http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/Blog about music, cellos, singing, opera, Wiltshire, Swindon, the Arts, tenors, baritones, recitals, reviews and all manner of other arts-related topics. Oh, and about me, Guy Edwards!en-EUMokoFeed10http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/81/9b61cc9d83e38ac5d45369567e4030_160x200.jpghttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/11/20/stop-the-world-7421266/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-11-20:/2009/11/20/stop-the-world-7421266/Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:15:52 +0100 <p>I need a break. Due to teaching commitments over the summer I haven’t had a real break since May and I’m just plain tired (awww!). And when I’m tired, I’m much more susceptible to passing bugs – one of which clobbered me last week and left me with a with a throbbing headache, hot flushes, loss of energy, and a throat that felt as if it was filled with broken glass. Thank goodness for steam-inhalers, paracetamol, and <em>Vocalzone</em> because I’m pretty sure that without them, I would not have been able to sing at all last Friday and Saturday evening in<strong> White Horse Opera’s </strong>touring production of <strong>Otto Nicolai’s</strong> <em>Merry Wives of Windsor</em>. I would characterize my performances on both occasions as ropey – both because of a very fragile, heady voice, and because when you’re that tired, it’s hard to concentrate and you make mistakes. <strong>Tom Worley</strong> (long suffering accompanist and MD for the touring production) is used to the liberties I take with timing, but Friday and Saturday night gave him some new challenges. For example, on one occasion in <em>Fenton’</em>s aria (<em>“Hark, the Lark…</em>”) the top G# (normally sustained for 1½ bars), was definitely going to wobble and fall apart so I curtailed it prematurely. Poor Tom thought I had just skipped a few bars, and to my horror he deftly jumped forward two bars to compensate, leaving me scrambling to catch up! </p> <p>On Saturday, I was part of a team of dedicated volunteers who spent the morning distributing flyers and posters around Swindon (for both the <strong>Swindon Recital Series</strong> and <strong>Wessex Concert Orchestra</strong>) in torrential rain. As my shoes filled with rain water and I squelched around Old Town, I had the growing realization that I am, truly, several sandwiches short of a picnic. I should have been at home in bed. Thank goodness for the little café in old Town that serves morale in the form of mugs of steaming-hot tea and bacon baguettes! Whilst resting my voice, I have at least had the opportunity to find out how to upload video clips, both on my <a href="http://www.guyedwards.info/page13.htm">website</a> and on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5siWSlSAO-s">You Tube</a>. Not sure whether it’s a good idea or not, but as a shameless self-publicist, I found the opportunity was irresistible.</p> <p>Sunday brought little respite – an all-day rehearsal with the <strong>Wessex Concert Orchestra</strong>, playing some quite tricky <strong>Prokofiev</strong> and <strong>Verdi</strong>, was followed by an evening rehearsal for <strong>White Horse Opera</strong>’s Christmas concert in which I again sang like a crow – a performance I repeated at the <strong>Wessex Male Choir</strong> rehearsal on Tuesday evening. Thankfully things are improving as I write. Two dinner parties this week also took their toll: on Wednesday, my syndicate (tutor group) came around to dinner and in a fine team effort, we reduced the Edwards’ stockpile of port to zero and reduced still further, the functioning number of Edwards brain cells. (The residual amount must be dangerously low by now!). Thursday night marked a special milestone in my son’s life as he turned 16, but strangely, I felt unable to take even a little wine with the celebratory dinner!</p> <p>Also on Thursday, I had hoped to say my farewells to an old colleague from the <strong>Wessex Concert Orchestra</strong>, but unfortunately, catching-up with work commitments rather got in the way. <strong>Dennis Williams</strong>, the former leader of the <strong>WCO</strong>, passed away unexpectedly last week and his funeral on Thursday would have been my chance to say a final farewell. Dennis was one of life’s characters and a lovely man whose first thoughts were always of others. As well as playing violin with the <strong>WCO</strong>, Dennis used to busk for various charities and, with a small musical ensemble, he used to entertain the old folks (as he would put it). By this stage, Dennis himself must have been in his late seventies! God bless you, Dennis. Reflecting on his passing and the fact that I was unable to attend his funeral, I realise I might have got my priorities wrong. It’s at times such as this when I need to stop the world…</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/11/20/stop-the-world-7421266/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>white-horse-operatom-worleyyou-tubedennis-williamswessex-concert-orchestrafentonguy-edwardswessex-male-choirotto-nicolaimerry-wives-of-windsorswindon-recital-serieshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/11/20/stop-the-world-7421266/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/11/02/life-is-like-that-7292425/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-11-02:/2009/11/02/life-is-like-that-7292425/Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:47:33 +0100 <p>What a week of contrasts this has been. One night enjoying the delightful tale of <em>Eliza Doolittle</em>, and the next spent remembering the victims of war...life's like that!</p> <p><strong>SALOS</strong> (Swindon Amateur Light Opera Society) is surely one of Swindon’s great success stories. Strictly speaking, they aren’t really a Light Opera Society at all having made the transition many years ago into Music Theatre, but the <strong>“SALOS”</strong> brand is well-established and enjoys such an excellent reputation that it would be folly to change the name of the society! Their recent production of <strong>Lerner & Loewe’s</strong> <em>My Fair Lady</em>, which enjoyed a run of 10 shows at the <strong>Wyvern Theatre </strong>from 22 – 31 October, lived up to expectations and was a real treat. This production, so full of vitality, was easily better than some West End shows I have seen. </p> <p>For the most part, Stage Director <strong>Russell Langdown</strong>, kept fairly close to the well known film version of the musical, perhaps most notably recreating the famous “black and white” race scene. Perhaps this scene, more than most, is etched into audiences’ memories and to have departed from the formula might have invited disappointment. However, the scene was beautifully staged, with elegance, precision and wit. On a very minor point – the horse race sound effects suggested that it was a bit of one-horse race - but such a small detail is easily forgiven!</p> <p>Given the almost iconic nature of the original cast, the principals had a potentially daunting challenge on their hands but they really did a superb job. <strong>Heather Reynolds</strong> <em>(Eliza Doolittle)</em> not only coped admirably with having to change accents but delivered a thoroughly credible performance throughout, positively sparkling in <em>“I could have danced all night”</em> and bringing a real and endearing warmth to the character. She sang with passion and produced many of the show’s highlights. <strong>Ray Dance</strong> as the comically misogynistic <em>Professor Higgins </em>displayed a fine sense of timing and gave a wonderful performance that owed much to his obvious enthusiasm. He also sings better than <strong>Rex Harrison</strong>! </p> <p><strong>Courtenay Merchant </strong>(<em>Colonel Pickering</em>) was an excellent choice as the<em> Professor’s</em> urbane companion and <strong>Margaret Price</strong> (as the <em>Professor’s</em> housekeeper) was a perfect foil for the uncaring <em>Higgins</em>, acting extremely well and producing some wonderful expressions and gestures which undoubtedly were the result of meticulous preparation. <strong>Bob Desmond </strong>making his <strong>SALOS</strong> principal debut as <em>Alfred P Doolittle </em>was very watchable with his cheeky swagger and <em>joie de vivre</em>. Some of his lower register singing sounded a bit quiet but, in such a character role, it did not detract from a captivating larger-than-life performance for which he deserves much credit, especially as he was a late replacement for Mike Chivers. <strong>Daphne Brakespear </strong>was superbly cast as <em>Mrs Higgins</em>, reprising a role she played for <strong>SALOS</strong> in 1994, and <strong>Martin Read</strong> (as a delightfully nice <em>Freddy Eynsford-Hill</em>) gave a suitably lovesick performance of <em>“On the street where you live”</em> perfectly capturing <em>Freddy’s </em>innocence and naivety. His appearance in the final scene – owing more to <strong>George Bernard Shaw’s</strong> epilogue for <em>Pygmalion</em> than to <em>Broadway</em>, provided a nicely ambiguous twist to an otherwise assumed ending.</p> <p>Sadly, when I saw the show on the Friday evening, one of the personal microphone packs was playing-up. I guess that the offending mike was turned off and for a while, stage mikes provided the feed instead. This had the slightly disconcerting effect of the principals’ voices fading in and out slightly as they moved around the stage. That’s the trouble with amplification – you can never tell when it will fail. Anyway, it was a minor distraction, nothing more, and the backstage team quickly resolved the problem. Talking of the backstage team, what a thoroughly good job they did. The set was fabulous, the lighting effective but unobtrusive, and the scene changes slick and well managed under Stage Manager <strong>Alan Wrixon.</strong></p> <p>The 19-strong orchestra under the baton of Swindon’s very own <em>Maestro, </em><strong>Malcolm Webb,</strong> produced a nicely balanced and energetic sound, and Chorus Mistress <strong>Judith Sharp </strong>also deserves praise for the accurate and expressive chorus singing that was so evident throughout. Another Judith, this time <strong>Judith Hockaday</strong>, had also clearly been working hard to produce a slick and wonderfully choreographed series of dance routines.</p> <p><strong>SALOS</strong> can certainly teach other organizations a thing or two about staging “amateur” shows: First, the investment in decent scenery and costumes is well worth the additional expense. Even before the cast had uttered a single word or sung a single note, <strong>SALOS</strong> had created the impression of a highly professional production. <u>Lesson No. 1</u>: Don’t skimp on set design and costumes. </p> <p>The other thing which was very evident was the excellent publicity <strong>SALOS</strong> produced for <em>My Fair Lady</em>. No wonder they can support so many performances: It was almost impossible to drive around Swindon in the weeks preceding the production without seeing striking banners or other advertising for <em>My Fair Lady</em>. Their publicity team deserves a special mention in despatches! <u>Lesson No.2</u>. Money spent on effective publicity is money well-spent. </p> <p>Perhaps the underlying message is about confidence and having the courage to invest up-front in your production. I’ve seen too many well-meaning productions delivered on budgets that are too small and the end result all too often resembles an under-resourced school play. But there was no danger of that here! Congratulations <strong>SALOS</strong> on yet another superb production.</p> <p>The next day, it was my turn on stage with the <strong>Wessex Male Choir.</strong> It was a genuine privilege for the Choir to be invited to take part in the <strong>Royal British Legion’s</strong> <strong>Festival of Remembrance </strong>at Bristol’s <strong>Colston Hall </strong>and I would like to think that we acquitted ourselves very well. The event was quite a spectacle and although <strong>Colston Hall </strong>was not packed out, there was a substantial audience. 2009 marks the 100th Anniversary of the <strong>Fleet Air Arm</strong> and part of the evening was given over to marking this significant milestone. Ironically, it was not the Senior Service that provided the music for the evening, but the <strong>Band of the Army Air Corps</strong> under the Direction of Captain <strong>Justin Matthews</strong>. As one might rightly expect, the <strong>Band of the Army Air Corps </strong>was hugely professional and made an excellent sound in the familiar, stirring military marches, but it also demonstrated its incredible versatility with a number of jazzy concert pieces which included an amazing clarinet solo which finished on a stratospherically high note of the type that normally only dogs can hear. Fabulous playing by the clarinet soloist whose name, unfortunately, I did not catch!</p> <p>The principal (vocal) soloist for the evening was <strong>Tim Pitman.</strong> Self-styled as <em>“The Voice of Somerset”,</em> Tim claims to be <em>“...one of the most natural classical tenors performing today”</em> and has <em>“…huge timbre to his voice which enables him, along with his 50 inch chest, to perform classical Aria’s [sic] with power and dynamics that are second to none”. </em> The other soloist, 19 year-old <strong>Sophie King</strong> (soprano) has a promising but light voice that, even with amplification, frequently fought a losing battle with the Band. </p> <p>From the Choir’s point of view, the Festival seemed to go very well – despite some necessarily convoluted stage directions which had half the choir off-stage at one point and the other half on stage singing hymns (without a copy of the words!). Still, with so many people to get on and off stage, it was not surprising that there were one or two very minor hiccups and I would like to think that the audience did not notice anything untoward. The <strong>Royal British Legion</strong> standard bearers performed with all the dignity and pride one has come to expect on such occasions and the format for the second half of the evening was essentially familiar, solemn and impressive. I think that for the choir, the highlight was singing the anthem <em>Blades of Grass and Pure White Stones</em> before the bugler sounded the <em>Last Post</em>. Having lost friends and colleagues in conflict, the words and sentiments expressed become extraordinarily personal and potent. </p> <p>The Choir was directly below the cascade of poppy petals that fluttered lazily down during the two-minute silence. It was a poignant moment and one for <em>reflection</em>: Reflection on the sacrifices men and women have made (and continue to make); a reminder of the bloody cost of conflict; a tribute to the indomitable nature of the human spirit; and a warning for any who would commit their nations to war without a proper understanding of the consequences. Remembrance does not glorify war, but remembers with respect and dignity those who have fought and died for that which they held dear. World War One poet <strong>Wilfred Owen</strong> (who incidentally came from my hometown) witnessed at first-hand the horror of war and, in his famous poem <em>Dulce et Decorum Est</em>, offers timeless advice for those who would glorify war. The sentiment he expresses is as true today as it was then.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/11/02/life-is-like-that-7292425/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>colston-hallray-dancejustin-matthewswessex-male-choirroyal-british-legionheather-reynoldsmy-fair-ladysaloslerner-and-loeweguy-edwardsrussell-langdonmalcolm-webbjudith-sharpjudith-hockadayhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/11/02/life-is-like-that-7292425/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/10/25/my-principals-are-killing-me-7241999/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-10-25:/2009/10/25/my-principals-are-killing-me-7241999/Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:55:15 +0100 <p>The week started with a series of murders and a coronation, and ended with the coronation of a fool. Puzzled? Let me explain. Last Saturday was the final performance of <strong>White Horse Opera’s </strong>production of <strong>Verdi’s</strong> <em>Macbeth</em>. </p> <p>Composed in 1846 with a libretto by <strong>Piave & Maffei,</strong> it is based on <strong>Shakespeare's </strong>dark tale of greed and regicide. Now, it’s hard for me to be impartial about a WHO production because I am associated with the company myself and have many good friends there, but by any standard this production was nothing short of brilliant. With the winning combination of <strong>Arne Kovac</strong> as musical director and <strong>Graham Billing</strong> as stage director, this dramatic but often overlooked opera showed the company at its very best with some wonderful choruses and spine-tinglingly good finales in which the 22-strong professional orchestra produced a fabulous sound. This potent brew, combined with some superb principal voices, raised the performance to an altogether new height. This was community opera at its best.</p> <p>Chief among the principals was the awesome <strong>Cara McHardy</strong> as <em>Lady Macbeth</em>. People tell me she’s a lovely lady in real life, but on stage she was as scary as hell, ruthlessly dominating her poor husband (played by <strong>Edward Harper</strong>) and later, convincingly crazed as she tried to wash away the imagined blood from her hands. Her acting and singing were both first-class in this, arguably one of opera’s toughest soprano roles. Without question, she owned the part completely, her powerful and superbly controlled voice easily punching through above orchestra and chorus at full tilt when necessary. <strong>Edward Harper</strong> has a fine voice and gave a good account of himself as the weak and foolish <em>Macbeth</em>. The main tenor role,<em> Macduff</em> is really quite small but nevertheless critical and <strong>Anando Mukerjee</strong> (playing the role) both looked and sounded impressive. (He was indisputably an excellent choice for the part even though an amateur singer by the name of <strong>Guy Edwards</strong> had also rather optimistically auditioned for it!). </p> <p><strong>James Davis</strong> brought a dignified and magisterial presence to the role of <em>Banquo</em> and appeared to relish his role as <em>Macbeth’s</em> ghostly tormentor. His bloodied and bandaged head was most effective (though somewhat inexplicable as he was not bludgeoned or stabbed in the head!). <strong>Dajana Kovac</strong> as <em>Lady Macbeth’s Lady-in-Waiting </em>made an impressive and well-judged contribution to the ensembles and I hope we will hear more of her in the future. <strong>Jon Paget</strong> singing at the top of his range gave a good performance as <em>Malcolm</em> and looked suitably macho and heroic alongsid<strong>e Mukerjee’s</strong> <em>Macduff.</em></p> <p>The younger members of the company also acquitted themselves very well in minor roles - especially as the apparitions presented to <em>Macbeth</em> by the witches. <strong>Rosa Higgs</strong> and <strong>Rachel Crofts</strong>, both of whom have remarkable stage presence and confidence despite their tender years, have really good, young voices to match, delivering their musical lines with astonishing accuracy and clarity. Director, <strong>Graham Billing</strong>, made fleeting appearances as <em>Duncan, the King of Scotland</em> who is murdered at the start of the opera. <strong>Tim O’Brien, Robin Lane, Barbara Gompels</strong> and <strong>Bryony Cox</strong> took the other minor roles and WHO Patron, <strong>Geraldine Alymer-Kelly</strong> made a dramatic cameo appearance as <em>Hecate</em>. </p> <p>Which brings me onto the set and costume design. The Corn Exchange (Devizes) is not the easiest of stage areas to work, having extremely limited backstage access and the stage itself being rather shallow – so <strong>Andrew Taylor’s</strong> set, being highly functional, artistic and visually pleasing, was a triumph of ingenuity that testifies to Andrew’s creative genius. With a large company, there is always the challenge of funding costumes (a not inconsiderable expense) and whether it was for this reason or another, the witches’ chorus (divided into three), were costumed in a rather anachronistic mixture of clothes which, while achieving the aim of successfully delineating the different elements of the coven, for me at least, didn’t sit as comfortably with the rest of the costume design as it might have done. </p> <p>For me, this<em> Macbeth</em> provided some truly memorable highlights – for example the Act 2 Finale (the banquet scene) where the horrors start to unfold for the guilt-ridden<em> Macbeth</em>, and the <em>Patri Opressa</em> (<em>“Death and Ashes”</em>) chorus at the opening of Act 4. But <strong>Verdi</strong> saved the best until last with the opera’s intensely dramatic finale. The chorus (and of course, stage director, <strong>Graham Billing</strong>) deserve a special mention for their animated and effective stage presence throughout. This was a magnificent success for <strong>White Horse Opera.</strong> Well done indeed!</p> <p>Musical Director <strong>Arne Kovac</strong> must be a glutton for punishment because the very next day (with <strong>Verdi’s</strong> final chorus surely still ringing in his ears) he was one of the audition panel for <strong>Bristol Opera’s</strong> 2010 production of <strong>Bizet’s</strong> <em>The Pearl Fishers.</em> Though my high tessitura is still a work in progress, it was an opportunity too good to miss and I auditioned for the principal tenor role of <em>Nadir</em>, and was delighted to be offered the role! Arne and <strong>Bristol Opera</strong> Stage Director, <strong>Charlotte Monk</strong>, hurried away after the auditions to collect yet another prestigious award for <strong>Bristol Opera’s</strong> last major production, <strong>Tchaikovsky’s</strong> <em>Eugene Onegin.</em></p> <p>By a curious coincidence, I had already decided to go and see <strong>Bristol Opera</strong> in action in their autumn production – a performance of<strong> Gustav Holst’s</strong> little-known one-act opera entitled <em>A Perfect Fool.</em> How Arne finds the time, I will never know, but he was also the Musical Director for this unusual (and, I would imagine, quite demanding production), which took place in Henleaze, Bristol on Saturday 24th October. <strong>Holst’s</strong> opera, which parodies the works of <strong>Wagner, Verdi</strong> and others, was the main fare for the second half of the evening, but in an inspired piece of programming, during the first half of the evening, the company sang examples of the works being parodied and those which clearly influenced <strong>Holst’s</strong> work. This, together with Arne’s exuberantly enthusiastic narrative, provided a richly entertaining and educational evening of music encompassing a number of styles and periods. It also provided a great opportunity to showcase some of <strong>Bristol Opera’s</strong> abundant talent – and I do mean “abundant”. I was greatly impressed by number and quality of soloists. <strong>Bristol Opera </strong>clearly has more talented singers in its ranks than many comparable companies! <strong>Holst</strong> is not everyone’s “cup of tea” and predictably enough, Mrs Edwards preferred the earlier works – including songs from <strong>John Gay’s </strong><em>A Beggar’s Opera </em>and from <strong>Verdi’s</strong> <em>La Traviata</em> and (surprisingly) the chorus from the <em>Hall of the Minnesingers</em> in Wartburg from <strong>Wagner’s </strong><em>Tannhäuser</em>). But not to be outdone, <strong>Holst </strong>provided some splendidly enjoyable music too! </p> <p>The opera was semi-staged with singers using scores. Given the time available for preparation and the complexity of the music, this was a wise decision. This hybrid approach worked well and was infinitely preferable to a purely concert-style presentation.</p> <p>The plot takes as its core theme a prophecy which is worked out in an unexpected way during the opera. <em>The Perfect Fool</em> of the title, a narcoleptic simpleton, was played by none other than <strong>Graham Billing</strong> (fresh from directing <em>Macbeth</em> for <strong>White Horse Opera</strong>!). His fine sense of comic timing and bewildered expressions were priceless and whilst I wonder how he finds the time to do so much, at least he would not have had to spend too long learning his lines! </p> <p>The opening scene sees a <em>Wizard</em> (sung with great panache by <strong>Timothy Allan</strong>) invoking the spirits of E<em>arth, Water and Fire</em> to assist him in concocting a potion that will make him irresistible to a <em>Princess</em> (beautifully sung by <strong>Louise Merrifield</strong>). The music for this opening section is often played as a standalone suite of ballet music – and it is easy to see the attraction of doing so as it captures <strong>Holst</strong> at his dramatic best, with the lower brass and percussion providing much excitement. At times, the 25-strong orchestra created a sound that belied its size, doing credit both to the <strong>Holst</strong> and even the excerpted pieces of <strong>Wagner</strong> written for much larger orchestras! </p> <p>The <em>Wizard’s</em> potion is stolen by the <em>Fool’s Mother</em> (<strong>Susan Weaver</strong>) and replaced with water, so that when the <em>Wizard</em> brings his suit to the <em>Princess</em>, she is not attracted to him and he leaves the scene an object of mockery, his pride injured, and swearing revenge. A number of other suitors try their luck without success starting with the <em>Troubador</em> (<strong>Guy Withers</strong>) and a <em>Traveller </em>(<strong>Steve Harris</strong>) before finally, the <em>Fool</em> (who has been forced to drink the potion by his mother) on waking from slumber looks at the <em>Princess</em> causing her to fall in love with him. Meanwhile a supernatural fire sent by the vengeful <em>Wizard</em> has taken hold in the land and is rapidly encroaching, destroying all in its path. The power of the potion means that when the <em>Fool</em> finally sees the <em>Wizard</em> and stares at him, the <em>Wizard</em> dies and the fire recedes, making the <em>Fool</em> an instant hero. In the closing scene, despite declaring that he, uniquely, does not love the <em>Princess</em>, the <em>Fool</em> is crowned as once again he falls into a deep slumber and the prophecy is fulfilled.</p> <p><strong>Holst’</strong>s music for the opera (he also produced the libretto) is fascinating, often juxtaposing different motifs or themes to produce some incredible sound textures – perhaps a little bit like mixing a potion? Of course, it doesn’t always produce “easy listening” but without exception all of those singing solo roles did a splendid job and having seen for myself the very high standard set by <strong>Bristol Opera,</strong> I am extremely excited (and a little nervous!) at the prospect of working with them. Now where did I put my <em>Pearl Fishers</em> score….?</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/10/25/my-principals-are-killing-me-7241999/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>louise-merrifieldrachel-croftssusan-weaverbarbara-gompelslady-macbethjames-davisrosa-higgsguy-edwardstimothy-allanandrew-taylorbeggars-operarobin-lanebristol-operaholstmalcolmjon-pageta-perfect-foolgraham-billingdajana-kovacbanquowhite-horse-operaedward-harperanando-mukerjeeguy-witherstannhausermacbethtchaikovskycharlotte-monksteve-harrisauditionjohn-gaycara-mchardyla-traviatatim-obrienmacduffgeraldine-alymer-kellyarne-kovacbryony-coxeugene-oneginwagnerhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/10/25/my-principals-are-killing-me-7241999/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/10/16/hair-today-gone-tomorrow-7183135/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-10-16:/2009/10/16/hair-today-gone-tomorrow-7183135/Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:56:28 +0200 <p>I think it was <strong>Renee Fleming</strong> who once remarked that for just seven days a year, her voice was in perfect form and on those seven days, it could be guaranteed that she was not singing in an opera, recital or show! Oh, how true. My voice is always at its best when there’s no-one there to hear it (really!) and conversely, it seems that most singers can always guarantee getting a cold or a sore throat prior to a concert. So as a singer, you try ever so hard to protect yourself from stray bugs and you become almost paranoid about people coughing and sneezing near you - almost to the point of harbouring murderous thoughts about them if they are insensitively generous in sharing their infection with you. At least being an amateur, my income doesn’t depend on my singing (which is a good thing because I couldn’t cope with poverty). I now understand why some professional singers can appear to be so “precious” about their health. The voice is such a fragile thing. Anyway, just over a week ago at choir rehearsal, I could barely sing, but by Saturday evening, in time for the <strong><a href="http://www.wessexmalechoir.co.uk/"><strong>Wessex Male Choir</strong></a></strong> concert (and with the help of <em>Vocal Zone</em>, several glasses of medicinal <em>Merlot</em>, rest, and lots of steam inhalation) I had recovered a voice of sorts that wobbled horribly anywhere past “top A” and sounded more “reedy” than “lyric”. (Some unkind folk would say <em>“plus ça change?”</em>)</p> <p>I’ve had mixed experiences performing at St Andrew’s Church in Chippenham with the <strong><a href="http://www.wco.org.uk/index.php"><strong>Wessex Concert Orchestra</strong></a></strong>, so I approached the <strong>Wessex Male Choir</strong> concert there on Saturday (3 October) with a degree of trepidation. It was a charity recital in aid of <em>Cancer Research UK</em> and we were all looking forward to singing with the effervescent ladies of the London-based<em> <strong>Jubilate</strong></em> choir – a sort of “return” match following our successful concert with them earlier this year in Ruislip. With the Wessex having about 50 choristers and Jubilate about 40, if every performer brought just one person to the concert, we would be assured of an audience. As it was a charity concert, the local supporters of <strong>Cancer Research UK </strong>had also been busy in drumming up support so it was a pleasantly full church and a good, receptive audience to which we performed. I think that Jubilate must have a similar philosophy to our own judging by the highly entertaining way in which they perform. Certainly the audience seemed to like them.</p> <p>Whatever the drawbacks of St Andrew’s, the acoustic is undoubtedly good and it was a genuine pleasure to sing <strong>Franz Beibl’s</strong> <em>Ave Maria</em> there with the Choir’s small <em>a capella</em> group, <em>Presto</em>. Singing the top part of this fabulous arrangement reminds me why I enjoy being a tenor so much! Now, knowing that I was developing a cold, the sensible thing to have done would have been to avoid going to the “Afterglow” (the post-concert social activity involving beer and singing), but when have I ever done the sensible thing? It’s all too easy to get carried away on such occasions and before I knew it, I was belting out<em> Nessun Dorma</em> with complete abandon, ignoring the good advice an adjudicator once gave me: <em>“Never louder than nice”</em>, but then, this was singing in a pub!</p> <p>Preparations for the WCO concert on 28 November at <strong>St Joseph’s College, Swindon</strong>, are going well and the concert promises to be rather special. The lovely and very talented Lithuanian violinist, <a href="http://www.dianagalvydyte.com/"><strong>Diana Galvydyte</strong></a>, is making a very welcome return to play with us again. The programme comprises a sumptuous mix including <strong>John Williams’</strong> music from the film <em>Schindler’s List</em> and the gorgeous theme from <em>Ladies in Lavender</em> by <strong>Nigel Hess</strong>. (My only regret is that we are not playing more of the <em>Ladies in Lavender</em> music – especially <em>A Broken Heart</em> which is simple but heart-rendingly beautiful.) The rest of the programme includes<strong> John Williams</strong>’ <em>Star Wars Suite</em>, excerpts from <strong>Prokofiev’s</strong> <em>Romeo & Juliet,</em> and <strong>Verdi’s</strong> mercurial <em>Force of Destiny</em> overture (known to many, I suppose, as the music from the <em>Stella Artois</em> ad!) At least the last few weeks have been a bit quieter and amazingly I’ve even found time to practice more than usual - which is just as well considering the keys, clefs and timing in the <strong>Prokofiev</strong>. (When I first saw the music, I thought our long-suffering librarian had given me violin music by mistake!) The amazing thing is, practicing seems to work. The more I practice, the better I get – but all things are relative! Putting some new <em>Larsen</em> strings on my ‘cello and taking my bow to that consummate gentleman and master bow-maker, <strong><a href="http://www.johnstaggbows.co.uk/">John Stagg</a></strong>, for a long-overdue re-hairing might also have made a difference to my scraping. (Wouldn’t it be great if blokes’ heads were as easy to re-hair?”)</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/10/16/hair-today-gone-tomorrow-7183135/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>wessex-concert-orchestraswindoncancer-research-ukfranz-biebldiana-galvydytevocal-zoneschindlers-listprestojohn-staggprokofievlarsenave-marianigel-hessromeo-and-julietstar-warsrenee-flemingforce-of-destinyverdistella-artoisjohn-williamscellost-josephs-collegea-broken-heartladies-in-lavenderwessex-male-choirjubilateguy-edwardshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/10/16/hair-today-gone-tomorrow-7183135/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/09/27/achtung-spitfeuer-7051911/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-09-27:/2009/09/27/achtung-spitfeuer-7051911/Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:25:21 +0200 <p>I must be mad – at least, my family thinks so. On Saturday I completed a seven hour round trip for a three hour choir rehearsal. And what is more, this craziness is likely to be repeated at regular intervals! Some time ago, I auditioned for a new voluntary choir that was being set up by the <strong>Royal Air Force</strong>. Now of course, with the Defence budget severely overstretched, anything as frivolous as a choir is not about to be funded. Indeed, even the existing professional military bands across all three services are facing an uncertain future, so the second piece of madness is to try and set up an RAF choir at all in the current climate. But with the support of some very able musicians and bags of enthusiasm, the RAF’s latest secret weapon is being honed to perfection at a secret airbase deep in the heart of Lincolnshire (well – at the RAF College, Cranwell, to be precise – hence the seven hour round trip from Wiltshire!). It seems strange that the RAF has been without a choir for so many years, especially when you consider the numerous occasions upon which an RAF Band plays at a function where the choral input is provided by a civilian choir. So the fledgling choir seems to have gained at least tacit approval from on high as it may help with the RAF’s “engagement strategy” which seeks to raise the profile of the RAF around the United Kingdom. What is an "engagement strategy" I hear you ask? Well, in recent years, RAF personnel have been mistaken for RAC patrolmen, largely because most people’s image of the RAF is gleaned from World War 2 films or from <em>Biggles</em> books, where <em>“Ginger”</em> and <em>“Biggles”</em> sported outrageous moustaches bigger than the pilots’ wings emblazoned on their chests, talked in posh-accents, smoked pipes, owned black Labradors with politically incorrect names, drove MGs recklessly, and used industrial quantities of <em>Brylcreem</em> to keep their hair in place even during high-g manoeuvres! Even now, it seems that anyone who claims to be in the RAF and wears a funny grey-blue uniform but does not match the stereotype is clearly an RAC patrolman having a <em>Walter Mitty</em> moment! Things have moved on a bit since then (“gadzooks <em>Ginger</em>, there’s a <u>female</u> type over there wearing pilots’ wings and a <em>DFC</em>! What ho?”), however, the choir’s name - <em>The Spitfires</em> - possibly sends the wrong message! I wonder what was wrong with <em>“The Royal Air Force Choir”</em> as a name? It does what it says on the tin!</p> <p>The (eventually) sixteen-strong mixed choir is drawn from serving RAF personnel and MOD employees who work with the RAF. The (civilian) Musical Director is<strong> Nigel Hayward</strong>, formerly the Choir Director at <strong>Wells Cathedral School </strong>whose enthusiasm is extraordinary. (He travels to Lincolnshire from Cornwall to run the rehearsals, making my seven hour round trip pale into insignificance!) It is encouraging that we are not rushing into things. Nigel will make sure we meet his exacting standards before we perform our first “gig” sometime next year. After all, if we are in the public eye and representing the RAF at a national level, then we have to get it right. Besides which, it will take at least until May for all the sopranos to grow decent handlebar moustaches. </p> <p>This weekend also saw the first concert in this season’s highly-regarded <strong>Swindon Recital Series</strong>. The recital, at the Arts Centre in Swindon’s Bohemian Quarter (otherwise known as <em>Old Town</em> - presumably because it was built before 1960), featured the amazing viola player, <strong>Philip Dukes</strong> (described by <em>The Times</em> as <em>“Great Britain’s most outstanding solo viola player”</em>). Having heard him play, I am not about to disagree. He was awesome. His CV is impressive too (if you don’t believe me, take a look at his <a href="http://www.philipdukes.co.uk/">website</a>). Accompanied by Swindon’s very own hugely talented pianist, <strong>Paul Turner</strong>, this was an afternoon concert that should have been sold out many times over, but sadly was not. The programme included a charming <em>Fantasie</em> by <strong>Hummel</strong>, <strong>Brahms</strong>’ <em>Sonata in Eb Major</em>, and a piece I had never heard before by <strong>Berlioz</strong>, the oddly named <em>Harold en Italie</em>, with a <strong>Liszt</strong> transcription for piano of <strong>Berlioz’s</strong> richly textured orchestral score, requiring the most incredible virtuosity on the part of the pianist. </p> <p>For a while now I’ve been involved with helping to run the Recital Series (indeed, even finding myself accidentally promoted to the position of Chairman!) and one of the most vexing problems we face is getting people to come along to these superb concerts. It really irritates me when people say that <em>“Swindon is a cultural desert”</em> (it irritates even more if they can’t spell and accuse Swindon of being a cultural <em>“dessert”</em>). We have <strong>world-class</strong> chamber music going on in Swindon. I just wish that more people would get off their backsides and come to hear it! (By the way, if you’re a publicity guru with spare time on your hands and an inclination to support the arts, then please get in touch!) This season we have some really superb musicians lined up. For example, oboist <strong>Nicholas Daniel </strong>(appearing at the Arts Centre on Sunday 15 November) was described in a <em>Sunday Times</em> review as<em> “one of the greatest exponents of the oboe in the world”</em>, and harpist <strong>Claire Jones</strong> (Official Harpist to <strong>HRH The Prince of Wales</strong>) will be performing at the Arts Centre on Friday 19th February . So if you’re near Swindon, do please try and come along. You can find more information about the <strong>Swindon Recital Series</strong> on the <a href="http://www.swindonrecitalseries.org/">website</a> (which is still a “work in progress” while I try to get to grips with “cascading style sheets” and other such dull matters!)</p> <p>The ever-patient <em>Memsahib</em> was also delighted that, despite my busy weekend, I managed to find time to mow the lawn, talk to the kids, watch a bit of <em>Strictly Come Dancing,</em> and do some scraping on my ‘cello. (Okay, I lied, she wasn’t “delighted” about the latter – the <em>Force of Destiny</em> overture probably sounds better with a full orchestra and better still when I’m not playing it.) With a busy concert and performance season ahead, I hope the grass stops growing very soon otherwise I shall have to “scramble” the <em>Flymo</em>….</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/09/27/achtung-spitfeuer-7051911/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>strictly-come-dancingswindon-recital-seriesguy-edwardsnigel-haywardhummelharpclaire-jonesrafharold-in-italypaul-turnernicholas-danielphilip-dukeschoirviolahttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/09/27/achtung-spitfeuer-7051911/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/09/20/wonderful-traviata-tears-at-the-heart-strings-7004220/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-09-20:/2009/09/20/wonderful-traviata-tears-at-the-heart-strings-7004220/Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:16:10 +0200 <p>My dear wife knows me very well and for my birthday back in May, bought some tickets for us to go and see <strong>Welsh National Opera’s</strong> new production of <strong>Verdi’s</strong> romantic tragedy, <em>La Traviata,</em> at the <strong>Millennium Centre</strong> in Cardiff (18 September). I am a huge fan of <strong>WNO</strong> who stage world-class opera at affordable prices that should make the <strong>Royal Opera House</strong> management blush. The <strong>Millennium Centre</strong> is also one of my very favourite venues: It may not be lined with the plush red and gold décor so often found in opera houses, but the auditorium is simply marvellous both from the acoustic point of view, and because there’s not a bad seat in the house. The clever use of wood and stone, and the modern sleek design of the<strong> Millennium Centre</strong> not only seems absolutely right for its setting, but it gives the Centre an incredibly spacious and airy feel. The facilities are superb, the parking convenient, and the staff are helpful and friendly. So, the scene is set….</p> <p>From the moment the hauntingly sad overture started and a mournful <em>Alfredo</em> strolled forlornly through the fallen leaves with nothing but his fond memories of <em>Violetta</em> for company, it was obvious that this was going to be another masterpiece from director, <strong>David McVicar</strong> and designer, <strong>Tanya McCallin</strong>. The overture melted away and the curtain parted to take us back in time to <em>Violetta’s</em> apartment and a party in full swing. On closer inspection, the stage floor revealed itself as a cracked slate-grey gravestone upon which the words<em> “Ici repose Violetta Valéry”</em> were etched – a chilling foretaste of the inevitable outcome. The set design worked beautifully and I particularly liked the imaginative use of curtains as partitions to ease us between scene changes at the beginning of Act II.</p> <p><strong>Myrtò Papatanasiu</strong> (making her UK debut) was superb as the courtesan<em> Violetta,</em> but produced a few slightly harsh sounds during the first act and seemed very slightly under-confident at first. It even sounded as though she dropped a few notes before producing what was admittedly a stunning top Eb at the end of <em>Sempre libero d’eggio</em>. And personally, I felt that the interpretation here dwelt too much on <em>Violetta’s</em> attempted rejection of her growing love for <em>Alfredo</em> and missed the overtly breathless and climactic nature of the music. But if <strong>Papatanasiu</strong> needed a bit of time to hit her stride, so too did most of the cast, but my goodness, when they did, the singing was utterly entrancing. <strong>Alfie Boe</strong> as <em>Alfredo</em> produced an increasingly warm tone as the performance developed and by Act III was singing at his very best and if he isn't an obvious choice for <strong>Verdi</strong> then it certainly didn't show. I found it fascinating watching his bare-chested opening to Act II (purely from a singing point of view, I should add). It was a rare opportunity to watch a professional singer’s diaphragm in action. <strong>Dario Solari</strong> (as<em> Giorgio Germont</em>) was impressive from the start. His voice has a wonderfully clear and strong tone that was perfect for the role. Perhaps a bit more facial expression would not go amiss, but the sound was awesome.</p> <p>The dynamic control and subtlety with which the orchestra played was testament to <strong>Andrea Licata’s</strong> consummate skill with the baton: he teased every ounce of pathos from<strong> Verdi’s</strong> beautiful music and did so without it becoming over-sentimental. <strong>Andrew George’s</strong> choreography provided some excellent moments of spectacle, none more so than the matador’s enactment and gipsy dance (with a cheeky twist at the end) during <em>Flora’s</em> marvellously lavish party scene. The party scene always hits home and I swear one of these days I will not be able to resist the temptation of shouting out to<em> Alfredo</em> not to commit the terrible, heartless deed of throwing money at the distraught <em>Violetta</em> whose unfaltering love and incredible sacrifice he does not even start to comprehend in his moment of anger. You know he’s going to regret it for the rest of his life.</p> <p>With so many wonderful arias and duets in<em> La Traviata</em> it is impossible to choose a favourite, but for me, <em>Alfredo</em> & <em>Violetta’</em>s final duet, <em>Parigi O Cara</em>, was simply outstanding, and the blend of <strong>Boe</strong> & <strong>Papatanasiu’s</strong> voices here was as breathtakingly a gorgeous example of opera as one is ever likely to encounter. Without overdramatizing <em>Violetta’s</em> death, I felt the moment when she slipped from life might have been played for greater effect – although perhaps her almost apologetic death, with so little fuss, was deliberately understated. Certainly the emotions of the moment tugged at the heartstrings. On account of her profession, Mrs Edwards is unable to imagine how <em>Violetta</em>, in the terminal stages of consumption, could possibly sing. (That's the trouble with doctors.) This inability to suspend belief is a bit of a handicap when it comes to empathizing with the characters on stage and perhaps it is why she will always prefer the frivolity of G&S to the emotional roller-coasters penned by the likes of <strong>Verdi</strong> and <strong>Puccini</strong>. For me though, the ability of opera to transport the audience temporally, geographically and <em>emotionally</em> is what makes it so very special – and in my opinion, it is what makes opera the ultimate art form. WNO’s <em>Traviata</em> ticked all of those boxes and, although it may be unfashionable as a bloke to admit it, I had tears in my eyes as the opera’s emotional journey came to its tragic conclusion. Bravo WNO! Another superb production.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/09/20/wonderful-traviata-tears-at-the-heart-strings-7004220/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>millennium-centreguy-edwardsgsverdiandrea-licatawelsh-nationla-operaalfie-boela-traviatapuccinitanya-mccallinroyal-opera-housesopranoandrew-georgemyrto-papatanasiudavid-mcvicarviolettaparigi-o-caradario-solariwnosempre-libero-deggioalfredotenorhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/09/20/wonderful-traviata-tears-at-the-heart-strings-7004220/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/09/20/time-flies-7003276/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-09-20:/2009/09/20/time-flies-7003276/Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:30:13 +0200 <p>I’m still not sure where all the time has gone, but the second of our “little girls” turned eighteen recently and yet my recollections of cradling her in my arms as a newborn are still as vivid as ever. It certainly doesn’t seem like eighteen years ago. The onward march of time and physical degeneration have provided new impetus to my undertakings: I’m determined to achieve a few more things in life before bits start dropping off or before I forget what it is that I was trying to achieve. Being reminded that your second child is now eighteen simply increases the sense of panic. So I like to be busy, but as Mrs Edwards occasionally points out, I need to strike a balance, and my habit of ignoring the requirement for sleep is neither clever, nor sustainable!</p> <p>As part of the eighteenth birthday celebrations, the Edwards Clan decamped <em>en masse</em> to London Town for a weekend packed full of activities and culture – so I really enjoyed myself despite having to suffer a spot of “opportunity shopping” - the inevitable consequence of going to London with four women. (I got my own back with a visit to <strong>HMS Belfast</strong>.) On the Friday evening (4 September) we had some great seats at the <strong>Lyceum Theatre</strong> to see Disney’s <em>Lion King</em>. What a fabulous, feel-good fest of colour, movement and music this is. Its talented cast clearly enjoy performing the show as much as we enjoyed watching it. I’m not going to review <em>Lion King</em>, but take my word for it, if you haven’t seen this show then you really should. I would go so far as to say that if you only see one West End show, this one is the pick of the current crop and you would be daft to miss it. Of course, if you’re looking for deep and meaningful material, then maybe <strong>Elton John’s </strong>music and <strong>Tim Rice’s</strong> lyrics will disappoint, but for some simply amazing choreography and design, infectious rhythm and a happy ending, then this show is pretty much unrivalled. </p> <p>The following evening we saw <strong>Kander & Ebb’s</strong> <em>Chicago</em> at the <strong>Cambridge Theatre</strong> with the former <strong>Destiny’s Child </strong>chanteuse, <strong>Michelle Williams</strong>, in the starring role of <em>Roxie Hart</em>. I had seen <em>Chicago</em> before it moved to the Cambridge (it was previously at the <strong>Adelphi</strong>) and in the move it seems to have lost its spirit. Although I couldn’t fault <strong>Michelle Williams’</strong> pitching or diction, she failed to live up to my expectations of a <em>Roxie</em>, somehow lacking the sexy sassiness that should make <em>Roxie</em> a fatal attraction. Her voice also seemed to have a very nasal quality that had the effect of turning this <em>Roxie</em> into a whining girl rather than a full-blooded vamp. If this were the only problem with the show, I could have still come away happy, but the whole performance seemed tired, lacking the spark and essential <em>pizzazz</em> for which it has been rightly famed in the past. I was left with the feeling of a show much in need of a makeover – or life support. Sadly the Cambridge as a venue does little to help, being rather small and dowdy as London Theatres go and the empty seats and current cast selection may be an indication that this show is on its last legs.</p> <p>Talking of dodgy principals, I took to the stage myself the following Friday evening (11 September) for another performance as <em>Fenton</em> in <strong>Otto Nicolai’</strong>s <em>Merry Wives of Windsor</em> with <strong>White Horse Touring Opera</strong>. The wonderful new hall in Market Lavington (complete with very nice piano) was the venue for this event and although the audience was not huge, the evening seemed to go well. Reassuringly, we are getting better every time we perform the opera although, at times we could do with lifting the pace a little. There is some divine music in <em>Merry Wives</em> but there are also one or two sections that can drag if they are not driven forward. <strong>Graham Billing’s</strong> intelligently witty translation still makes me laugh even though I must have heard it dozens of times by now!</p> <p>An altogether different performance opportunity presented itself on the Saturday evening with a <strong>White Horse Opera</strong> concert of opera and music theatre excerpts in the wonderful old medieval church of St John in Devizes. The place has a fabulous acoustic and I really enjoyed singing there. A number of the company’s younger singers (and some of those who do not usually sing principal roles) took the chance to perform their party-pieces. <strong>White Horse Opera</strong> is lucky to have a healthy pool of developing talent and the confidence of some of these young performers is quite amazing. Indeed, my young singing partner in <em>Merry Wives</em>, (<strong>Bryony Cox</strong>), gave a lovely concert performance of her aria from the opera and more generally never fails to impress me with her stage presence and professional approach. The concert also provided a showcase opportunity for the hugely talented <strong><a href="http://www.dajana-kovac.de/indexUK.html">Dajana Kovac</a></strong> who undoubtedly stole the show with her rendition of<strong> Jeanine Tesori’</strong>s,<em>The Girl in 14G</em>. This quirky song makes incredible demands on the singer with its rapid changes in style from ballad to opera and jazz in telling the story of a girl whose apartment suffers from noisy neighbours and who eventually decides if you can’t beat them, join them! Dajana also drew the concert to a close with a beautiful performance of <strong>Puccini’s</strong> <em>O Mio Babino Caro</em>. <strong>Arne Kovac</strong> accompanied throughout and coped admirably with a few last minute surprises and in particular, (from me) a very liberal interpretation of <em>rubato</em>! </p> <p>For my own part, I sang two old favourites, <em>“M’Appari Tutt’Amor”</em> from <strong>Flotow’s</strong> rarely-performed opera, <em>Martha</em>, and the gorgeous love song <em>“La fleur que tu m’avais jettée”</em> from <strong>Bizet’s</strong> ever-popular pot-boiler, <em>Carmen.</em> Both seemed to go pretty well: indeed I was delighted when a nice Italian lady later complimented me on my Italian pronunciation in <em>M’Appari</em>. As for the <strong>Bizet</strong>, I just wish I had sung it as well when I auditioned (unsuccessfully) for the role of <em>Don José</em> earlier in the year. I have learnt a number of things from that particular experience, including not to attempt an audition for which you have had insufficient preparation time, or to do so when you are jet-lagged and feeling absolutely knackered! In retrospect, things have worked out rather well and better opportunities have come along since then, but at the time I felt a bit bruised by the experience! </p> <p>To round the weekend off, Mrs Edwards and I spent the evening in the <strong>Tower of London</strong> - no, not as “guests” of Her Majesty, but watching <strong>Carl Rosa Opera’s</strong> production of the splendid <strong>Gilbert & Sullivan</strong> operetta, <em>The Yeomen of the Guard</em> as part of the Tower Festival. I’m very glad we booked early for this event and got some decent seats because I suspect the people at the back of the audience would have needed binoculars to see the stage! What a fabulously atmospheric and apt setting for this, arguably <strong>Gilbert & Sullivan’s</strong> finest operetta – and it was amusing that a couple of real Yeomen Warders were keeping a watchful eye over proceedings! This was a splendid production in very many ways and well worth the round trip to London. When I was a mere stripling youth (a long time ago, admittedly) Mrs Edwards & I had starring roles in our respective schools’ joint production of <em>Yeomen</em>, so it holds special memories for us.</p> <p><strong>Carl Rosa Opera</strong> seems to follow a well-tried and tested formula of recruiting at least one celebrity to play a major character role in their operas. In this case, <strong>Paul Nicholas</strong> was a great choice for the lovelorn but ultimately unloved jester, <em>Jack Point</em>, and made a surprisingly good job of the singing (except for racing ahead of the conductor and orchestra on one occasion!). In echoes of <em>Pagliacci’s Canio</em> and England’s last court jester, <strong>Dickie Pearce</strong> (whose great party trick of making himself into a ball to be thrown around in merriment by banqueting guests ended in disaster at <strong>Berkeley Castle</strong> when an over exuberant guest accidentally propelled the unfortunate jester over the balcony to an untimely death), <em>Jack Point</em> is a tragic figure who, despite his merry-making, dies of a broken heart at the end of the opera.</p> <p><strong>Charlotte Page</strong> delivered a heart-warming performance as <em>Elsie</em> with an operatic quality that elevated this G&S favourite to a new level. It was interesting to note that when there was an amplification problem in Act 1, hers was one of the few voices that could still be heard from the stage, perhaps evidence of her background in opera as opposed to music theatre. She was ably matched by <strong>David Curry</strong> as the heroic <em>Colonel Fairfax</em>. Curry was superb, delivering <em>Fairfax’s</em> lovely arias with well-judged lightness and classic tenor <em>panache</em>: His acting was excellent too and he was a joy to watch, being every bit the dashing romantic hero demanded by the part. There were some truly fine performances too from<strong> Bruce Graham</strong> as <em>Sergeant Meryll </em>whose comedic timing was impeccable, and from <strong>Donald Maxwell</strong> as the Tower’s unpleasant and dim-witted “Head Jailor and Assistant Tormentor”, <em>Wilfred Shadbolt</em>. The very talented <strong>Victoria Byron</strong> elicited much sympathy as the unlucky <em>Phoebe</em>, and <strong>Gareth Jones</strong> delivered an authoritative performance as the Lieutenant of the Tower, <em>Sir Richard Cholmondely</em>. (This was the role I sang for our school production all those years ago, and to my dismay, I could remember every word and note perfectly well – but I can’t remember things I did yesterday!). <strong>Susan Gorton</strong> (well cast as <em>Dame Carruthers</em>) seemed surprisingly unsettled in the first act (particularly in her opening number<em> “When our Gallant Norman Foes” </em>and seemed to have a few pitching issues) but she improved throughout and added a lovely quality to the ensembles with her rich alto tones. <strong>Jeremy Finch</strong>, who had not entirely impressed me when I heard him sing <em>Ralph Rackstraw </em>in <em>HMS Pinafore</em> earlier this year, seemed on much better form as<em> Leonard Meryll. </em> </p> <p>I suspect that several of the performance issues (to do with timing and pitching) were due to the open-air nature of the event and I wondered whether there was sufficient volume being fed-back onto the stage for the performers to hear clearly what the orchestra was playing. The amplification problem that plagued part of the first act, was a bit disappointing but was fairly quickly overcome. However, it did provide some unintended comedic moments when a very twenty-first century hand-held radio microphone made a temporary appearance in this sixteenth century setting. In the Act 1 Finale, <em>Fairfax</em> (pretending to be <em>Leonard Meryll</em>) was reduced to wandering around the stage like an itinerant reporter or game-show host, sharing the microphone with other soloists during his “patter” song. </p> <p>I’m not sure what restrictions were placed upon the production and direction team under <strong>Peter Molloy</strong>, but I felt they may have missed an opportunity to make better use of the unique setting. The stage set, whilst probably perfectly good in a theatre, looked really contrived in the shadow of the real Tower. Sadly, the attempts to break out from the set and use the ground in front of the stage were not well planned.<em> Jack Point’</em>s death was completely missed by all bar those in the front rows – he simply disappeared from sight and the large television screens relaying the action to those sitting further back, failed to capture the moment. The camera operator was clearly under-rehearsed and at several points throughout the opera, managed to focus on entirely the wrong singer. But despite all of this, the evening was thoroughly enjoyable and enormously entertaining. The Musical Direction under <strong>Wyn Davies</strong> was faultless and <strong>Carl Rosa Opera</strong> served up a real treat yet again. And my final thought… when Mrs Edwards & I performed in <em>Yeomen</em> we were both in our mid-teens. How time flies! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/09/20/time-flies-7003276/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>flotowwyn-daviescarl-rosabizetpagliaccigareth-joneslyceumwhite-horse-operajack-pointguy-edwardspeter-molloydisneypuccinichicagogstenorcharlotte-pageroxie-hartgraham-billingsusan-gortonmerry-wivesdonald-maxwellcambridge-theatreberkeley-castlegilbert-and-sullivantower-of-londonlion-kingebbdavid-currymichelle-williamswiltshiremapparibryony-coxvictoria-byronjeremy-finchyeomen-of-the-guardtim-ricedickie-pearcejeanine-tesoriyeomendajana-kovacdevizesconcerto-mio-babbino-carodestinys-childarne-kovacpaul-nicholasdon-joseadelphikanderhms-belfastelton-johnfentonotto-nicolaibruce-grahamcaniooperamarthacarmenhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/09/20/time-flies-7003276/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/08/19/chess-has-all-the-right-moves-6761260/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-08-19:/2009/08/19/chess-has-all-the-right-moves-6761260/Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:19:45 +0200 <p>I remember seeing <em>Chess</em> – the musical by <strong>Tim Rice, Benny Andersson</strong> and <strong>Bjorn Ulvaeus</strong>, over twenty years ago when it was fresh to the West End and to be honest, apart from a few well-known musical numbers and a lingering impression of a seedy Bangkok nightclub scene, I couldn’t remember much about it. Just over a year ago, I saw <strong>Swindon Opera’s</strong> impressive production of <em>Carmen </em>which was directed by <strong>Maria Jagusz</strong>, and when she told me that she was staging <em>Chess</em> as her 2009 <strong>MJ-UK</strong> project in <strong>Cirencester’s Bingham Hall</strong>, I was very keen to go and see it. I expected it to bear all of Maria’s hallmarks – fantastic tableaux, imaginative staging, stunning costumary, energy and movement and cleverly interwoven dance sequences. I was not disappointed. <strong>MJ-UK</strong>’s production of <em>Chess</em> was an overwhelming success that deservedly played to a full house on the Friday evening (14 August) when I saw it.</p> <p><a href="http://www.mj-uk.co.uk/mainmenu.html">MJ-UK Productions</a> is <strong>Maria Jagusz’s</strong> brainchild – a company that works with professionals and runs youth and community performance art projects. In the four years it has been producing shows, it has rapidly established itself as a first-rate primer for young singers who are embarking on musical careers, including some of Maria’s own students. (I feel I should declare an interest here – I am one of Maria’s singing students – but definitely not in the “youth” category, nor (unfortunately) am I likely to embark on a musical career!) The summer project gives many young singers, dancers and actors the opportunity to take part in a professionally produced and directed show, and it is the magical fusion of young talent and superb direction that makes any <strong>MJ-UK</strong> production well worth seeing. If I have tended to over-use superlatives in my reporting of the production, it is because they are deserved, not because I have any vested interests! I was bowled-over by this show and, in honesty, I never expected to encounter such a vibrant and impressive production outside a mainstream theatre!</p> <p>With such a large cast, it is impossible to write a comprehensive <u>and</u> concise “review” of the production, so I’ve opted for “concise” (relatively speaking!) which means focussing mainly on the principals. I should start though, by giving credit to the unsung (and presumably non-singing hero of the production) the sound manager, <strong>Ian Carling</strong> and his team. A poorly set-up sound system can wreck the best endeavours of the performers, but I am pleased to say that in this production it seemed perfectly balanced and well focussed, making it easy for the audience to sit back and enjoy the abundant talents of the singers and musicians. The orchestra too deserve special mention (particularly as they were completely out-of-sight behind the stage backdrop along with the very talented musical director, <strong>Christopher Broom</strong>.)</p> <p>The convoluted plot of <em>Chess</em> is set (unsurprisingly) against the backdrop of international chess competitions and the Cold War. In a classic East-West confrontation, love and politics become hopelessly entangled as the main protagonists, brash American <em>Freddie Trumper</em> and his mercurial Russian opponent, <em>Anatoly Sergievski</em>, clash both for the love of Hungarian-born <em>Florence Vassy</em> and for the world chess championship. Egos and passions run high and the American’s surprise defeat sets the scene for the subsequent competition in Bangkok.</p> <p><strong>Iwan Lewis</strong> who played <em>Anatoly</em> (on the Friday night) carried the role with a maturity well beyond his years. Compelling and convincing as <em>Anatoly</em>, he also showed that he can really turn on the power to thrill when he unleashed his voice in the more dramatic passages. <strong>Alice Nelson</strong> played the angst-ridden <em>Florence</em> very well indeed with superb facial expressions and real emotional depth. Very occasionally in the larger ensemble pieces her voice risked being lost but her solos were beautifully sung. <strong>Christopher Jacobsen</strong> was <em>Freddie</em> and when I saw him as <em>Don Jose</em> in <em>Carmen</em> just over a year ago, I was not convinced by his portrayal, never truly believing he had the passion to kill <em>Carmen</em>. Whether he has developed since then or whether he is more comfortable in music theatre I don’t know, but the change was extraordinary. In <em>Chess</em>, he was brilliant and delivered a total performance to be proud of, inhabiting his character completely. <strong>Sam Clifford</strong> (who played the <em>Arbiter</em>) and <strong>Michael Dukes</strong> (<em>Walter</em>) both performed well in what could be seen as supporting roles. <strong>Ashlee Nunn </strong>was <em>Sergievski’s</em> abandoned wife, <em>Svetlana</em>, and despite being one of the least experienced among the cast, she was outstandingly good: her diction was better than many professionals I have heard and she poured real emotional despair into her performance delivering it with an authentically Soviet stoicism that was enough to make the heart ache. For me though, the best performance of the evening belonged to <strong>Toby Girling</strong> who I saw as <em>Dancaire</em> in <em>Carmen</em> last year (I was impressed by him then). He excelled as the shady Russian KGB agent <em>Molokov</em>, and while he was subtly menacing throughout, his characterization never descended into parody. His was a commanding presence on stage and his performance (particularly in his big number) was quite mesmerising – and what a superb, rich tone to his voice.</p> <p>Choreographer and assistant director <strong>Helena Biggs</strong> also merits special mention. Choreographing a multitude of young dancers, and achieving the sort of seamless integration with the rest of the production that we saw is a real achievement. From the very authentic looking Cossack-style dancing (energetically performed by two lads whose coordination was excellent and whose energy seemed inexhaustible) to the somewhat more sedate dance of the chess pieces, all of the dance items displayed ingenuity and clever use of space. </p> <p>In striving for some degree of balance in this critique, I have tried hard to find a few things that I thought could be improved: once or twice, the diction was less than perfect; once or twice the background activity drew focus away from the main characters; and once or twice there were disconnects between singers and orchestra; but overall none of these detracted from a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging production, brimming with vitality.</p> <p>The driving force and creative talent behind this show and <strong>MJ-UK Productions</strong> is Director <strong>Maria Jagusz</strong>, who has achieved a stunning success by fusing the very best elements of music, song, dance, costume, and design. But as well providing first-class entertainment, <strong>MJ-UK</strong> has also given many young performers a fabulous opportunity to work with a professional production team, thus kindling what for many will become an enduring interest in the arts and providing others with a stepping stone into performing careers. Oh! How I wish I was thirty years younger and talented!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/08/19/chess-has-all-the-right-moves-6761260/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>sam-cliffordsvetlanachessashlee-nunntim-ricemaria-jaguszbingham-hallanatoly-sergievskiflorence-vassymj-ukmichael-dukesbenny-anderssonbjorn-ulvaeusfreddie-trumperchristopher-jacobsenian-carlingmolokovcirencesterchristopher-broomswindon-operahelena-biggscarmenalice-nelsonguy-edwardsdancairetoby-girlingiwan-lewishttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/08/19/chess-has-all-the-right-moves-6761260/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/08/15/a-sting-in-the-tail-6730532/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-08-15:/2009/08/15/a-sting-in-the-tail-6730532/Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:14:18 +0200 <p>August, as always, is a quiet month on the Arts front for me and an opportunity to rediscover evenings at home with the family and catch-up with my over-ambitious repertoire development plans - so there’s not much “arts-related” content in this blog offering. That said, Mrs Edwards and I have been anything but lazy: We started the month attending a dance in Swindon organized by our lovely dance teacher, the ever-patient<strong> Anne Williams.</strong> Just when I’m beginning to get to grips with some of the basics, I discover to my despair that there are still dances out there I’ve never even heard of (what’s a <em>“Queen of Hearts Rumba”</em> or a<em> “Sally Ann Cha Cha”</em>?) I’d not come across a <em>“Saunter Together”</em> either – and don’t be fooled by the easy-sounding name – there’s a routine you need to know here if you are to avoid making a complete arse of yourself (not that that has ever bothered me).</p> <p>Anyway, the undoubted highlight of this particular evening was the exhibition dance by <strong>Aimie Leake</strong> and <strong>Lawrence James</strong>, two youngsters who have been dancing together since April this year but who are already representing England in Youth Dance competitions across the UK and overseas. What can I say? They were stunningly good. I certainly won’t offer comment on their technique (the author has trouble telling a foxtrot from a waltz – even when trying to dance one!), but it was enough just to sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Young Lawrence (who I think is only 17) reminds me so much of myself when I was his age...good looking, agile, fit, athletic, full of confidence... actually no, come to think of it, that was someone else. My memory must be playing tricks on me again (like this morning when Mrs Edwards asked me to take the rubbish out.) These days I have to write notes to myself to make sure I remember to do things (but where did I put the notes?). I know it is only a matter of time before I pour orange juice on my cornflakes. The dancing though was fabulously charged with energy in a way that only the young can truly manage - exciting and sexy. At one point I actually caught myself wondering if it was okay to be indulging in such voyeuristic pleasures! If I was caught ogling, then Mrs Edwards’ unorthodox kung-fu move in the foxtrot that followed was fully justified – two “quicks” when I was expecting two “slows” almost resulted in a perfect martial arts throw!</p> <p>Despite the excitement and the dancing, both my heart and my crunchy knees held out pretty well. But it was too good to last. Crawling around in my loft the next day looking for a wasps’ nest played havoc with my knees and I am now reduced to walking stiff-legged like Frankenstein’s monster until they recover. Just as well I didn’t need to make a quick getaway from marauding wasps. Which reminds me: just what IS the point of wasps? Was God having an off-day when he created wasps? The pest control officer who came out to deal with our wasp infestation gleefully told me that he’d never before seen a house with THREE wasps’ nests in such close proximity. The wasps have been a damn nuisance and even <em>Tigerlily</em> (one of our small hairy canines) got stung and protested so much I thought she was dying. (How can a small dog make such a hideous noise?) Anyway, the wasp population has now significantly reduced and <em>Tigerlily </em>has made a full recovery. She may even crawl out from underneath the cupboard some time next week.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/08/15/a-sting-in-the-tail-6730532/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tangodancefoxtrotlawrence-jamestigerlilywaspsanne-williamsaimie-leakeguy-edwardshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/08/15/a-sting-in-the-tail-6730532/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/07/20/abingdon-summer-school-for-solo-singers-6552600/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-07-20:/2009/07/20/abingdon-summer-school-for-solo-singers-6552600/Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:45:33 +0200 <p>Despite providing a particularly poor quality recording of myself (singing like a crow) as part of the selection process, I was delighted to be offered a place on this year’s <strong><a href="http://www.abingdonsummerschoolforsolosingers.co.uk">Solo Singers’ Summer School at Abingdon</a></strong>. Perhaps they felt sorry for me. The week-long course is singing heaven for someone like me, allowing me to indulge my passion for a whole week without the slightest trace of guilt (almost) and developing my singing into the bargain.</p> <p>The programme is built around a series of Masterclasses given by a most impressive team of tutors. Every one of the 60 students performs in a masterclass with at least six different tutors over the week and also benefits from watching others performing in their masterclasses. There are also plenty of opportunities to perform in concerts (both formal and informal) – my own tally being 6 concert performances – and performance skills were also developed through classes in movement and Alexander Technique as well as lectures on performance psychology and vocal health. Ten fabulous accompanists worked as an integral part of the course providing superb support and advice to the singers and performing jointly with us in concerts and masterclasses.</p> <p>Abingdon School (the setting for the course) is blessed with some excellent facilities including a modern, well-equipped music centre, rehearsal rooms and theatre. Set in rather lovely grounds, it is an ideal venue for the course. The accommodation (in the school dormitories) was perfectly fine too, although I suspect that some of the beds were designed for vertically-challenged schoolboys rather than adults! </p> <p>The quality of the tuition was quite superb and delivered by five ‘resident’ plus a number of visiting tutors. A quick glance at the resident tutors’ abbreviated <em>curricula vitae</em> speaks volumes: <strong>Robin Bowman</strong> was previously the Head of Vocal Studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and a consultant to the National Opera Studio and currently teaches at the Birmingham Conservatoire. <strong>Henry Herford</strong> (whose ever-efficient wife and daughter (Lindsay & Alice) expertly administer the course) teaches singing at the Royal Northern College of Music and Birmingham Conservatoire. <strong>Margaret Humphrey Clark </strong>teaches singing at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (and at Eton Choral Courses) and is also a qualified Alexander Technique teacher. <strong>Elaine Kidd</strong> is head of staff directors at the Royal Opera House and coaches on the Jette Parker Young Artists programme. <strong>Susan McCulloch</strong> teaches singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is the Performance Consultant to the Young Artists’ Programme at the Royal Opera House. In addition to Masterclasses with all of the above, I also sang in a Masterclass with visiting tutor <strong>Linda Ormiston</strong> (mezzo-soprano). Alexander Technique was taught by <strong>Lindsay Wagstaff</strong>, and Performance Feedback was provided by <strong>Elizabeth Wingfield</strong>. Each brought their own particular strengths and the result was a well-rounded course that addressed every aspect of singing and performance.</p> <p>For me, the amazing thing about this course is that you can see real improvements in performance happening in each and every masterclass. Of course that doesn’t mean that everyone came away instantly improved, but over the coming months, building on the techniques taught should yield tangible improvement! </p> <p>A mere amateur, I felt very privileged to be on a course with so much young talent. (The average age of the student body was probably about 22, making me the course granddad by a comfortable margin). The other students came from all over the UK plus America, Canada, Belgium, Estonia, Portugal and France. Many were already studying singing full-time at music colleges and, without exception, all shared a passion for singing that was quite infectious! The repertoire was wonderfully varied and covered everything from Art Song, to oratorio, <em>Lieder</em> and opera. Each student had prepared seven pieces to perform in masterclasses – my own selection included opera, English Song, and <em>Lieder</em>. I couldn’t resist revisiting <strong>Schubert’s</strong> dramatic setting of <em>Erlkőnig</em>, a poem by <strong>Goethe</strong>, a supernatural tale about the death of a young boy and a father’s frantic attempts to reach safety. The closing line is <em>“in seinen Armen das Kind war tot”</em> (in his arms, the child was dead) although I have heard it modified to <em>“in his arms, the accompanist lay dead”</em> on account of the extreme demands it makes of the accompanist! (Alice, you were fabulous.)</p> <p>I learnt far too much to be able to document it all here and I discovered things about myself that I didn’t know before the course. The tutors were all hugely encouraging and I will try very hard to remember the lessons learned. <strong>Elaine Kidd</strong> made an excellent suggestion to ensure that all our good intentions (to improve technique etc) do not simply evaporate over the coming months. She paired us up and encouraged us to set goals for the coming year. Our “partners” have been asked to contact us at appropriate points during the year to check our progress and maybe do some gentle nagging if the impetus is flagging. I have set myself six goals, one of which is to lose some weight. (Seeing a concert video where your paunch enters the stage several seconds before the rest of you is enough to inspire this particular goal!). I hope to be selected to attend again next year and, if I am so lucky, then I certainly want to return having improved throughout the year. Despite my “maturity” (physically, not mentally that is), my voice is still developing and although I will never be a professional singer, I am still keen to be the best I can be! </p> <p>I want to say a big thank you to all the staff - and special thanks to the two brilliant accompanists who performed the major concert items with me: Alice Turner <em>(Erlkőnig)</em> and Bethe Levvy <em>(Sea Fever)</em>.</p> <p>I took time out from the course on the Saturday evening to sing in a concert in Hungerford (as part of the <strong>Hungerford & District Community Arts Festival</strong>.) The event, organized by <strong>Kennet Opera</strong>, was planned to be an outdoor concert of opera highlights <em>(”Traviata on the Triangle”) </em>but wisely given the foul weather, the event took place indoors instead. I sang two numbers (the <em>Brindisi</em> from <strong>Verdi’s</strong> <em>La Traviata,</em> and the <em>Papageno/Papagena </em>duet from <strong>Mozart’s</strong> <em>Magic Flute</em>). During the interval I was able to reflect on my ill-fortune when it comes to outdoor concerts: on the last three occasions when I have attempted to perform outdoors, the Almighty has intervened with thunderstorms of biblical proportion. Perhaps I should come with a health-warning for concert-goers along the lines of<em>...”please bring picnics and liferafts”?</em></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/07/20/abingdon-summer-school-for-solo-singers-6552600/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>royal-northern-college-of-musicelaine-kiddabingdonhenry-herfordverdimargaret-humphrey-clarknational-opera-studioerlkonigbrindisihungerfordelizabeth-wingfieldalexander-techniquesusan-mccullochroyal-opera-houserobin-bowmanschubertguy-edwardspapagenohadcafmozartlinda-ormistonsummer-schoolbethe-levvyalice-turnerlindsay-wagstaffbirmingham-conservatoirehttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/07/20/abingdon-summer-school-for-solo-singers-6552600/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/07/20/if-you-can-fill-the-unforgiving-minute-6551810/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-07-20:/2009/07/20/if-you-can-fill-the-unforgiving-minute-6551810/Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:06:12 +0200 <p>Even by my own somewhat hectic standards, the last few weeks have been extraordinarily busy and on at least one occasion, I felt under-prepared for a performance – and it showed. In this case, it was the <em><strong>Opera Piccola </strong></em>opera excerpts show <em>“A Mediterranean Passion”</em> at the <strong>Rondo Theatre </strong>in Bath on 3 July. Although my own contribution was fairly minor, it was not the polished product it should have been and although I am probably my own harshest critic, others too will have noted the inadequate preparation. My voice was also sounding pretty tired. In my defence, unexpectedly working 12-hour days for nearly 3 weeks in the run-up to the show robbed me of what little practice time I had set aside for the event, but there is no excuse. Lesson learnt. I must not over-commit! The regular Friday night rehearsals for <strong><em>Opera Piccola </em></strong>were also causing some disquiet on the home front (Mrs Edwards has taken to keeping a photo of me with her at all times so she may recall what I look like and even the dog barked at me one night as I entered the house!). So, reluctantly I decided to step-down from the group. I wish them well with their future endeavours especially as their long-serving Musical Director (<strong>Katharine Adams</strong>) and their accompanist (<strong>Moon-Hwei Cheah</strong>) have also left the group following the Rondo concert.</p> <p>Since I last inflicted my ramblings on an unsuspecting public (I’m not sure that anyone actually <em>reads</em> this stuff – but the diarist in me needs an outlet!) there have been two further <strong>Wessex Male Choir </strong>concerts. The first, at the <strong>Winston Churchill Memorial Hall</strong> in Ruislip with the very lovely <strong><em>Jubilate</em></strong> ladies’ choir and the second, with the <strong>James Madison University Chorale</strong> (from Virginia, USA) at our annual International Concert in Holyrood, Swindon. Both concerts played to capacity audiences of 400+ and both were extremely well-received. Some time ago, I was delighted to be asked to sing as a guest soloist for <em><strong>Jubilate</strong></em> in their medley from <em>Les Miserables</em> during the concert at Ruislip. This was relatively new territory for me and when <strong>Rob Elliott</strong>, our MD, asked if I was “up for it”, I jumped at the chance – even before I knew what the song was! As it happens, the solo was the rather well-known <em>“Bring Him Home”</em> (well-known to everyone but me, that is, as I had to search for it on <em>YouTube</em> to figure out what it sounded like!). I really rather enjoyed singing in such a different style; it’s a far cry from operatic arias and <em>Lieder</em>, but I loved the emotion of the song. Despite the sweltering heat in the hall that day, the performance went well and one or two ladies told me afterwards that they shed a tear. I shed several pounds. The concert seemed to have that indefinable spark that lifts the choir’s performance and produces something really quite dynamic and exciting. We all enjoyed our concert with the <strong><em>Jubilate</em></strong> ladies and are very much looking forward to hosting them in Wiltshire during October. One of the highlights of the concert was hearing <strong><em>Jubilate’s</em></strong> very talented MD (<strong>Sarah Stroh</strong>) performing <strong>Handel’s</strong> <em>“Let the Bright Seraphim”. </em>This was an unexpected gem performed with a lovely agile and clear line that sparkled and thrilled. </p> <p>As is our habit, we repaired to the nearest suitable hostelry afterwards to replace the very considerable fluid loss that had occurred in the heat of the concert hall. At first, the residents were slightly alarmed to see so many men (all dressed in black) entering their “local”, perhaps thinking we were a troupe of visiting <em>Ninja</em> (apparently not an uncommon experience in Ruislip). But once suitably replenished, to the delight of said residents, the Choir began singing and continued to do so with much gusto until past midnight whereupon our coach was in danger of turning into a pumpkin and we were obliged to depart.</p> <p>The second concert, with the large <strong>James Madison University Chorale</strong>, was very different in character but equally enjoyable from a performer’s and audience point of view. The Chorale was superb technically, but unlike some other “technically superb” choirs I have heard, there was also a real sense of spirit in their singing too. They had real character and this came across in the music which was delivered with the most wonderfully rounded sound and crisp, precise phrasing which was very impressive considering the large number of choristers. The evening produced a number of standing ovations for both choirs which I like to think was through genuine appreciation of our efforts. However, these seemingly generous gestures by the audience may equally have been due to an overwhelming urge to stand up and gain relief from the effect of hard church pews on long-suffering nether-regions. </p> <p>There was much jollity at the subsequent “afterglow” (a private post-concert party) where the singing continued for quite some time. <strong>JMU</strong> continued their UK-tour and subsequently did pretty well at the <strong>International Eisteddfod </strong>at Llangollen with various elements of the choir being well-placed among the stiff international competition (1st in the Youth Choirs Section, 3rd in the Chamber Choir Competition, 4th in both the Female & Mixed Choir competitions, and 5th in the Male Choir competition).</p> <p>Three days later, my own busy schedule saw me starting at a Summer School for Solo Singers – a week-long intensive singing course held in Abingdon every year. The summer school deserves it’s own blog entry, so that’s all for now!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/07/20/if-you-can-fill-the-unforgiving-minute-6551810/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>international-eisteddfodles-miserablesbring-him-homejubilatehandelrob-elliottmoon-hwei-cheahjames-madision-university-choraleruislipwessex-male-choirguy-edwardsrondollangollensarah-strohopera-piccolasummer-schoolwinston-churchill-memorial-halllet-the-bright-seraphimkatharine-adamshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/07/20/if-you-can-fill-the-unforgiving-minute-6551810/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/06/23/it-s-not-over-until-the-peacock-sings-6372833/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-06-23:/2009/06/23/it-s-not-over-until-the-peacock-sings-6372833/Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:05:36 +0200 <p>I was lucky enough to obtain some tickets for us to see <strong>Trooping the Colour</strong> 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 <em>Phantom of the Opera</em> (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 <strong>Andrew Lloyd Webber’s </strong>music or not, it is undeniably popular and <em>Phantom</em> has given us a fair number of really memorable tunes (e.g. <em>Music of the Night, All I Ask of You, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again</em>, 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 <em>Phantom</em> 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.</p> <p><strong>Trooping the Colour</strong> 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 <strong>Trooping the Colour</strong> 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 <em>cuirasses</em> and helmets of the <strong>Household Cavalry</strong>, 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 <strong>Horse Guards Parade</strong> to witness <strong>Trooping the Colour</strong> is a real privilege and one that no amount of television coverage can rival. We were sitting within a stone’s throw of <em>Uncle Gordon</em>, 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!</p> <p>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 <strong>Wessex Male Choir</strong>. The Choir opened this year’s <strong>Cricklade Festival</strong> in the lovely old <strong>St Sampson’s Church</strong> which boasts an impressive four turret-spired belltower, the third longest bell-ropes in England (apparently) and a church cat! The nave in <strong>St Sampson’s </strong>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 <strong>Rob Elliott’s </strong>arrangement of the <strong>Celine Dion </strong>hit <em>All by Myself</em>, 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 <strong>Franz Beibl’s </strong>gorgeous seven-part setting of <em>Ave Maria</em> with <em>Presto</em> (the Choir’s smaller <em>a capella</em> 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 <strong>Janice Thompson Performance Trust</strong> 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 <strong>Wessex</strong> 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 <em>Nessun Dorma</em> seemed to go down well although it was not perhaps as <strong>Puccini</strong> intended! The strong camaraderie and banter within the Choir is an essential part of <strong><em>the Wessex</em></strong> and singing with the choir is always good fun. </p> <p>In addition to the usual round of rehearsals and concerts, I also went along to a committee meeting for the <strong>Swindon Recital Series</strong>. The hugely talented <strong>Paul Turner </strong>(the Series Artistic Director) works incredibly hard to promote the series which brings world-class performers to Swindon. I can’t help thinking that <em>Swindonians </em>seldom appreciate the quality of what is on offer, which is a real shame - and it irritates me when people say that <strong>Swindon</strong> 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 <strong>Swindon</strong>, you will have no excuse not to come along!</p> <p>Finally, <strong>White Horse Opera</strong> has given the first two performances of this year’s touring production, <strong>Otto Nicolai’s</strong> <em>Merry Wives of Windsor</em> (in a new English translation by the very humorous and multi-talented <strong>Graham Billing</strong>). I’m singing the role of <em>Fenton</em> (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 <em>Oberon</em> 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 <em>Mr Darcy</em> and <em>Elvis Presley</em>. 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 <em>Fenton’s</em> aria, <em>“Hark! The Lark is on the Wing!”) </em>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 <strong>Bishop’s Cannings</strong>, 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!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/06/23/it-s-not-over-until-the-peacock-sings-6372833/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>sopranocricklademr-darcyfranz-beiblotto-nicolaipuccinielvis-presleyfestivalandrew-lloyd-webberpaul-turnerconcertswindon-recital-serieswhite-horse-operaguy-edwardswessex-male-choirrob-elliottjanice-thompsonall-by-myselfhousehold-cavalrygraham-billingnessun-dormahorse-guardsceline-diontrooping-the-colourtenorbaritoneave-mariaswindonbishops-canningsjanice-thompson-performance-trustfentonphantom-of-the-operamerry-wives-of-windsorhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/06/23/it-s-not-over-until-the-peacock-sings-6372833/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/06/05/grimes-against-humanity-6243140/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-06-05:/2009/06/05/grimes-against-humanity-6243140/Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:53:02 +0200 <p>For once, I felt that the hype surrounding a new production was well deserved: <strong>David Alden’s </strong><em>Peter Grimes</em> (for <strong>English National Opera</strong>) was a superlative production in so many ways and lived up to my expectations for this, the most iconic of all <strong>Britten's</strong> operas. <strong>Paul Steinberg’s</strong> 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 <em>Ellen</em> was accidentally going to propel young <em>John </em>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, <em>Grimes’</em> cottage precariously clinging to the cliff-edge, provides a very obvious metaphor for the way in which <em>Grimes</em> 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.</p> <p>Of course <strong>Britten’s</strong> <em>Peter Grimes </em>(set to <strong>Montagu Slater’s </strong>libretto and based on <strong>George Crabbe’s </strong>poem <em>The Borough</em>) 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 <strong>Edward Gardner</strong>) was on fine form, deservedly gaining a huge ovation at the end of the performance. I kept recalling verses from <strong>John Masefield’s </strong><em>Sea Fever</em> as I was listening to the <em>Sea Interludes</em> (the musical passages that describe the sea’s changing state and are in some sense, <em>entr'actes</em>). It was a relief to enjoy the <em>Interludes</em> 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 <strong>Alden</strong>! The large chorus of villagers inundated <em>The Borough</em> 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 <strong>Steinberg’s</strong> unsettling set.</p> <p>I was expecting to see <strong>Stuart Skelton</strong> 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 <strong>John Daszak</strong>. My disappointment was short-lived however as <strong>Daszak </strong>made an excellent <em>Grimes</em>, singing with great passion and integrity, particularly in the difficult <em>a capella</em> passages. Despite the character’s obvious flaws, it was hard not to feel considerable sympathy for <em>Grimes</em> who at times seemed imbued with an almost child-like quality. Although the libretto encourages sympathy, it was <strong>Daszak’s</strong> performance and <strong>Alden’s</strong> direction that delivered it.</p> <p>Having missed <strong>Amanda Roocroft</strong> on a number of occasions recently due to illness (hers, not mine!) I was delighted that she was in dazzling form as the widow <em>Ellen Orford</em>, 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 <em>The Coliseum</em>!)</p> <p><strong>Gerald Finley’s</strong> <em>Captain Balstrode</em> was masterfully convincing and sung with such precision and clarity that even in this magnificent company, his diction stood out. <strong>Rebecca de Pont Davies </strong>as <em>Auntie</em> 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. <em>Auntie’s</em> “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 <em>The Boar Inn</em> and then curiously “innocent” school girls. Perhaps <strong>Alden</strong> was making the point that nothing is what it seems in <em>The Borough</em>? If the ambiguity here was somewhat unhelpful, it was welcome elsewhere: <strong>Alden</strong> neatly preserved a degree of ambiguity concerning <em>Grimes</em> and the audience is left judge <em>Grimes</em> for itself in much the same way that the people of <em>The Borough</em> do. And after all, <strong>Britten’s</strong> masterpiece <em>is</em> all about judgement and the closed minds that set <em>Grimes</em> against humanity.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/06/05/grimes-against-humanity-6243140/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>amanda-roocroftstuart-skeltonmontagu-slaterpeter-grimesguy-edwardsedward-gardnergeorge-crabbesea-interludessea-feverauntiejohn-daszakjohn-masefieldcaptain-balstrodethe-coliseumpaul-steinbergthe-boroughrebecca-de-pont-daviesbenjamin-brittengerald-finleyenglish-national-operaenodavid-aldenhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/06/05/grimes-against-humanity-6243140/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/05/20/amore-love-is-the-aria-6146661/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-05-20:/2009/05/20/amore-love-is-the-aria-6146661/Wed, 20 May 2009 12:11:03 +0200 <p>If I needed a reminder about why I enjoy singing, then <em>Amore!</em> – a recital to raise funds for the children’s charity <strong><a href="http://www.freyabeya.co.uk/">FreyaBeya</a></strong> - 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 <strong>Vikki Champion </strong>and <strong>Richard Fisher</strong>, I performed to a full house at the <strong>Viscountess Barrington Memorial Hall</strong>. The wonderfully talented professional accompanist and recital pianist, <strong><a href="http://www.paulturner-accompanist.com/">Paul Turner</a></strong>, accompanied us and pretty much stole the show with a hopelessly romantic piano interlude (<strong>Chopin</strong>’s - <em>Fantaise Impromptu – Opus 66 in C Minor</em>). 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”, <strong>Sian Edwards</strong>, 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.</p> <p>The team at the <strong>Swindon Advertiser </strong>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 <em>“Vikki and Guy met at last year’s Swindon Music Festival and are now married”</em> 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!). </p> <p>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 -<em> Ah! Non credea mirarti </em>(from <strong>Bellini’s</strong> <em>La Sonnambula</em>) - but I suppose that my own personal highlight was singing the hugely popular <em>Au fond du temple saint </em>(from <strong>Bizet’s</strong> <em>Pearl Fishers</em>) 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!</p> <p>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 <strong><a href="http://www.thepianogallery.co.uk/index.php">Piano Gallery</a></strong> 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 <em>Bloomfields</em> delicatessen in Shrivenham for providing box office facilities. And last, but by no means least, the inspirational Sarah-Jayne (<strong><a href="http://www.freyabeya.co.uk/">FreyaBeya</a></strong>’s founder) without whose enthusiasm the recital would not have sold out! Keep up the brilliant work Sarah-Jayne, <strong><a href="http://www.freyabeya.co.uk/">FreyaBeya</a></strong> is very special. </p> <p>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 <strong><a href="http://www.freyabeya.co.uk/">FreyaBeya</a></strong> 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 <em>“encores!”</em> but for me, perhaps the biggest measure of success was that the recital raised over £1000 for <a href="http://www.freyabeya.co.uk/">FreyaBeya</a> and we will have contributed to spreading a little happiness where it is most needed. A big "thank you" to everyone who supported us!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/05/20/amore-love-is-the-aria-6146661/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>pearl-fishersswindon-music-festivalpianofreyabeyaguy-edwardsbaritoneadverah-non-credea-mirartiariasmusic-theatreharpbellinichopinsian-edwardsrichard-fisherau-fond-du-temple-saintcharityconcertoperatenorbizetla-sonnambulaamorefantaise-impromptuvikki-championswindon-advertisershrivenhamrecitalsopranopaul-turnerviscountess-barrington-memorial-hallpiano-galleryduetsaccompanisthttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/05/20/amore-love-is-the-aria-6146661/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/05/20/three-cheers-and-one-cheer-more-for-the-hardy-captain-of-the-pinafore-6146339/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-05-20:/2009/05/20/three-cheers-and-one-cheer-more-for-the-hardy-captain-of-the-pinafore-6146339/Wed, 20 May 2009 11:23:02 +0200 <p>What a splendidly rollicking event <strong>Carl Rosa Opera’s </strong><em>HMS Pinafore</em> 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 <strong>Gilbert & Sullivan </strong>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 <em>The Lieutenant of the Tower </em>in a school production of <em>Yeomen of the Guard</em>¸ resplendent in plum-coloured wrinkly hose that would have done <em>Nora Batty</em> 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 <strong>Gilbert & Sullivan’s </strong>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 <strong>Sullivan’s</strong> music, the desire to tackle weightier subjects, and some of his arias rival those of his more serious counterparts.</p> <p><strong>Carl Rosa Opera’s </strong>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 <strong>Jeremy Finch</strong>, playing <em>Ralph Rackstraw </em>(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 <em>falsetto</em> 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, <strong>Olivia Safe </strong>whose demure <em>Josephine</em> was nicely judged, sang with more classical technique (as one might expect from a professionally trained singer) and the result was rather lovely. <strong>John Savident </strong>(of <em>Coronation Street</em> fame) was excellent in the character role of <em>Sir Joseph Porter </em>whose self-importance, hypocrisy and incompetence was portrayed in a most entertaining manner. There were brilliant performances too by <strong>Gareth Jones </strong>as <em>Dick Deadeye </em>and <strong>Beverley Klein </strong>whose sensitively played <em>Little Buttercup </em>was an unexpected delight. <strong>Su Douglas</strong> made the most of her role as <em>Hebe</em>, adding colour and comedy in equal measure. <strong>Wyn Pencarreg </strong>as <em>Captain Corcoran </em>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 – <em>well hardly ever</em>!</p> <p>Director <strong>Peter Mulloy </strong>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 <strong>Martin Handley </strong>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.</p> <p>This was a most enjoyable evening’s entertainment and we left the theatre humming <strong>Sullivan’s </strong>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 <strong>Carl Rosa Opera Company</strong> when they stage <strong>Gilbert & Sullivan’s </strong><em>Yeomen of the Guard</em> in the Tower of London later this year!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/05/20/three-cheers-and-one-cheer-more-for-the-hardy-captain-of-the-pinafore-6146339/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>guy-edwardsjosephinegscaptain-corcoranmartin-handleybaritoneolivia-safejohn-savidentoperettadick-deadeyebeverley-kleingilbert-sullivansopranosu-douglaschorusbathyeomen-of-the-guardmusic-theatrejeremy-finchwyn-pencarreghebetheatre-royalralph-rackstrawcarl-rosapeter-mulloyhms-pinaforelittle-buttercupbasscoronation-streettenoroperaaltosir-joseph-portergareth-joneshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/05/20/three-cheers-and-one-cheer-more-for-the-hardy-captain-of-the-pinafore-6146339/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/04/06/stressed-me-5899282/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-04-06:/2009/04/06/stressed-me-5899282/Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:53:31 +0200 <p>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!</p> <p>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 <em>distinction</em>! Much of the credit for the result rests with my long-suffering and wonderful singing teacher, <strong><a href="http://www.debraskeen.co.uk/">Debra Skeen</a></strong>, who is guilty of supporting me in my often over-ambitious endeavours!</p> <p>At the same time as preparing for the exam, I was also trying to learn an audition piece for an audition with <strong>White Horse Touring Opera</strong>. Thankfully I was offered one of the two parts I had auditioned for and hence, I will be singing the role of <em>Fenton</em> in <strong>Otto Nicolai</strong>’s operatic romp <em>The Merry Wives of Windsor</em>. With eight performances already scheduled, I’m looking forward to it immensely – it will be my first taste of touring opera! (Check out my <a href="http://www.guyedwards.info">website</a> 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!</p> <p>As if this were not enough, over the same 2 week period, I was also competing in the 100th <strong><a href="http://www.swindonmusicfestival.co.uk/">Swindon Music Festival</a></strong>. 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 <strong>Vikki Champion</strong>: 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 <a href="http://www.guyedwards.info">charity recital</a> in May. As ever, I was hugely indebted to the fabulous <strong><a href="http://www.paulturner-accompanist.com/">Paul Turner</a></strong> 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 <strong>Wessex Concert Orchestra</strong> at our concert in Devizes.</p> <p>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 – <strong>Mozart</strong>’s 4th Horn Concerto – seemed to go really well and our soloist, the very talented and photogenic <strong>Lauren Reeve-Rawlings</strong> (17) (a finalist in this year’s <strong>BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Musician of the Year</strong> 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 <strong>Beethoven</strong>’s Eighth (which had given the 'cello section nightmares). In fairness, section leader <strong>Cathy Oliver</strong> must take the credit for making it sound so good! (<a href="http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/leisure/theatreandarts/4256082.Wessex_Concert_Orchestra_and_Lauren_Reeve_Rawlings__St_John___s_Church__Devizes/">Review</a>) </p> <p>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 <strong>Wessex Male Choir</strong> in Basingstoke rounded the week off nicely as we head into Easter and a much longed-for break! Rehearsing for <em>Merry Wives of Windsor</em> and for <em>Opera Piccola’s</em> opera show (“<em><a href="http://www.rondotheatre.co.uk/listing.php?Month=7&Year=2009">An Operatic Passion</a></em>”) starts in earnest as soon as I get back from holidays! Now, where did I put that libretto….</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/04/06/stressed-me-5899282/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>wessex-concert-orchestraopera-piccolaslenderlauren-reeve-rawlingsguy-edwardsabrsmbeethovenwessex-male-choirradio-2-young-brass-musicianauditionpaul-turnerdebra-skeenmerry-wives-of-windsorvikki-championotto-nicolaidevizeshorn-concertomozartwhite-horse-touring-operaoperacathy-oliverswindon-music-festivalhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/04/06/stressed-me-5899282/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/03/08/opera-bites-5718805/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-03-08:/2009/03/08/opera-bites-5718805/Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:02:55 +0100 <p>I am currently doing an Opera Studies degree with <strong>Rose Bruford College</strong> 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 <strong>Welsh National Opera</strong> (WNO) (at the <strong>Wales Millennium Centre</strong>) and the <strong>Royal Opera House</strong> (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 <em>The Marriage of Figaro</em> 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 <strong>Ellen Kent</strong> production of <strong>Verdi</strong>’s <em>Aida</em> at the <strong>Bristol Hippodrome</strong>.</p> <p>WNO’s <em>Marriage of Figaro</em> 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.) </p> <p>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. </p> <p>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 <em>Figaro</em> would drop it or kick it into the audience. On the whole though, <strong>Lluis Pasqual</strong>'s direction was safely conventional. </p> <p>The great mirrored walls made me think of the original <strong>Beaumarchais</strong> 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!</p> <p>Musically, the performance was very solid. Noteworthy among the principal roles was <strong>Rebecca Evans</strong> as the <em>Countess</em>, 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 <strong>Jacques Imbrailo</strong> as the <em>Count</em> being sufficiently wicked without descending into melodrama but perhaps <strong>David Soar</strong>’s <em>Figaro</em> was rather too bland and lacking in mischief, albeit his singing was faultless. <strong>Rosemary Joshua</strong> was a wonderfully vivacious <em>Susanna</em> 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 <strong>Michael Hofstetter</strong>’s baton. (I do like a good <em>fortissimo</em>!) Overall, I felt that this was a very pleasing production but one that has potential to step up a gear.</p> <p>Now I’ve written about <strong>Ellen Kent</strong> productions before, and much of what I’ve said on previous occasions holds good for her sumptuous production of <em>Aida</em> which played at the <strong>Bristol Hippodrome</strong> on 28 February. No bouncing balls here – what you get is a thoroughly traditional interpretation of a popular classic opera. <strong>Ellen Kent’s</strong> <em>Amphitheatre Productions</em> 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 <em>Radames</em> who, thankfully, never had to bend over or leap around in an excitable manner.</p> <p>A frequent criticism of Eastern European opera singers (including <strong>Ellen Kent’s Chisinau National Opera</strong> 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 <strong>Zarui Vardanean</strong> who turned in a quite magnificent performance as <em>Amneris</em> and an equally impressive <strong>Irakli Grigali </strong>(<em>Radames</em>) (who trained in UK) who really carried the role well. <strong>Galina Bernaz</strong> in the title role never totally convinced me that she was in love with <em>Radames</em> 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. </p> <p>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, <em>Amonasro</em> (played by <strong>Vladimir Dragos</strong>) spent more time eyeballing the conductor than he did looking at other members of the cast. Perhaps he was expecting the conductor to get <em>Radames</em> 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, <strong>Gheorghe Stanciu</strong> certainly knows how to deliver a good <em>fortissmo</em> – but more importantly, kept the orchestra well in check when sensitivity and a light touch was required. Bravo!</p> <p>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 <strong>Ellen Kent</strong>’s productions as “rather too <em>Classic fm</em>” but I for one, appreciate their unadulterated presentation. <strong>Ellen Kent</strong> allows the composer and librettist to do the work, which is a refreshing change from directors who have some obscure point to make! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/03/08/opera-bites-5718805/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>galina-bernazfigarocountess-almavivamillennium-centrelluis-pasqualverdiirakli-grigaliwelsh-national-operadavid-soaramnerismarriage-of-figaromichael-hofstettergheorghe-stanciuzarui-vardandeanroyal-opera-housemozartrosemary-joshuasusannajacques-imbrailoamonasroellen-kentaidaradamesrebecca-evanscount-almavivachisinauhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/03/08/opera-bites-5718805/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/02/22/rough-diamond-or-sparkling-gem-5624087/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-02-21:/2009/02/22/rough-diamond-or-sparkling-gem-5624087/Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:47:58 +0100 <p>(A Review of <strong>Bath Opera</strong>’s <em>“Jewels of the Madonna”</em> (<em>I gioielli della Madonna</em>) by <strong>Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari</strong> sung in English at the Wroughton Theatre, Bath on 19 February 2009)</p> <p>As it said on the <strong>Bath Opera</strong> website “This production of <strong>Wolf-Ferrari</strong>’s <em>The Jewels of the Madonna</em> 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. <em>“Jewels”</em> is an opera in the <em>verismo</em> style, dealing with the unsavoury aspects of Neapolitan life, and one that takes a critical look at hypocrisy and morals. </p> <p>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, <strong>Wolf-Ferrari’s</strong> 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 <strong>Lorna Osbon</strong> and the baton of <strong>Peter Blackwood</strong> to bring <strong>Wolf-Ferrari</strong>’s complex scoring to life.</p> <p>The basic plot is not overly complex: <em>Gennaro</em> and his foster-sister <em>Maliella</em> live with their domineering Italian mama, <em>Carmela</em>, 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 <em>Camorra</em> chief, <em>Rafaele</em>, also has designs on <em>Maliella</em>, 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 <em>Gennaro</em>, who despite his religious convictions, decides to steal the jewels and present them to <em>Maliella</em> himself as a token of his love for her. Despite rejecting <em>Gennaro</em> initially, <em>Maliella</em> succumbs when he presents her with the stolen jewels and she surrenders to him, but later runs to <em>Rafaele</em> and confesses what has happened. <em>Rafaele</em> has <em>Gennaro</em> brought to his seedy headquarters and, apparently out of moral indignation as much as for his own pride, he forces both <em>Maliella</em> and <em>Gennaro</em> to commit suicide.</p> <p><strong>Hannah Lockwood</strong> as <em>Maliella</em>, 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. <strong>Rupert Drury</strong> as the hapless <em>Gennaro</em> 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’! <strong>Drury</strong>’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.</p> <p><strong>Neil Kirkman</strong> (baritone) as <em>Rafaele</em> 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. <strong>Judy Davis</strong> (as <em>Carmela</em>) 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, <em>Biaso</em>, played by <strong>Peter Redfern</strong>, and the younger drunk, <em>Totonno</em>, played by a worryingly convincing <strong>Tom Magnone</strong> whose rich tones were sadly under-utilised on this occasion. <strong>Edward Harper</strong> made a convincing priest and then there was the <em>Camorra</em> girls played by <strong>Louise Merrifield</strong>, <strong>Fiona Thompson</strong> and <strong>Leonie Martin</strong>, all with fine singing voices and acting skills to match. It must be most reassuring for <strong>Bath Opera</strong> to have such strength-in-depth. The principal <em>Camorra</em> men (<strong>Anthony Sanchez</strong> and <strong>Carl Speck</strong>) 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.</p> <p>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! </p> <p>Director <strong>Ian Burton</strong> is more often to be found working at <strong>La Scala</strong> or <strong>Glyndebourne</strong> 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 <em>Camorra</em> 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, <strong>Burton</strong> 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 <em>Maliella</em> and <em>Gennaro</em> who were both, in different ways, victims, but even their suicides failed to move me - I had not been coaxed into <em>caring</em> about them. There was also a rather clumsy-looking scene transition in the first act after <em>Gennaro</em> has been comforted by his mother. As the orchestra played out the instrumental conclusion with great sensitivity, the <em>Camorra</em> thugs came centre-stage and violently attacked the old drunk, <em>Basio</em>. The image and music were gratingly mismatched at this point and if this was deliberate, it is hard to see what point it made.</p> <p>In so many ways, this incredibly ambitious production by <strong>Bath Opera</strong> was a sparkling success but it is easy to see why <em>Jewels of the Madonna</em> 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 <strong>Bath Opera</strong>’s pride in a job very well done.</p> <p><a href="http://www.bathopera.org/Main/HomePage.html">www.bathopera.org</a> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/02/22/rough-diamond-or-sparkling-gem-5624087/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>rafaelejewels-of-the-madonnabasiojudy-daviscamorralorna-osbontom-magnoneleonie-martinlouise-merrifieldwolf-ferrarifiona-thompsonedward-harperpeter-blackwoodgennarorupert-drurycarl-speckmaliellaneil-kirkmanhannah-lockwoodanthony-sanchezian-burtontotonnopeter-redfernbath-operacarmellahttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/02/22/rough-diamond-or-sparkling-gem-5624087/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/01/31/regrets-i-ve-had-a-few-but-then-again-5482448/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2009-01-31:/2009/01/31/regrets-i-ve-had-a-few-but-then-again-5482448/Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:40:01 +0100 <p>Well, the new season has brought some mixed blessings on the auditioning front. It seems I won’t be singing with <strong>White Horse Opera</strong> this season after messing up the audition (and doubtless competing with a better singer!) for a part in <strong>Verdi</strong>’s <em>Macbeth</em>. 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!). </p> <p>The biggest project on the horizon so far for 2009, is the Charity Recital (<em>Opera Amore!</em>) I will be doing in May. (Check for details on my website at <a href="http://www.guyedwards.info">www.guyedwards.info</a>). 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 <strong><a href="http://freyabeya.homestead.com/index.html">FreyaBeya</a></strong> which does marvellous work funding music activities in special needs schools across Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. My singing partner, <strong>Vikki Champion</strong> (soprano) and I will be joined by <strong>Richard Fisher</strong> (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 <strong>Monteverdi</strong> and finishing with some contemporary Music Theatre). We’ve been extremely lucky to persuade world-class accompanist, <strong>Paul Turner</strong>, 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!</p> <p>The 100th <strong>Swindon Music Festival</strong> 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!</p> <p>Earlier this month, we were lucky enough to go and see <strong>Anton Du Beke</strong> and <strong>Erin Boag</strong> (of <strong>“Strictly Come Dancing”</strong> fame) at the <strong>Anvil Theatre</strong> performing in their Dance Show, <em>“Cheek to Cheek”</em>. 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 <strong>Chris Marques</strong> and <strong>Jaclyn Spencer</strong> whose dancing oozed Latin-American sensuality and vibrancy.</p> <p>The music was provided by the <strong>London Concert Orchestra</strong> and singer <strong>Richard Shelton.</strong> Now I think I must be getting old. I’ve always been convinced that the music of <strong>Frank Sinatra</strong> only appealed to people of an older generation, but I found myself really rather enjoying <strong>Richard Shelton</strong>’s schmoozing. He sounded very much like <em>“Ol’ Blue-Eyes”</em> 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 <strong>Douglas Bader</strong> than <strong>Anton du Beke</strong>.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/01/31/regrets-i-ve-had-a-few-but-then-again-5482448/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>douglas-baderwhite-horse-operaauditionschris-marquesoperatenorjaclyn-spencerswindon-music-festivalfreyabeyabaritoneguy-edwardsanvil-theatremacbetherin-boagrichard-fishersopranopaul-turnerstrictly-come-dancingvikki-championanton-du-bekelondon-concert-orchestrarichard-sheltonfrank-sinatrahttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2009/01/31/regrets-i-ve-had-a-few-but-then-again-5482448/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/12/16/i-m-dreaming-of-a-5231303/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2008-12-16:/2008/12/16/i-m-dreaming-of-a-5231303/Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:55:33 +0100 <p>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 <strong>Wessex Male Choir’s</strong> Annual Christmas Concert at Holy Rood Church in Swindon on 5 December. This year we shared the stage with <strong>Phoenix Brass</strong> 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 <em>“Rocking Around the Christmas Tree”</em> and <em>“I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”</em>. The only song that felt oddly out of place was the <em>Anvil Chorus</em> from<em> Il Trovatore.</em> Try as I might, I couldn’t figure out the Christmas connection!</p> <p>On 9 December, I had no such problem seeing the connections in<strong> White Horse Opera’s</strong> “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 <strong>Benjamin Britten’s</strong> opera <em>Paul Bunyan</em> 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 <em>“O Holy Night”</em>). We have performed together in public once before when we played an arrangement of the <em>Ashokan Farewell </em>for harp and ‘cello. There were some excellent readings and the very talented <strong>Graham Billing</strong> treated us to a humorous piece he had written entitled <em>The Christmas Wrapper</em>. <strong>Arne Kovac</strong>, 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 <strong>Verdi’s</strong> <em>Macbeth</em> in October 2009!</p> <p>On 10 December,<strong> Wessex Male Choir</strong> 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 <strong>Parkinson’s Disease Society</strong> Christmas Concert in London. This year’s venue was the fabulous Methodist <strong>Central Hall, Westminster</strong>. 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 <strong>Jane Asher </strong>(PDS President), <strong>Richard Briers, Bill Neely, Phyllida Law</strong> and <strong>Michael Palin</strong> doing the readings and the <strong>Crystal Palace Brass Band</strong> 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 <strong>London Marathon</strong> 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 <strong>Wessex Male Choir</strong>, 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!</p> <p>Despite a fairly hectic schedule, I’m also committed to helping with the <strong>Swindon Recital Series</strong> and on 6 December went along to the <strong>Swindon Arts Centre</strong> to assist with front-of-house duties and to listen to the amazing <strong>Paul Turner</strong> performing a recital programme of <strong>Debussy’s</strong> piano works. The programme included a number of <strong>Debussy’s</strong> well-known works including <em>Suite Bergamasque</em> – part of which is the very well-known <em>Clare de Lune</em>. For me, this was the highlight of the evening. I’ve heard <em>Clare de Lune</em> 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 <strong>Vikki Champion</strong> and me at a charity recital we are giving in May 2009 (see my <a href="http://www.guyedwards.info">website</a> for details). </p> <p>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!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/12/16/i-m-dreaming-of-a-5231303/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>devizesverdijane-asherchristmas-concertrichard-briersashokan-farewellswidon-arts-centregraham-billingo-holy-nightcrystal-palace-brassbill-neelyswindon-recital-seriesguy-edwardspaul-bunyanswindonwhite-horse-operaphyllida-lawlondon-marathonparkinsons-disease-societymichael-palinclare-de-lunecentral-hallsuite-bergamasquevikki-championwessex-male-choirbrittenpaul-turnerdebussyphoenix-brassarne-kovacholy-rood-swindonhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/12/16/i-m-dreaming-of-a-5231303/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/11/23/frankly-scarlett-i-do-give-damn-5091698/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2008-11-23:/2008/11/23/frankly-scarlett-i-do-give-damn-5091698/Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:34:16 +0100 <p>Sometimes you wonder whether it’s all worth it. </p> <p>Last night, I reckon that the <strong>Wessex Concert Orchestra</strong> 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). </p> <p>Perhaps it is the venue that is putting people off. Let’s face it, we pay a considerable sum to hire <strong>St Andrew’s Church</strong> (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 <strong>Perforum</strong> are making progress in developing the town's <strong>Neeld Hall</strong>, 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)! </p> <p>On the positive side, the audience that did turn up will probably have enjoyed the concert. Our Musical Director, <strong>Andrew Baatz</strong>, had to rein us in on occasions – perhaps especially so during <em>Darth Vader’s March</em> from <strong>John Williams</strong>’ dramatic <em>“Star Wars Suite”</em> – the force was definitely with us last night! There was also (I like to believe) equal amounts of sensitivity – particularly in <strong>Rimsky-Korsakov</strong>’s <em>Scheherazade</em> and in the concert's opening number, the sumptuous <em>Tara's Theme</em> (from <strong>Steiner</strong>'s magical soundtrack to <em>"Gone with the Wind"</em>.) Our home-grown soloists all did us proud, perhaps none more so than <strong>Nicola Ashton</strong> (leader) for whom the many, many hours of practice really paid off with a lovely series of violin cadenzas. Well done to her! </p> <p>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 <em>Help the Aged</em>!), 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 <strong>Fucik</strong>’s <em>“Entrance of the Gladiators”</em>.) 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!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/11/23/frankly-scarlett-i-do-give-damn-5091698/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>nicola-ashtonandrew-baatzsteinerjohn-williamsconcertguy-edwardsgone-with-the-windchippenhamfucikwcoperforumstar-warsorchestrast-andrews-churchneeld-hallscheherazadewessex-concert-orchestradarth-vaderrimsky-korsakovtaras-themehttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/11/23/frankly-scarlett-i-do-give-damn-5091698/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/11/17/magical-mozart-5051430/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2008-11-17:/2008/11/17/magical-mozart-5051430/Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:03:57 +0100 <p>What an absolute gift of a role <em>Papageno</em> is and I am so lucky to have sung it with <strong>Kennet Opera</strong> in their recent English-language production of <strong>Mozart’s</strong> <em>Magic Flute</em> at the Newbury Corn Exchange. <em>Papageno</em> 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 - <a href="http://www.guyedwards.info/page16.htm">Review</a>) so what follows is a personal view of the production and a bit of rant about arts funding!</p> <p>Stage Director <strong>Oonagh Dockley’s</strong> contemporary setting of <em>The Magic Flute</em> saw the “temple” of Isis and Osiris transformed into a health-spa in which <em>Sarastro</em> (played by the brilliant <strong>Ian Caddy</strong>) was a latter-day lifestyle guru. <em>Tamino’s</em> journey from couch-potato to enlightened disciple seemed to work reasonably well, particularly when juxtaposed with <em>Papageno’s</em> 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, <strong>Schikaneder’s</strong> original libretto stretches belief beyond its elastic limit anyway! In honesty I would have liked to do a ‘traditional’ setting of <em>Magic Flute</em> (partly because I loved the iconic <em>Magic Flute</em> imagery in <strong>Milos Forman’s</strong> 1984 film adaptation of <strong>Peter Schaffer’s</strong> play <em>Ámadeus</em> – especially <em>Papageno’s </em>colourful plumage.). In the event, the contemporary setting provided a decent enough vehicle for the bewilderingly odd plot – and also enabled <strong>Kennet Opera</strong> to keep costume and set costs to a minimum, which is a significant consideration for any community opera company. </p> <p>In fact, this was opera on a shoestring budget and all credit should be given to <strong>Kennet Opera’s</strong> 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, <strong>Ed Lambert,</strong> 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 <strong>Mozart’s</strong> 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), <strong>Ro Robinson,</strong> 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.</p> <p>Although the majority of the performers were amateurs like myself, in common with many community opera groups, <strong>Kennet Opera</strong> 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 <strong>Ian Caddy</strong> 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. <strong>Olivia Hinman</strong> (<em>Pamina</em>) has the most wonderfully sweet voice – perfect for <strong>Mozart</strong> – and she played the part with a lovely mixture of strength and vulnerability. I thought her Act 2 aria (“<em>Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden</em>”) was divine, and it was a real joy to sing the Act 1 duet ("<em>Bei Männern welche Liebe fühl</em>en") with her. Several people have told me they thought it was gorgeous. <strong>Ben Thapa</strong> (of <em>X-Factor</em> and <em>G4</em> fame) played a slovenly <em>Tamino</em> whose love for <em>Pamina</em> 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 <em>Tamino’s</em> characterization that were not as developed as they might have been. As one of the <em>Three Ladies,</em> <strong>Joanna Sleight</strong> was fabulous – indeed, it was a pleasure having her stand on me!!! Musically speaking, the two quintets I sang with the <em>Three Ladies</em> and <em>Tamino</em> were among the most satisfying parts of the opera for me. <strong>Irene Cassidy</strong> and <strong>Vikki Champion</strong> completed the <em>Three Ladies</em> line-up and all three looked suitably vampish for the contemporary setting – like something out of <em>The Devil Wears Prada</em>! </p> <p>One of the great things about <em>The Magic Flute</em> 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 <em>Papagena</em> (<strong>Sam Spaak</strong>) 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 <em>“Pa-pa-gena”</em> duet in the finale was probably my favourite part of the whole opera. </p> <p>I’m already in danger of writing an excessively long blog about <em>The Magic Flute</em> – there’s so much more I could say – but for me at least, it has been a wonderful experience and the folks at <strong>Kennet Opera </strong>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! </p> <p>What <strong>Kennet Opera</strong> 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!</p> <p><a href="http://www.guyedwards.info">www.guyedwards.info</a><br> <a href="http://www.kennetopera.co.uk">www.kennetopera.co.uk</a><br> <a href="http://www.lambertmusic.co.uk">www.lambertmusic.co.uk</a><br> <a href="http://www.iancaddy.com">www.iancaddy.com</a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/11/17/magical-mozart-5051430/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>ian-caddykennet-operaolivia-hinmanro-robinsonjoanna-sleightnewburytaminotenoramadeuspapagenaguy-edwardsmilos-formanmagic-flutevikki-championx-factormozarted-lambertbaritonepaminaoonagh-dockleysam-spaakschikanederpeter-schafferzauberfloteg4papagenoben-thapairene-cassidyhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/11/17/magical-mozart-5051430/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/11/06/haydn-seek-or-take-me-to-your-lieder-4994116/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2008-11-06:/2008/11/06/haydn-seek-or-take-me-to-your-lieder-4994116/Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:45:56 +0100 <p>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 <em>bass</em> part in <strong>Haydn</strong>’s <em>Mass in G</em> which I’m singing on Saturday. <a href="http://www.singnewbury.co.uk/review_nov08.htm">(Review here)(</a>Yes, I know I’m a <em>tenor</em>, but I often sing baritone and occasionally bass too!). It’s been a busy few weeks in fact...</p> <p><strong>Debra Skeen</strong> (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 <em>Nessun Dorma</em> which was delivered with a fair amount of volume. I almost felt sorry for those on the nearest tables – <em>‘None shall sleep’</em>, indeed! <em>Nessun Dorma</em> 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 <em>Nessun Dorma</em>, thousands of football fans rushed out to see <em>Turandot</em>. Nevertheless, <em>Nessun Dorma</em> has become (or more accurately, <em>remains</em>) an essential part of any operatic tenor’s repertoire. </p> <p>On the theme of bringing opera to a wider audience, a handful of <strong>Kennet Opera </strong>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 <em>singers</em> 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 (<strong>Mozart</strong>’s <em>Magic Flute</em>) 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.</p> <p>The following Monday (3 November) I competed in four classes in the <strong>Marlow Music Festival</strong>. 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 (<strong>Julia Dewhurst</strong>) 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 <em>Opera</em> and <em>Lieder</em> classes and second place in the <em>Show Song </em>and <em>Light Opera </em>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 <em>Lieder</em>) were woefully undersubscribed, but why? Is it that you have to sing in German? Or is <em>Lieder</em> 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 <em>Lieder</em>!</p> <p><a href="http://www.debraskeen.co.uk">www.debraskeen.co.uk</a><br> <a href="http://www.guyedwards.info">www.guyedwards.info</a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/11/06/haydn-seek-or-take-me-to-your-lieder-4994116/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>haydnkennet-operaadjudicatornewbury-racecoursebaritonejulia-dewhurstmozartmarlow-music-festivaloperatenormagic-flutebassliederturandotguy-edwardsnessun-dormadebra-skeenhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/11/06/haydn-seek-or-take-me-to-your-lieder-4994116/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/31/strictly-for-fun-leading-a-merrydance-4961034/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2008-10-31:/2008/10/31/strictly-for-fun-leading-a-merrydance-4961034/Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:55:05 +0100 <p>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 <em>having</em> to waltz in <strong>Lehar</strong>’s <em>Merry Widow</em>, 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 <em>can</em> multi-task!). As it happened, in the end the dancing in <em>Merry Widow</em> 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 <em>Viennese Waltz</em>. 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. </p> <p>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 <em>one</em>) but grass is not an ideal surface and we were both on the wrong side of a bottle <em>Nuits St George</em> 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.</p> <p><em>Ant and Erin </em>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 <em>zimmerframe</em> gets in the way.</p> <p><a href="http://www.pawlandance.co.uk/index.htm">http://www.pawlandance.co.uk/index.htm</a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/31/strictly-for-fun-leading-a-merrydance-4961034/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tangodance-teacherlatinviennese-waltzleharwaltzant-and-erindanceguy-edwardsmerry-widowballroomhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/31/strictly-for-fun-leading-a-merrydance-4961034/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/21/widow-leaves-me-bereft-4906070/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2008-10-21:/2008/10/21/widow-leaves-me-bereft-4906070/Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:03:15 +0200 <p>I’ve just finished singing the role of <em>Count Danilo</em> in <strong>White Horse Opera’s </strong>production of <em>“The Merry Widow” </em>(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, <em>The Merry Widow </em>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 <em>Wiltshire Gazette & Herald</em> Review can be seen here: <a href="http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/search/3785830.REVIEW__The_Merry_Widow__White_Horse_Opera__Devizes_Corn_Exchange/">REVIEW</a>)</p> <p>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 <strong>Lynsey Docherty </strong>(as <em>Hannah Glawari </em>– 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! </p> <p><strong>Anna Vaupel </strong>portrayed <em>Valencienne</em> in a wonderfully playful and rather saucy way! Her singing was lovely and her dancing was simply spectacular (<em>Oo-la-la! Quel q’un can-can</em>!). <strong>Carl Malmgren </strong>played a very smooth <em>Camille de Rossillon</em>. (Regular readers will recognize Carl’s name from my review of <strong>Swindon Opera’s </strong><em>Carmen</em> earlier this year.) Carl’s performance this week reinforced my earlier view that his is a name to watch. A rising star, surely. <strong>White Horse Opera </strong>regular (and founding member) <strong>Edward Harper </strong>played a slightly slow-witted <em>Baron Zeta</em>. 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!</p> <p>From within the company, <strong>Graham Billing </strong>(playing <em>Njegus</em>) 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, <strong>Jon Paget </strong>(<em>Vicomte Cascada</em>) and <strong>Michael Smith </strong>(<em>St Brioche</em>) played their roles admirably, bringing some wonderful texture, comedy and <em>joie-de-vivre</em> to the proceedings. Both guys have good voices and I suspect we will hear much more of them in the future!</p> <p>Musical Director, <strong>Francis Griffin </strong>(sadly in his last appearance with <strong>White Horse Opera</strong>) 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, <strong>M’Lou Llewellyn</strong>, 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. <em>Danilo</em> is such a wonderful role to play.</p> <p>WHO’s very own dancing girls (brilliantly choreographed by <strong>Jan Roberts</strong>) made excellent <em>grisettes</em> - 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; <strong>Andrew Taylor</strong> (who whilst not being <em>Bogdanowitch</em> 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!) </p> <p>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 <strong>White Horse Opera</strong> have been great fun to sing with. My thoughts are already turning to next year....! </p> <p><strong>Lynsey Docherty</strong> - <a href="http://lynseydocherty.co.uk">http://lynseydocherty.co.uk</a><br> <strong>Anna Vaupel</strong> - <a href="http://www.starnow.co.uk/AnnaVaupel">www.starnow.co.uk/AnnaVaupel</a><br> <strong>Francis Griffin</strong> - <a href="http://www.francisgriffin.com">www.francisgriffin.com</a><br> <strong>Guy Edwards</strong> – <a href="http://www.guyedwards.info">www.guyedwards.info</a><br> <strong>White Horse Opera</strong> - <a href="http://www.whitehorseopera.org.uk">www.whitehorseopera.org.uk</a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/21/widow-leaves-me-bereft-4906070/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>debutbaritoneguy-edwardscarl-malmgrenmerry-widowzetafrancis-griffingrisetteswhite-horse-operadaniloedward-harperbassmichael-smithjan-robertscorn-exchangeanna-vaupellynsey-dochertywiltshiretenorvalenciennegraham-billingjon-pagetoperaorchestranjegusmlou-llewellynhannah-glawarisopranoandrew-taylordevizesleharcamille-de-rossillonhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/21/widow-leaves-me-bereft-4906070/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/20/choir-sings-in-warm-jersey-4900681/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2008-10-20:/2008/10/20/choir-sings-in-warm-jersey-4900681/Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:10:16 +0200 <p>The swell in the Channel made the crossing somewhat uncomfortable, but didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the <strong>Wessex Male Choir </strong>when we took part in the Biennial <strong>Jersey International Choir Festival</strong> (8-11 October). Perhaps we should have sung <em>“What shall we do with the drunken sailor”</em> 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! </p> <p>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, <strong>The Harmony Men of Jersey</strong>. They were a very friendly bunch of guys who, it seems, also shared <strong>Wessex Male Choir’s </strong>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, <strong>Rob Elliott</strong>, were invited into the studios of <strong>BBC Radio Jersey </strong>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.</p> <p>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 (<em>MMPZ I</em>. <strong><em>Gimnazije v Celju</em></strong>) 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 <strong>McFly’s</strong> <em>“It’s all about you” </em>and <em>“The Drunken Sailor"</em> – complete with actions which I had noticed some of the baritones rehearsing on the previous evening in <em>The Lamplighters</em>.)</p> <p>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!). </p> <p>Saturday morning saw the first of the festival competition classes held in the impressive surrounds of the Great Hall at <strong>Victoria College</strong>. (Imagine <strong>Hogwarts</strong> 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 <em>“Choir of Choirs”</em> competition – hosted by <strong>Gareth Malone</strong> of <em>“The Choir”</em> fame <em>(“Boys Don’t Sing” etc.).</em></p> <p>The evening competition was held in <strong>Fort Regent’s </strong>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 <em>Les Miserables</em> – “Do you hear the people sing?”.</p> <p>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. <strong>Jeremy Jackman </strong>was the only adjudicator I recognized (he used to sing with the <em><em><strong>King’s Singers</strong></em></em>) 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 <em>Arran</em> than <em>Jersey</em>!).</p> <p>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 <strong>Jersey Premier Brass</strong>. 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! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/20/choir-sings-in-warm-jersey-4900681/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>wessex-male-choirjersey-international-choir-festivalharmony-menmcflyles-miserablesfort-regentradio-jerseyjeremy-jackmangareth-malonekings-singersdrunken-sailorbeatlesbaritonegimnazije-v-celjurob-elliotthttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/20/choir-sings-in-warm-jersey-4900681/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/01/barber-cuts-a-dash-a-review-of-the-eno-s-barber-of-seville-4805756/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2008-10-01:/2008/10/01/barber-cuts-a-dash-a-review-of-the-eno-s-barber-of-seville-4805756/Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:17:34 +0200 <p>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 <strong>Bruford College </strong>which will no doubt hone my analytical skills!</p> <p>For a splendid evening’s entertainment, it would be very hard to beat the <strong>English National Opera’s </strong>revival of <strong>Jonathon Miller’s</strong> production of <em>The Barber of Seville </em>which is currently running at London’s <em>Coliseum</em> (27 September 2008). The cast was simply superb, delivering the full potential of this hilarious <em>opera buffa </em>without ever detracting from <strong>Rossini’s</strong> sublime scoring. <strong>Miller’s</strong> production has certainly stood the test of time since its first run back in 1987. The revival, directed by <strong>Ian Rutherford</strong> was a vibrant and delightful gem.</p> <p>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. </p> <p>The plot’s <em>innamorati</em> were nicely matched: <strong>John Tessier</strong>(as <em>Count Almaviva</em>) was convincingly ardent and <strong>Anna Grevelius</strong>, pretty as a picture as <em>Rosina</em>, 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.</p> <p><strong>Garry Magee </strong>in the title role of <em>Figaro</em>, carried the part well with plenty of presence and sang beautifully, with conviction, swagger and a touch of cynicism. The famous <em>Largo al factotum </em>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).</p> <p>With such a wonderful cast, it’s hard to single out one individual, but <strong>Andrew Shore</strong>, playing the scheming, pompous and rather foolish <em>Dr Bartolo</em>, 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 <em>Bartolo</em>. </p> <p><strong>Brindley Sherratt’s </strong>wonderfully caricatured <em>Don Basilio </em>was thoroughly unpleasant, calculating and creepy - a perfect foil for <strong>Shore’s</strong> anxious <em>Bartolo</em>. Reassuringly, we could still enjoy laughs at his expense with some light-hearted touches (such as <em>Bartolo</em> having to duck under <em>Don Basilio’s </em>enormous hat) - clear homage to <em>Commedia dell’Arte</em> slapstick rather than the wittier humour of <strong>Cesare Sterbini’s </strong>original libretto. <strong>Sherratt’s</strong> rich bass voice had a clean and solid quality that was perfect for underpinning the ensemble singing.</p> <p>Just looking at <strong>Rory Mcdonald </strong>(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 <strong>Rossini’s </strong>sparkle. </p> <p>The English translation (by <strong>Amanda and Anthony Holden</strong>) 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.</p> <p>This is a real gem of a production – go and see it if you can!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/01/barber-cuts-a-dash-a-review-of-the-eno-s-barber-of-seville-4805756/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>enobarber-of-sevillecoliseumcount-almavivarossinidr-bartolorosinajonathon-millerian-rutherfordlargo-al-factotumdon-basiliofigaroanna-greveliuscesare-sterbinibruford-collegeopera-buffaamanda-holdenbrindley-sherrattjohn-tessierenglish-national-operagarry-mageeanthony-holdenreviewrory-mcdonaldcommedia-dellarteandrew-shorehttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/10/01/barber-cuts-a-dash-a-review-of-the-eno-s-barber-of-seville-4805756/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/09/14/orchestral-encounters-in-malmesbury-abbey-4725451/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2008-09-14:/2008/09/14/orchestral-encounters-in-malmesbury-abbey-4725451/Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:44:21 +0200 <p>Last night, saw the long-awaited collaborative concert at Malmesbury Abbey between our very own <strong>Wessex Concert Orchestra</strong> (WCO) and the professional Stratford-based <strong>Orchestra of the Swan</strong> (OOTS) under the unfailingly enthusiastic direction of OOTS Artistic Director, <strong>David Curtis</strong>. At first, I really wasn’t sold on the idea of playing <strong>Errollyn Wallen</strong>’s contemporary <em>“Spirit Symphony”</em> 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, <strong>Wallen</strong>’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 <strong>Wallen</strong>, <strong>Mozart</strong> and <strong>Rimsky-Korsakov</strong>, they certainly didn’t show it (although I sensed a certain relief when, in the final movement of the <em>Spirit Symphony</em>, the majestic theme from <strong>Handel</strong>’s <em>Royal Firework Music</em> 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. </p> <p>OOTS performed <strong>Mozart</strong>’s <em>Symphony No.40</em> 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 <em>really</em> thought about working with a bunch of amateurs like us, but they were all very polite and generous in their compliments about our playing!</p> <p>For me, the highlight of the evening (and by far the hardest item in the programme) was <strong>Rimsky-Korsakov</strong>’s hugely evocative <em>Scheherazade</em>. To quote from the programme “…<em>Scheherazade</em> 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 <em>Piu Stretto</em> 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 <em>maestoso</em> 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! </p> <p>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, <strong>Sian Edwards</strong>, added some particularly beautiful touches – especially when accompanying the violin <em>cadenzas</em> (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 <strong>Clare O’Connell</strong>, 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!</p> <p>WCO’s own Musical Director, <strong>Andrew Baatz</strong> 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 <strong>Nick Keyworth</strong> at <strong>Pound Arts</strong> 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 <em>Scheherazade</em> again at St Andrew’s church in Chippenham on 22 November.)</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/09/14/orchestral-encounters-in-malmesbury-abbey-4725451/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>orchestra-of-the-swanspirit-symphonyschehehrazadeandrew-baatzroyal-fireworks-musicootsnick-keyworthmalmesbury-abbeyrimsky-korsakovclare-oconnellchippenhamdavid-curtismozartwcosian-edwardserrollyn-wallenwessex-concert-orchestrapound-artshandelhttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/09/14/orchestral-encounters-in-malmesbury-abbey-4725451/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/09/08/prima-donna-me-4698377/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2008-09-08:/2008/09/08/prima-donna-me-4698377/Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:37:47 +0200 <p>For a small, amateur orchestra, the <strong>Wessex Concert Orchestra</strong> 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 <em>“Extravaganzas”. </em>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 <em>Titanic</em>, the WCO would go down still playing stoically. Perhaps there should even be a Italian performance direction marked in scores for such occasions – maybe <strong><em>“stoico e flottante”? </em></strong>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 <em>in extremis</em> 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 <em>“...Britannia Rules the Waves”. </em>Even the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (who had planned to fly-past during the <em>Dambusters’ March</em>) had to cry-off because of the weather, and although we tried for a last minute substitution (a sail-past of the <em>Black Pearl</em> during <em>Pirates of the Caribbean</em>) we were disappointed there too.</p> <p>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 <strong><em>Wiltshire Gazette & Herald</em></strong> recently (<a href="http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/search/display.var.2434955.0.extravaganza_organiser_pledges_to_pay_off_debts.php">see article</a>). 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 <em>Gazette & Herald</em>) to pay us in full, I am slightly bemused by his assertion that we have become <em>"prima donnas"</em>! (apart from anything else I am decidedly <em>male</em>.) And as the orchestra has been around since 1940, to suggest that his publicity has put WCO on the map is laughable!</p> <p>Anyway, I note with some sadness that this summer’s <strong>Bowood</strong> 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!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/09/08/prima-donna-me-4698377/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>black-pearlgazette-and-heraldorchestraconcertpirates-of-the-caribbeanopen-airextravaganzawcodambusterswiltshiremusical-directorbowoodwessex-concert-orchestrahttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/09/08/prima-donna-me-4698377/#commentshttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/08/09/random-thoughts-about-performing-4564566/tag:guyedwards.blog.co.uk,2008-08-09:/2008/08/09/random-thoughts-about-performing-4564566/Sat, 09 Aug 2008 19:21:16 +0200 <p>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 <em>performing</em> 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.</p> <p>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?”</p> <p>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 <strong>Shrodinger’s</strong> cat!). But what about <em>performance</em>? 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 <em>performance</em>. 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 <strong>Darwin’s</strong> <em>The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals</em>) about the extent to which we all rely on non-verbal communication in our every-day lives. <strong>Albert Merhabian’s</strong> famous experiment also seems to indicate that specifically when dealing with <em>emotions</em>, about 55% of the communication is non-verbal! Which is why I don’t subscribe to the school of <em>static singing</em>. 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.)</p> <p>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 <strong>Pavarotti</strong> or even <strong>Paul Potts</strong>, so using all of my skills to <em>communicate</em> and <em>interpret</em> 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 <em>my</em> 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! </p> <p>As my favourite genre is opera, I think I’m on fairly safe ground because most directors these days absolutely <em>expect</em> 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 <strong>Guy Edwards</strong>) combines 'beautiful', technically perfect singing with a full range of non-verbal communication skills… and most crucially, <em>engages the audience</em>! I’m still trying, but at least I think I know where I’m trying to get to! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/08/09/random-thoughts-about-performing-4564566/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>non-verbal-communciationmerhabianemotionsinterpretationoperalibrettistsingingshrodingerguy-edwardsdarwinperformancepaul-pottspavarottihttp://GuyEdwards.blog.co.uk/2008/08/09/random-thoughts-about-performing-4564566/#comments