Opera North, like all of our performance arts companies, have had a terribly difficult last few months, and of course, there might well be a light at the end of the tunnel, we still seem to be stuck in that tunnel right now. It was delightful therefore to be able to see that live music is slowly starting to come back. Yes, I watched the concert remotely on my computer screen some 40 miles away, but the simple fact that these things are starting to happen is both heartwarming and encouraging.
Suzy Klein introduced the evening of socially distanced performances, which started in fine form with a duet from Handel's opera 'Acis And Galatea' sung by Amy Freston and Nicholas Watts with the support of a much reduced but nevertheless impressive Opera North chorus.
After a brief chat about Opera North's future and what projects are in the pipeline, we were shown a sneaky peak at a community opera project in Durham called 'Song Of Our Heartland' by Will Todd which was filmed at Shelton Railway Museum last October.
Back to the Town Hall stage again, and we listened to the superb voice of soprano Fflur Wyn as she sang 'Marzelina's Aria' from Beethoven's only opera, 'Fidelio'. This was followed by a re-working of a concerto premiered by Opera North last year; a piece which combines and fuses Western music with the sitar and culture of India: Jasdeep Singh's "Arya". It felt almost lullaby-esque with a simple melody which was extemporised by Singh as he manipulated the sitar to distend and bend the notes in that instantly recognisable Indian fashion. 'Arya' we are told is a Sanskrit word, and means 'Diamond', but the similarity to the Italian musical term 'aria' in Western culture is undeniable, and I really enjoyed this piece greatly.
Katie Bird and Tim Nelson then took to the stage to sing a duet from act 3 of Puccini's 'La Boheme', which was followed by another sneaky peak at another collaboration that Opera North are a part of. This is Whistlestop Opera, a company which specialises in taking opera to the masses and performing in non-traditional ways in non-theatre spaces. We watched an excerpt from their outdoor production of 'Hansel And Gretel' aimed at families with younger chiuldren.
Nicholas Watts returned to the stage after this to sing 'Die Neugerige' from Schubert's song cycle, 'Die Schoener Muellerin'. His clear tenor voice was perfect for Schubert lieder - crisp, articulate and sonorous.
This was followed by The Opera North's musicians taking the spotlight as they played the Scherzo from Dvorak's 2nd String Quintet in G. The concert then finished with the chorus, musicians, including Oliver Rundell on the organ, with soprano Elizabeth Llewynn, as the curtain fell on a lovely concert we listened to them perform one of opera's evergreen favouries, The Easter Hymn from Mascagni's 'Cavelleri Rusticana'.
Opera North will be back again, in the flesh, with 2 socially distanced operas this November in Leeds. For full details of their future programming, then please visit www.operanorth.co.uk
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 1/10/20
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