. Olivia Hinman (Pamina) has the most wonderfully sweet voice – perfect for Mozart – and she played the part with a lovely mixture of strength and vulnerability. I thought her Act 2 aria (“Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden”) was divine, and it was a real joy to sing the Act 1 duet ("Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen") with her. Several people have told me they thought it was gorgeous. Ben Thapa (of X-Factor and G4 fame) played a slovenly Tamino whose love for Pamina and journey towards enlightenment gradually transformed him. Ben has a lovely voice with plenty of power and control – and he seems to produce the sound so effortlessly. I suppose the disadvantage of engaging such a busy performer is that he did not get as much preparation time with the company as the rest of us. Consequently, there were elements of Tamino’s characterization that were not as developed as they might have been. As one of the Three Ladies, Joanna Sleight was fabulous – indeed, it was a pleasure having her stand on me!!! Musically speaking, the two quintets I sang with the Three Ladies and Tamino were among the most satisfying parts of the opera for me. Irene Cassidy and Vikki Champion completed the Three Ladies line-up and all three looked suitably vampish for the contemporary setting – like something out of The Devil Wears Prada!

One of the great things about The Magic Flute is the wealth of smaller roles that can be filled from within the Company and, without exception, all the players rose to the challenge superbly well. I don’t think there’s enough space to mention everyone, but I certainly couldn’t write about the production without mentioning my lovely Papagena (Sam Spaak) whose mischievous presence on stage always signaled fun and whose consummate professionalism and excellent stage presence always put me at my ease. I think that the famous “Pa-pa-gena” duet in the finale was probably my favourite part of the whole opera.

I’m already in danger of writing an excessively long blog about The Magic Flute – there’s so much more I could say – but for me at least, it has been a wonderful experience and the folks at Kennet Opera have been incredibly supportive, friendly, sociable and welcoming. I hope that I will be successful at future auditions and sing with them again in the future!

What Kennet Opera tries to do in bringing affordable and accessible opera to the area is hugely commendable and it really deserves better support, both in terms of audience and funding. There is always the risk that even with the hard work and dedication of members and supporters, under-funded productions will lack the professional appearance that will help to build future audiences. Of course, it says a lot about how much our society values “culture”. In Germany a town the size of Newbury would probably have its own professional opera company!

www.guyedwards.info
www.kennetopera.co.uk
www.lambertmusic.co.uk
www.iancaddy.com

I’ve always been a fidget (as my primary school teacher, Miss Jones, was fond of telling me), so it should be no surprise that I couldn’t do the sensible thing and simply take life easy between operas. Right now I’m fretting over the solo bass part in Haydn’s Mass in G which I’m singing on Saturday. (Review here)(Yes, I know I’m a tenor, but I often sing baritone and occasionally bass too!). It’s been a busy few weeks in fact...

Debra Skeen (my wonderful singing teacher) and I were engaged to sing at a formal dinner in Thame on 25 October. It was a very short programme - just a few songs during the starter – so we competed with the clatter of knives and forks and the murmur of alcohol-enlivened chatter but such is life when you’re just part of the entertainment. I think I might have interrupted a few over-dinner conversations with my rendition of Nessun Dorma which was delivered with a fair amount of volume. I almost felt sorry for those on the nearest tables – ‘None shall sleep’, indeed! Nessun Dorma is not one of my favourite arias as it suffers from over-exposure and has done so in UK ever since it was used in conjunction with the BBC’s 1990 Football World Cup coverage. However, despite its apparent popularity, I doubt to this day that many of those listening to it would have a clue what it is about nor indeed what opera it is from. Of course I’m all in favour of making opera more popular, but I’m not sure that having heard Nessun Dorma, thousands of football fans rushed out to see Turandot. Nevertheless, Nessun Dorma has become (or more accurately, remains) an essential part of any operatic tenor’s repertoire.

On the theme of bringing opera to a wider audience, a handful of Kennet Opera principals were due to sing at the Lions’ annual fireworks event at Newbury Racecourse on 1 November in front of an expected crowd of over 3000. I admit, I’m not wholly convinced by the “fireworks and opera” idea, but hey, if it brings opera to a wider audience, then it can’t be all bad. Given that this was an outdoor event (and the acoustic quality of Berkshire is generally rather poor) we were planning to sing using some new fangled invention called “amplification” (microphones and stuff) which of course, we don’t normally need. We also planned to rely on a digital piano rather than having to carry a grand piano onto stage. Now to be honest, the stage was not quite what I had expected: it was a truck with a drop-down side, a canopy and some steps. Okay – this in itself was not a problem but as the heavens opened and torrential rain ensued for the next five hours, we quickly realised that, despite singers being relatively waterproof, electronic equipment isn’t (especially not digital pianos) and the canopy covering the stage was woefully inadequate for the purpose. Regrettably therefore, we had to cancel our participation particularly as we could ill-afford to electrocute so many principals ahead of our main production (Mozart’s Magic Flute) the following week. Distraught at having been robbed of an opportunity to do some hit-and-run opera, we repaired to the nearest hostelry to console each other and “re-hydrate”. Oh well, maybe next year.

The following Monday (3 November) I competed in four classes in the Marlow Music Festival. It seems I am doomed always to catch a cold before these events (probably by standing around in the rain) and frustratingly (yet again) my voice was tight and horrible at the top of my range. But if I sounded like a sheep giving birth, then the adjudicator (Julia Dewhurst) was kind enough not to mention it. My cold had obviously affected my memory too, as a number of Italian and German words proved trickier on the night than they had in rehearsal! The class sizes were disappointingly small which perhaps explains why, despite a sub-standard performance, I still managed to come away with a clutch of medals and first place in the Opera and Lieder classes and second place in the Show Song and Light Opera classes. As ever, the real value of these events is the feedback you get from the adjudicator, and this festival was no exception. Some classes (such as the Lieder) were woefully undersubscribed, but why? Is it that you have to sing in German? Or is Lieder seen as a bit too elitist? Either way, to be scared off the genre for either of these reasons seems completely daft when you hear the beauty of the music. Come on all you singers out there – take me to your Lieder!

www.debraskeen.co.uk
www.guyedwards.info

Mrs Edwards had often suggested that we should take up dancing but frankly it had never really appealed to me. I much preferred to shamble around the dance floor embarrassing my offspring and amazing bystanders with the degree to which my limbs could move apparently independently from my rest of body. But ahead of having to waltz in Lehar’s Merry Widow, I thought I really ought learn a few steps – I was halfway there because, for a number of years now, I have been able to count to three and breathe at the same time (see ladies, men can multi-task!). As it happened, in the end the dancing in Merry Widow had to be choreographed to ensure that we were facing the front of the stage whenever we were singing, so I needn’t have bothered learning dance steps! Nevertheless, the Edwards combo started taking lessons and judging by our dance teacher’s reactions, most people do not try to start with Viennese Waltz. Now, to my amazement, I am really enjoying our regular dance lessons which have grown to encompass a wide range of Latin and Ballroom dances. Of course, Mrs Edwards uses our dancing as an excuse to acquire even more shoes but unfortunately for her, none of them have reinforced steel toe-caps.

Practising in between lessons is a problem as our house doesn’t have a ballroom. We’ve had limited success with modifying our dance routines to fit around the furniture and the dogs go berserk whenever we tango in the kitchen. We also tried waltzing on the lawn on a beautiful balmy summer evening (there was one) but grass is not an ideal surface and we were both on the wrong side of a bottle Nuits St George at the time which probably didn’t help. Our very patient and long-suffering dance teacher despairs of my inability to flex my knees properly – especially in the tango. In fairness, this isn’t laziness but is due to a lack of cartilage (listen carefully and you can hear the sound of bone grinding on bone). Regrettably, I abused my body when I was younger by falling off mountains, doing ridiculous things on skis and playing hockey. My surgeon tells me I have the knees of an eighty-year-old, so if any of you know who this eighty-year-old is, please tell me because I’d like my own knees back now.

Ant and Erin we may not be, but then, we are doing this strictly for fun! My advice (as if you need it) is don’t put it off – if you’ve always fancied having a go, then do it before the zimmerframe gets in the way.

http://www.pawlandance.co.uk/index.htm

I’ve just finished singing the role of Count Danilo in White Horse Opera’s production of “The Merry Widow” (Lehar) and after a week-long ‘high’ of fun, tension, excitement, adrenalin and (for me, at least) pure enjoyment – not to mention acting out a series of rollercoaster emotions - I am left feeling worn-out and just a bit empty and sad now that it’s all over. For me, The Merry Widow provided my operatic debut as a principal singer so it was a really important personal milestone and a truly memorable occasion for me. To all the folk who came to see it, I thank you so much! I’ll leave others to judge how successful it was, but from the stage, it seemed to go pretty well. (The Wiltshire Gazette & Herald Review can be seen here: REVIEW)

I was lucky enough to share the stage with some brilliant young professionals from whom I learnt much and to whom, I am extremely grateful. The lovely Lynsey Docherty (as Hannah Glawari – the Merry Widow) was an absolute delight to work with. Not only does she have a gorgeous voice and outstanding stage presence, but she has the patience of a saint! Bless her, (although she said otherwise) I’m sure there must have been times when my inexperience was a source of frustration. It’s a good job she also has a great sense of humour. I lost count of how many times I stood her toes whilst I was waltzing with all the grace of a rhinoceros!

Anna Vaupel portrayed Valencienne in a wonderfully playful and rather saucy way! Her singing was lovely and her dancing was simply spectacular (Oo-la-la! Quel q’un can-can!). Carl Malmgren played a very smooth Camille de Rossillon. (Regular readers will recognize Carl’s name from my review of Swindon Opera’s Carmen earlier this year.) Carl’s performance this week reinforced my earlier view that his is a name to watch. A rising star, surely. White Horse Opera regular (and founding member) Edward Harper played a slightly slow-witted Baron Zeta. His bass tones carried well even in the slightly dry acoustic of the Devizes Corn Exchange. Edward kept me on my toes by forgetting or rearranging a few lines now and then – but then, I’ve always enjoyed improvising, and thinking on your feet is all part of the fun!

From within the company, Graham Billing (playing Njegus) was never less than wonderful on stage: an expert in comedic timing, he drew every possible scrap of humour from the script and delivered it with a wonderfully deft and understated touch. Of the other principal roles, Jon Paget (Vicomte Cascada) and Michael Smith (St Brioche) played their roles admirably, bringing some wonderful texture, comedy and joie-de-vivre to the proceedings. Both guys have good voices and I suspect we will hear much more of them in the future!

Musical Director, Francis Griffin (sadly in his last appearance with White Horse Opera) seems to have produced a very nicely balanced sound. It was perhaps, above everything else, Lehar’s music (interpreted by Francis) which made this show such a success. I owe Francis a personal debt of gratitude as, not being a professional (and being a newcomer to principal roles), I undoubtedly needed a bit more help than the other principals and Francis guided, cajoled and encouraged me. Stage Director, M’Lou Llewellyn, gave us plenty of freedom to explore and develop our roles and, as the new kid on the block, I relished being given so much latitude. Danilo is such a wonderful role to play.

WHO’s very own dancing girls (brilliantly choreographed by Jan Roberts) made excellent grisettes - so much so, that during rehearsals they frequently distracted me to the point of making me forget my lines! The chorus too (despite the relative lack of big chorus numbers) did a splendid job. From where I was standing, they sounded very good and produced a really nice sound and most engaged very well with the action unfolding on stage. There are so many others who deserve a mention in dispatches - like Aurore who found herself unexpectedly thrust into the role of Stage Manager; Andrew Taylor (who whilst not being Bogdanowitch was busy designing and building the set) and our prompter, front-of-house team, committee, rehearsal accompanists, orchestra... the list is endless. (And some people wonder why opera is so expensive to produce!)

This is beginning to sound like a gushing “acceptance speech”, so before I burst into tears and ramble drunkenly on for another hour or so, I’d also like to thank Mrs Edwards and my long-suffering offspring who probably know most of my songs and dialogue as well as I do by now! And as for the casting committee... what a courageous decision to cast me as the male-lead despite my being an unknown quantity! Thank you for your faith in me. This has been a wonderful experience and the team at White Horse Opera have been great fun to sing with. My thoughts are already turning to next year....!

Lynsey Docherty - http://lynseydocherty.co.uk
Anna Vaupel - www.starnow.co.uk/AnnaVaupel
Francis Griffin - www.francisgriffin.com
Guy Edwards – www.guyedwards.info
White Horse Opera - www.whitehorseopera.org.uk

The swell in the Channel made the crossing somewhat uncomfortable, but didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the Wessex Male Choir when we took part in the Biennial Jersey International Choir Festival (8-11 October). Perhaps we should have sung “What shall we do with the drunken sailor” on the ferry crossing, but in the event, we saved that song until later in the day! From the outset, it was clear that the Festival was well-organized and that we would enjoy a warm welcome wherever we went in Jersey. The weather too was (unseasonably) warm so much so, that I rediscovered the joy of sunshine. Thankfully even in Jersey, you can’t be arrested for eating an ice-cream without due care and attention - even if I wasn’t wholly in control of my moustache!

On the Wednesday evening, ahead of the festival starting, we gave a joint concert in St Thomas’s Church, St Helier, with Jersey’s own Male Voice Choir, The Harmony Men of Jersey. They were a very friendly bunch of guys who, it seems, also shared Wessex Male Choir’s interest in drinking copious quantities of beer and singing after concerts! The next morning, to help publicize the Festival, a small number of Wessex Choristers along with our Musical Director, Rob Elliott, were invited into the studios of BBC Radio Jersey to do an interview and sing a short extract from one of our songs. The event represented a number of “firsts” for me: it was the first time I had ever sung live on the radio and it was the first time I had ever sung in a sound-proofed broom-cupboard. Apparently it sounded okay.

At the formal festival reception on the Thursday evening, we met the other choirs (including choirs from Ireland, Norway, Holland, Slovenia... and Reading!) and each group had an opportunity to sing one piece by way of introduction. Despite having a tiring two-day coach journey to reach Jersey, it was obvious from the start that the Slovenian Youth Choir (MMPZ I. Gimnazije v Celju) was pretty special. But, as ever, WMC was probably the most entertaining! As part of the Festival’s artistic outreach programme, all the choirs gave a Friday-morning concert in local schools. We sang in Victoria Prep School to 300 young lads who behaved impeccably – probably because they’d never seen anything quite like us before. They seemed to enjoy the small selection of songs we sang (which included an arrangement of McFly’s “It’s all about you” and “The Drunken Sailor" – complete with actions which I had noticed some of the baritones rehearsing on the previous evening in The Lamplighters.)

That evening, each of the island’s parishes was treated to a concert given by 2 or 3 choirs. We shared the Parish Church at St Ouens with the Slovenian Choir who were full of energy and zest. Numbering about 76, they displayed an incredibly taut, crisp style that is difficult to achieve with larger choirs. They were excellent and so obviously enjoyed their singing. Our contribution seemed to go down well although the cramped staging arrangements meant the choir was more fragmented than usual (I think I ended up singing between a second tenor and a baritone!).

Saturday morning saw the first of the festival competition classes held in the impressive surrounds of the Great Hall at Victoria College. (Imagine Hogwarts and you’ll not be far off!). WMC beat off what little competition there was to win “Best Male Choir” category and a place in the Saturday evening “Choir of Choirs” competition – hosted by Gareth Malone of “The Choir” fame (“Boys Don’t Sing” etc.).

The evening competition was held in Fort Regent’s cavernous interior in front of an audience of about 1200. It was a most enjoyable evening with plenty of contrasting styles and songs, from Slovenian Folk Songs, to Beatles hits and glorious choral music. Our own three piece set concluded with the rousing chorus from Les Miserables – “Do you hear the people sing?”.

The adjudicators probably didn’t have to work too hard to decide that the Slovenians were the winners: their precision was matchless and the technical difficulty of the pieces they sang was also impressive. Jeremy Jackman was the only adjudicator I recognized (he used to sing with the King’s Singers) and his words of wisdom were much appreciated (I did think he might have dressed up for the occasion though – he was wearing a nice big chunky-knit pullover which looked more like Arran than Jersey!).

In time honoured tradition, the post-festival dinner (held in the massive rotunda at Fort Regent) was a splendid event with dance music provided by Jersey Premier Brass. However, choirs (perhaps especially ‘the Wessex’) simply cannot resist the opportunity to entertain, and once the Band had left the stage, we entertained the assembled throng – and even got people dancing, cheering and shouting for more! While we may not have come away with the major prize, the Choir acquitted itself really well, made lot’s of good friends, learnt several phrases in Slovenian, and had a thoroughly enjoyable time!

My latest offering is another opera review – and I hope you’ll forgive my rather naive critique. Of course, everyone is a critic – but knowing why something is good – or “exceptional” is sometimes difficult to articulate. Hopefully my critical prowess(!) will improve over time as I am now studying for an opera degree with Bruford College which will no doubt hone my analytical skills!

For a splendid evening’s entertainment, it would be very hard to beat the English National Opera’s revival of Jonathon Miller’s production of The Barber of Seville which is currently running at London’s Coliseum (27 September 2008). The cast was simply superb, delivering the full potential of this hilarious opera buffa without ever detracting from Rossini’s sublime scoring. Miller’s production has certainly stood the test of time since its first run back in 1987. The revival, directed by Ian Rutherford was a vibrant and delightful gem.

There were too many visual jokes to mention and, as one might expect of ENO, there was plenty to keep the audience entertained throughout the not insignificant length of this opera. Chorus interactions were nicely handled – never undermining the main action but adding colour and wit to the proceedings.

The plot’s innamorati were nicely matched: John Tessier(as Count Almaviva) was convincingly ardent and Anna Grevelius, pretty as a picture as Rosina, was splendidly animated and played beautifully to the contrasting traits of her character: sweet damsel in distress yet verging on psychopathic bunny-boiler when not getting her own way! With fabulously clear diction, she and the rest of the cast made the surtitling somewhat redundant.

Garry Magee in the title role of Figaro, carried the part well with plenty of presence and sang beautifully, with conviction, swagger and a touch of cynicism. The famous Largo al factotum aria was well-handled, but orchestra and singer did come slightly adrift at one point. The ensemble work was splendidly done with some brilliant interaction and some beautifully directed tableaux – perhaps none more so than the Act 2 elopement scene (where the ladder is removed from the balcony before the young lovers can make their escape).

With such a wonderful cast, it’s hard to single out one individual, but Andrew Shore, playing the scheming, pompous and rather foolish Dr Bartolo, was utterly convincing, acting with a fine sense of timing and singing with absolute precision. Indeed he acted the part with such sensitivity and paradoxical sincerity that at times, it was hard not to feel slightly sorry for Bartolo.

Brindley Sherratt’s wonderfully caricatured Don Basilio was thoroughly unpleasant, calculating and creepy - a perfect foil for Shore’s anxious Bartolo. Reassuringly, we could still enjoy laughs at his expense with some light-hearted touches (such as Bartolo having to duck under Don Basilio’s enormous hat) - clear homage to Commedia dell’Arte slapstick rather than the wittier humour of Cesare Sterbini’s original libretto. Sherratt’s rich bass voice had a clean and solid quality that was perfect for underpinning the ensemble singing.

Just looking at Rory Mcdonald (making his conducting debut with ENO) made me feel really old (and not just on account of his energetic style!) and he must take credit for a very nicely balanced sound which never once swamped the singers or lost Rossini’s sparkle.

The English translation (by Amanda and Anthony Holden) was typically “ENO” - favouring the modern vernacular. Although one or two phrases grated slightly and left me wishing for something more elegant, there was no doubting that the librettist’s original intent was well-served and the audience certainly enjoyed the accessibility and some of the more topical touches.

This is a real gem of a production – go and see it if you can!

Last night, saw the long-awaited collaborative concert at Malmesbury Abbey between our very own Wessex Concert Orchestra (WCO) and the professional Stratford-based Orchestra of the Swan (OOTS) under the unfailingly enthusiastic direction of OOTS Artistic Director, David Curtis. At first, I really wasn’t sold on the idea of playing Errollyn Wallen’s contemporary “Spirit Symphony” but I have to admit I did enjoy playing it in the end – as much for the challenges of unusual time signatures and required musical effects as for the music itself. (I guess that could take us to a nugget of a debate about the nature of music!) Certainly, Wallen’s superb use of rhythmic patterns and overlaid repeating motifs produced some quite mesmeric and liberating moments and the highly percussive nature of the work left the entire percussion section with very broad grins on their faces! If the Malmesbury audience was unnerved by the programme mix consisting of Wallen, Mozart and Rimsky-Korsakov, they certainly didn’t show it (although I sensed a certain relief when, in the final movement of the Spirit Symphony, the majestic theme from Handel’s Royal Firework Music burst through like the sun breaking through clouds on a stormy day). Perhaps, after all, most of us still feel more comfortable when in ‘traditional’ territory.

OOTS performed Mozart’s Symphony No.40 with exquisite deftness and some beautifully crafted phrasing and dynamic contrast – as one might expect from one of the country’s foremost chamber orchestras. Goodness only knows what they really thought about working with a bunch of amateurs like us, but they were all very polite and generous in their compliments about our playing!

For me, the highlight of the evening (and by far the hardest item in the programme) was Rimsky-Korsakov’s hugely evocative Scheherazade. To quote from the programme “…Scheherazade is deservedly one of music’s popular successes. In four generous movements it bursts with melodic inspiration, ebullient rhythms and ‘oriental’ colour…” This piece is a joy (or a nightmare) for a ‘cellist depending on your view. There are parts of it that take you into violin territory, more string-crossing arpeggios than you can shake a stick at, and as for the dramatic final movement…the Piu Stretto was more fun than a high-speed white-knuckle ride at Alton Towers! I couldn’t help but notice all the ‘cello section were swaying in time to the final, sweeping maestoso section – very much as if on a rolling ship on storm-tossed seas (which of course is exactly what the music evokes). By the time the ship finally sank, I was beginning to feel quite seasick!

Far be it from me to pass judgement on the overall success of the evening, but from where I was sitting, it seemed to go very well indeed. The WCO’s harpist, Sian Edwards, added some particularly beautiful touches – especially when accompanying the violin cadenzas (and I’m not just saying that because she’s my wife!). I’m sure that all the WCO players benefited enormously both from the rehearsals and pre-concert workshops with OOTS, and from the concert itself. I certainly learnt a lot – and I must record a special vote of thanks to Clare O’Connell, the professional ‘cellist with whom I shared a desk: she was ever so patient (and understanding) and displayed the utmost subtlety in trying to improve my performance: discretely pencilling-in performance and bowing directions on our copy that were surely for my benefit, not hers!

WCO’s own Musical Director, Andrew Baatz was, of course, somewhat redundant on the night itself and relegated to the role of nervous critic, watching from the sideline like a football manager watching his team in a cup final. Without his hard work in the months leading up to this concert, the evening would not have been so successful and it is as a result of his efforts that the WCO acquitted itself so well! I should also mention at this stage the good work of Nick Keyworth at Pound Arts who secured much of the funding for this event and who supported the idea from it's inception. (As an aside, WCO will be performing Scheherazade again at St Andrew’s church in Chippenham on 22 November.)

For a small, amateur orchestra, the Wessex Concert Orchestra undertakes some quite amazing projects (like, for example, performing major open air concerts which are normally the preserve of professional orchestras). Our last such concert (in July 2007) suffered from the vagaries of the British weather resulting in the concert promoter suffering major financial losses and, as a consequence, he is no longer staging open-air “Extravaganzas”. You may remember that the South West suffered from flooding of near-biblical proportions and there was a real risk that, like the band on the Titanic, the WCO would go down still playing stoically. Perhaps there should even be a Italian performance direction marked in scores for such occasions – maybe “stoico e flottante”? Incredibly (although many of the county's roads were under several feet of water at the time) every single member of the seventy-strong orchestra made it to the concert (even if some did come by tractor!). I was particularly grateful for my ‘cello case, which in extremis could double as a canoe. The audience, although somewhat smaller than hoped for (perhaps they had shrunk in the rain), were fairly intrepid, displaying a bit of “Dunkirk spirit” – especially in the patriotic flag-waving finale. They also queued in an orderly fashion when a flotilla of small boats arrived to take them home and they especially appreciated our guest soloist’s reassurance that “...Britannia Rules the Waves”. Even the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (who had planned to fly-past during the Dambusters’ March) had to cry-off because of the weather, and although we tried for a last minute substitution (a sail-past of the Black Pearl during Pirates of the Caribbean) we were disappointed there too.

Of course the advantage of using the WCO for such events is that we are very, very cheap (in a nice way) – but even so, our £1000 appearance fee did not cover all of the orchestra’s costs (such as hiring music, printing programmes, and buying flippers for the Musical Director). So I was surprised by the promoter’s view of us as reported in the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald recently (see article). Clearly, orchestra and promoter have parted on less than amicable terms as, after more than a year of patiently asking for the money owed and not getting even an agreement about a recovery plan, the WCO decided to resort to the courts system to recover the debt. Let’s be honest, I don’t know of many amateur orchestras that can afford to soak up such a loss. We are lucky we are still afloat. The fact that we are also a registered charity places an additional responsibility on the committee (as trustees) to do everything in our power to recover the debt. So while welcoming the promoter’s promise (made very publicly in the Gazette & Herald) to pay us in full, I am slightly bemused by his assertion that we have become "prima donnas"! (apart from anything else I am decidedly male.) And as the orchestra has been around since 1940, to suggest that his publicity has put WCO on the map is laughable!

Anyway, I note with some sadness that this summer’s Bowood concert series was cancelled due to a lack of pre-event ticket sales, doubtless a reflection on this year’s soggy ‘summer’. Open-air concert promotion is clearly a risky business, so in that, at least, our promoter gets my sympathy!

Now there’s a real danger here that I am going to stray into the realm of pompous rambling, but hey, if you can’t do that on your ‘blog, then where can you do it? In short, I’ve being trying to figure out how to improve my singing – or more specifically, my performing and therefore, after a suitable period of wine-induced navel-gazing, I have captured a few fairly random thoughts on the business which I now inflict on you, dear reader.

You’ve probably heard the question – “if a tree falls in the jungle and no-one is there to hear it, does it still make a noise?” Or perhaps the more recent version (which I prefer), “if a man says something and no woman hears him, is he still wrong?”

I don’t think for one moment that anyone seriously thinks a tree doesn’t make a sound when it falls in the jungle - although if you apply some aspects of quantum physics to the question, you might end up with some strange results (try asking Shrodinger’s cat!). But what about performance? You see, I contend that performance is not possible without an audience. For me, the interaction is a defining part of the whole experience which also guides my approach to performance. Performance, it seems to me, is fundamentally about communication: first, between composer and performer; then between performer and audience; and finally between audience and performer. Generally speaking feedback to the composer is rather more problematic unless you take the view that the great and good (but mainly long-deceased) cohort of classical composers look down on us from above, beaming with benevolent approval (or otherwise) at our efforts! So this view of performance leads me to the opinion that when I am performing, I am acting as an interpreter for the composer, librettist or poet (or possibly all three, which can make life difficult!). Now I could simply rely on the power of their writing to carry the day (indeed, many a poor artist has been saved by the quality of the material he is using), but the whole point about human communication, particularly when we are trying to express ideas or emotions, is that we use our whole body to communicate. Facial expressions, hand gestures, body movement (in other words, non-verbal communication) is hugely important and I remember reading somewhere (probably in Darwin’s The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals) about the extent to which we all rely on non-verbal communication in our every-day lives. Albert Merhabian’s famous experiment also seems to indicate that specifically when dealing with emotions, about 55% of the communication is non-verbal! Which is why I don’t subscribe to the school of static singing. I’ve been told that I tend to go too far the other way when performing, and this is a valid criticism which I am trying to address. Hopefully in doing so I can perform more successfully. (Note to self: Stop pacing around like an angst-ridden buffoon and doing demented windmill impressions when on stage.)

But what do we mean by a 'successful performance'? Is it just 'to sing something beautifully' (define 'beautifully'), to sing something with technical perfection, or is a successful performance one which communicates in the most effective manner possible the ideas and emotions that the original artists had tried to portray through their writing? Okay, it’s a leading question, but you see where I’m coming from. I will never sing as well as Pavarotti or even Paul Potts, so using all of my skills to communicate and interpret composers’ music is the best hope I have as an amateur of ever producing a really successful performance. But then some composers deliberately introduce ambiguity. That’s tough, because my interpretation could deny the audience the choice which the composer intended. Thankfully it’s not that common and being an amateur, I am allowed occasionally to play the “too difficult” trump card!

As my favourite genre is opera, I think I’m on fairly safe ground because most directors these days absolutely expect performers to put as much effort into non-verbal communication as they do into their singing. Only occasionally (when over-zealous direction has a singer performing complex gymnastic manoeuvres while delivering strings of faultless and sustained top c’s) do the requirements of singing and acting come into conflict. So there is no excuse: all-round successful performance (according to Guy Edwards) combines 'beautiful', technically perfect singing with a full range of non-verbal communication skills… and most crucially, engages the audience! I’m still trying, but at least I think I know where I’m trying to get to!

Now August is here (okay, not quite as this was written on 29 July 2008), all my orchestra and singing commitments have stopped until September and my diary suddenly isn’t as hectic as usual. You would think this would be cause for celebration, and of course, I am relishing the break as much as anyone, but I really look forward to rehearsals and whether it’s singing with the choir or opera groups or playing with the orchestra, rehearsals are also social events where I meet up with friends and like-minded folk. Singing lessons too are something of a treat and always eagerly anticipated. The prospect of nearly four weeks devoid of such interaction leaves me feeling just a bit deflated especially as a number of friends are heading off to summer schools.

Foolishly I left it too late this year to book up for a music summer school of any sort. I have previously attended the adult improvers’ courses at the Oxford Cello School during the summer and made some very good friends along the way who are all as nuts about playing ‘cello (and drinking wine) as I am. With my recently rediscovered passion for singing I would love to have done an opera course somewhere, but clearly I have missed the boat. Oh well, maybe next year! (Could anyone recommend a good opera course? I would love to do the sort of course where participants work up to a public recital or opera performance over a week!)

Anyway, I suppose summer will give me time to practice and to learn the huge amount of dialogue I have got (in both Merry Widow and The Magic Flute) as well as planning for future events. My good friend Vikki and I are hoping to do a spring charity recital of mainly opera arias and duets and we will need to start working on a programme (and an affordable venue) for that fairly soon. The summer might also create an opportunity to do some recording - maybe I can finally get around to putting some samples on my website(www.guyedwards.info) but then again, if the sun is shining and there’s a nice claret in the wine rack…

I must have been inspired when I persuaded Mrs Edwards that a trip to La Scala, Milan (12 July 2008) was a good idea even though the tickets (to see Puccini’s La Boheme) cost more than the GDP of a small country. Frankly, it was worth every penny - La Scala exceeded all my expectations. The building itself is not that impressive from the outside, but inside is a different story. I admit to being ‘blown away’ by the lavishly elegant auditorium with its plush stalls and six tiers of boxes all richly decorated in red and gold. The opulent and stylish decor extended to the ante-rooms where Milan’s glitterati gathered and provided us with a wonderful ‘people-watching’ experience.

From the moment the curtain rose, it was obvious that this was going to be special. Franco Zeffirelli’s wonderful, traditional staging took full advantage of the space provided by La Scala’s vast proscenium arch. Whether it was the drab Parisian garret apartment of the first and final acts, or the street scene or Enfer City Gate of the middle acts, the attention to detail was amazing. This was truly a window into another time and place.

Fabio Sartori as Rudolfo, looked and sounded quite like a young Pavarotti and endeared himself to the audience from the start with his warmth, gentle humour and great voice. The orchestra, under maestro Gustavo Dudamel seemed a little over-powering at first, but settled down to a much better balance by the time Rudolfo sang ‘Che gelida manina’. Perhaps I have spent too many hours listening to Pavarotti taking liberties with this famous aria, but I felt that perhaps a little more could have been made of it – for instance, though the climax was beautifully and effortlessly delivered, it was gone in a flash and I regretted that Sartori had not lingered for just a little longer on his wonderfully mellow top ‘c’. Svetlana Vassileva as Mimi provided a perfect match for Sartori, combining dignity with vulnerability in a way that produced pure pathos. Sadly, I do not speak Italian, but even I could appreciate her wonderful diction – this was especially evident in her opening aria, ‘Si, mi chiamano Mimi’. All of the superbly-acted characters possessed real tenderness, passion and all-too-human flaws and frailties, making it easy to care for their plight.

The staging for Act II (in the Latin Quarter) was spectacular with scenes reminiscent of Renoir’s Ball at the Moulin de la Galette. The depth and height of La Scala’s stage allowed for a fabulously three-dimensional scene with a market (and later, Cafe Momus) in the foreground nestled below a bustling Parisian street on a higher level. Again the realism was breathtaking – never more so than when Musetta, (played to coquettish perfection by Nina Machiadze) and Alcindoro (Matteo Peirone), arrived at Cafe Momus in a in full-size horse-drawn carriage! The visual feast continued into Act III which transported us to a snowy scene by the city gates, snowflakes gently falling as a prelude to the wonderful scene and quartet where Mimi and Rudolfo are tenderly making-up while Marcello (Luca Salsi) and Musetta are squabbling and name-calling!

And so to the final scene. Even if you don’t know the story, it’s pretty obvious from the outset where this is going and yet Puccini’s setting of Illica and Giacosa’s libretto, still has the power the reduce the audience to tears. Each and every one of the characters perfectly captured the emotion surrounding the miserable end to Mimi’s unfortunate life. Somehow, knowing that Mimi is dead even before Rudolfo does, places you right there in the dingy garret with the characters, sharing their ghastly realization - and then, feeling with Rudolfo the final bitterness and despair of his loss.

Thankfully, as is the way with all opera, Mimi made a fantastic recovery in time to take a well-deserved curtain-call and, amid rapturous applause, Sartori looked genuinely overwhelmed and surprised by the audience’s obvious affection for him! The other artistes, all delivering flawless performances, were: Massimo Cavalletti (Schaunard), Giorgio Guiseppini (Colline), and Domenico Colaianni (Benoit).

I admit to running out of superlatives to describe this performance. All I can say is that La Scala’s reputation for excellence is well-deserved if this performance is anything to go by. I am considering taking out a second mortgage for a return visit. You only live once, after all (unless you’re an opera singer).

It’s been quite a busy week really with lots of rehearsals to attend and, on Thursday evening, I went along to the Wyvern Theatre again to see a musical comedy act by a group of three instrumentalists called “Pluck”.  They were very funny (which is just as well for a comedy act) and their 'cellist in particular gave me some ideas I might want to try out in the orchestra – but only when maestro’s attentions are elsewhere! One sequence in particular (set to Mozart's requiem) had me in stitches - I just hope I can get rid of the images in my mind before I next hear the Requiem performed seriously!

Last night (Saturday 5 July 2008) the Wessex Concert Orchestra performed the opening concert for this year’s Lea Festival (Musicalea) in St Giles’ Church, Lea.  It was lovely to play to a full house – even if the venue wasn’t huge, but at least the orchestra didn’t outnumber the audience!

At times, perhaps the familiarity with the music worked against us allowing us to indulge a little too freely (much to the annoyance of Maestro!).  The acoustic was not brilliant either.  Unusually for a church of it's age, St Giles' is carpeted! Anyway, the concert finished with another old favourite namely Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy’s Podmoskovnye Vechera (Moscow Nights) in a gorgeous arrangement by Katherine Punwar. This piece is a real favourite and seems to get better every time we perform it. Of course, I’m biased in the matter because it has a fabulous 'cello part. Talking of which, our ‘cello section has been shuffled about to give our most recent addition a more experienced hand as a desk partner - which means that I have moved forward to the “front desk”. The discipline will be good for me and as I now play “on the inside” (I really will have to concentrate more on my bowing and avoid the occasional lapses into “upside-down” bowing which risk my poking our lead 'cellist with my bow.  She’s very understanding, but I wouldn’t want to upset her!). 
We now have quite a healthy ‘cello section, which is more than can be said for the violas. We had to borrow a few violists for this concert.  So, if you know of any violists who would like to play concert repertoire – get them to e-mail me!  They can always have a look at the (soon to be redesigned and updated) WCO website at www.wco.org.uk if they want to find out more about the WCO first!  And on the subject of updating websites, I’ve made a few changes to my own recently which you can see at www.guyedwards.info.

I’ve heard it said that Swindon is a cultural desert, but if last night’s performance (27 June 2008) of Carmen by Swindon Opera is anything to go by, the tag is looking very dated indeed! Carmen marked a spectacular and welcome return of a rejuvenated Swindon Opera to the Wyvern Theatre. And I do mean rejuvenated: the publicity for this production made much of the fact that it was a “young and exciting cast” and the energy and vibrancy, so essential for Carmen, was evident from the start. The team at Swindon Opera deserve a huge pat on the back for this production. Director Maria Jagusz produced a visually stunning Carmen and the cast really brought it to life. There was ample attention to detail with background vignettes enhancing the splendidly rich and colourful texture of the main action and this was complemented by some high-energy choreography courtesy of Jane Hockaday. Musically too, this was a first-rate production under the musical direction of Malcolm Webb. The orchestra (unlike the original orchestra at the Opera Comique) found the music quite manageable and played with a fine sense of ensemble. There were only a few minor disconnects between orchestra and singers (which considering the frenetic activity on stage was probably to be expected!).

Melanie Lang as Carmen was sizzling, sultry and sexy and more importantly sang and acted the part superbly well – a real tour de force. Aiden Smith was animated and impressive as the toreador, Escamillo and although he sang the part well, I had expected an even bigger voice! Christopher Jacobsen, another import, produced some flashes of brilliance as Don Jose, but never convinced me that he had the passion to commit the ultimate crime passionel. At times too, he fought a losing battle with the orchestra – particularly, it seems, when he was distant from the stage microphones.

Which brings me to amplification. I know that these days, it is not uncommon for even top-rate opera companies to use some amplification and with so many immature voices in the performance, it was probably a wise decision to use it here. Nevertheless, I still lament its necessity particularly as there were times when the audience was treated to some high-pitch feedback and Carmen’s entry in the card trio (“Melons! Coupons!”) suffered from echoing sound which, for me, spoilt what should have been a real highlight. Thankfully the following ensemble (the quintet and chorus ‘Treasure Scene’) proved to be a real gem. The voices were beautifully blended and the scene was elegantly put together with action seamlessly complementing the singing. Indeed, some of the finest moments in this production were delivered by those in the supporting roles such as Frasquita (Leigh Coggins), Le Dancairo (Toby Girling) and Lillas Pastia (Owen Hopkins), Morales (Conor Collins) and especially El Remendado (Carl Malmgren). Malmgren had a stage presence like no other – almost stealing every scene in which he appeared. A “natural” on stage, he seemed totally immersed in his role and so very watchable - and his voice was also superb. He is currently studying with Adrian Thompson at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama – but his is a name to watch out for in future! Emma Noakes played the long-suffering Micaela with real poignancy and her aria in Act III, was beautifully delivered.

With so much imported talent on show, Swindon Opera may have lost some of its “local appeal” but the mix was an undoubted success – and on this occasion, Carmen was a clever choice of opera, with its children’s chorus and dancers undoubtedly attracting a “friends and family” audience element, many of whom were possibly newcomers to opera. The dancers added a certain vibrancy and colour to the production but facial expressions were all a bit fixed even in some of the wilder, exciting dances. It was pleasing to see some local talent being show-cased too and all deserve a special mention: Catherine Welch (a Swindon Opera regular) played a wonderfully vexed Manuelita, Neil Gray was an impressively authoritative Zuniga and Michelle Williams made a haughtily flirtatious Mercedes. The young bugler, Beatrice Kinsey, also deserves a special mention – she did very well indeed for one so young!

I struggled at times with the diction (I think I probably understood less than fifty percent of the sung words) so it was just as well that I was familiar with the opera! For those new to opera, this must have been a turn-off, but overall, this was a dazzling success for the resurgent Swindon Opera. I just hope that the high level of imported talent and good audience support is sustainable. The unsung heroes of this endeavour are the folk who brought together such a high-octane team. This was without doubt a triumph of note. Well done Swindon Opera!

This week (25 June 2008) sees the much anticipated (at least by me!) release of the Wessex Male Choir’s second CD “Shades of Wessex”. The first thing that strikes me about this CD (which we recorded back in April) is that it is far from being a typical male voice choir product. There’s a real mix of music on it and most is not what people expect, but then, the Wessex Male Choir is hardly a “traditional” male-voice choir. Under the inspirational leadership of musical director, Robert Elliott, the Choir has forged a reputation for putting together some varied and entertaining programmes. It is no accident that the choir was invited to sing at Westminster Cathedral and the Bath Forum (as a supporting act for Hayley Westenra) in 2007 and was the top-placed UK male choir in the 2006 International Eisteddfod, as well as winning the Gold Cup in this year’s Cheltenham Music Festival (not to be confused with the Cheltenham Gold Cup race-meeting – ‘hoarse’ members are not allowed in the Choir!). The Choir will also be heading the bill at this year’s PDS Christmas Concert in London in Westminster Central Hall where the audience is likely to exceed 2000.

So what of the CD? Now the first thing to remember is that you are not listening to professional singers, but that said (and of course I am biased) I think the CD is good both in terms of its varied content and generally in its production quality. The challenge for such a recording is to capture a sense of the dynamism for which the Choir is rightly renowned. Overall, I think the album succeeds in this even though it cannot reproduce the magical rapport between audience and choir that is so evident in live performance.

In terms of content, three of the items were recorded at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 2006 and the recording quality is not as “clean” as it could be – I think this is a particular problem in O Sacrum Convivium (an a capella TTBB arrangement of the work by Spanish sixteenth century composer Tomas Luis de Vittorio) where the lower voices seem to swamp the tenor lines and the result sounds mushy – particularly in the first half of the piece.

The added instrumental scoring on some tracks certainly enhances the musical texture and by comparison, there are times when the piano (beautifully played by accompanists Mary New and Christine Williams) sounds just a little bit inadequate. The light-hearted El Capotin is a fun piece delivered in an energetic and anarchic fashion by the Choir in mock-Mexican mode in the concert hall - complete with guitars, maracas, unfeasibly large false moustaches, ponchos and the most bizarre collection of sombreros you will ever see! But as a stand-alone musical item on the CD, I’m not sure El Capotin works - although it still has plenty of energy. (Incidentally, performing this number during the recent Cricklade Festival, I accidentally smacked my maraccas together (oooh err, missus!) and the resulting split sent rice grains flying all over the stage!).

I expect everyone who listens to the CD will have a favourite track (and probably some tracks they don’t like – this is inevitable given the wide variety of styles and musical genres on the CD). For my favourite track, I cannot decide between Pavel Chesnokov’s beautiful orthodox communion hymn, Spaseniye Sodelal (lovely controlled finish!) and the passion of Do You Hear the People Sing from Les Miserables. Verdi’s Anvil Chorus (complete with ‘anvil’) is another favourite, and I admit that I have become a reluctant admirer of the emotional American tribute to the fallen, Blades of Grass and Pure White Stones. Perhaps the sentimentality of this piece touches me because I have lost quite a few friends and colleagues over the years. Traditionalists will not be disappointed with the Choir’s rendition of Deus Salutis (O Iesu Mawr) sung in Welsh to a lovely setting of the tune Llef. With hits by Sinatra and McFly as well as negro spirituals, there is probably something for everyone on this CD.

The album works well as a showcase for the Choir but it is hard to see how it will have appeal outside those who have heard the Choir sing (which is a pity). Nevertheless, given the very wide audience that the Choir now reaches, CD sales promise to be strong. For information about how to get hold of a copy, please go to the Wessex Male Choir website at www.wessexmalechoir.co.uk.

Last Sunday (15 June 2008), I was lucky enough to take part in a singing Masterclass in Bristol with American Tenor, Chris Swanson. This was another “first” for me (this year seems to producing quite a few) and to be honest I wasn’t sure what to expect. The format was pretty simple: there were ten students, each of whom had prepared two pieces and we each sang one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In the time available (which worked out at about 15 minutes per song) Chris could only pick a particular aspect of each performance to work on and this provided the vehicle for his teaching.

Thankfully, Chris is one of those guys you instantly warm to – and you sense immediately that he knows what he’s talking about – so this took any stress out of the event, although I still get slightly nervous when singing in front of people. I was amazed at the difference he made to our performances. After working on a section of song for even a short time, without exception he coaxed us into making real improvements.

In the morning, I sang “Ich Grolle Nicht” from Schumann’s Dichterliebe Song Cycle and we worked on maintaining the energy beyond the top A. In the afternoon I sang Flotow’s “M’Appari, Tutt’Amor” and we worked on ‘letting go’ in the climactic passages in order to achieve a much more open sound. I tend to flap around like a demented penguin when I’m singing and move about far too much, so Chris got me to stand still and channel that energy into the singing instead. All agreed that the resulting performance was an improvement.

When I’m on stage and performing, I think I lose half of my brain (it’s why I have to rehearse a piece to death before I’m confident enough to perform it) and this also means that in the Masterclass, I learnt more by watching the other students (when the spotlight isn’t on you, it’s easier to absorb information).

To be honest, I had worried that the Masterclass might be just a little bit “competitive” but my concerns were unfounded. It would be hard to find a friendlier bunch of folk and of course, we were all there because of our shared passion for music and our personal quests to improve our singing. With Chris’s help, we learnt a lot from each other. So, was the experience worthwhile? Absolutely, and I hope to get along to his next Masterclass if he returns next year.

If you want to know more about who I am, then please take a look at my homepage which is at www.guyedwards.info

Now, I'm not sure why I think I need a blog, but here goes...

I wanted to start with a review of the opera, La Traviata, staged by Ellen Kent at the Bristol Hippodrome back in February 2008. Opera is one of my great passions and La Traviata is probably one of my favourite operas, so this was too good a chance to miss!

Review: La Traviata – Bristol Hippodrome 28 Feb 08 – Ukrainian National Opera

As with all of Ellen Kent’s lavish crowd-pleasing productions, Verdi’s La Traviata at the Bristol Hippodrome (28 February) proved to be a sumptuously rich mix of beautifully performed music and elegant, traditional costumary and sets. The result was a memorable night at the opera and if we needed reminding why this is such a popular opera, then this performance by the Ukrainian National Opera gave the answer.

Maria Tsonina sang the role of Parisian courtesan Violetta, whose tragic and inappropriate love affair with aristocratic Alfredo, causes angst to his family. The duet in which Alfredo’s father Giorgio, superbly sung by Vladimir Dragos, entreats with Violetta to leave Alfredo for the sake of his family was one of the most poignant and well-acted moments of the opera. Indeed, Dragos’ rich baritone voice was delightful and well-balanced throughout, powerful yet never overpowering. His impassioned plea to Alfredo to return with him to the family home in Provence (Di Provenza il Mar) was full of warmth and richness of tone.

Ruslan Zinevych’s Alfredo was also very well sung although occasionally a very Neapolitan and unnecessary use of portamento distracted slightly from the clean line of the music. For me, his finest hour came in the scene where, believing that Violetta has abandoned him in favour of her old lifestyle, he publicly humiliates the woman who adores him, by throwing money at her during her friend’s society party. Here, the emotion was raw, the singing at its dramatic best, and the acting thoroughly well executed – even by Zinevych, who in some earlier scenes had appeared rather stiff.

I think this Traviata will be particularly well-remembered for Tsonina’s superbly-acted and thoroughly engaging Violetta with whom the audience easily empathized and who delighted us with her sweet tone. Her deft touch in the coloratura passages was a joy to hear and her clarity and delivery was invariably excellent.

The final act, in which Alfredo and Violetta are finally reconciled, was full of the pathos and tenderness we expect from La Traviata, without becoming overly sentimental. Perhaps the stage direction was a little exuberant here, somewhat stretching the audience’s belief that Violetta’s death was imminent, but the denouement lost none of its impact as a consequence.

Ellen Kent knows how to please and if the quality and standard of this performance is anything to go by, future productions are well worth seeing.