Scottish Opera, 15/05/2016

Mozart : Le Nozze di Figaro -

• Overture
• "Porgi amor"

Mozart : Idomeneo -

• "Padre, germani, addio"
• Ballet music

Mozart : "Bella mia fiamma", K. 528
Strauss : "Das Rosenband"; "Ich wollt ein Strausslein binden"; "Allerseelen"; "Ruhe, meine Seele"
Strauss : Der Rosenkavalier - Suite

Kate Royal, soprano
Orchestra of Scottish Opera
Stuart Stratford

The Orchestra of Scottish Opera continues its occasional Sunday afternoon concerts, now in its usual home of the Theatre Royal, Glasgow, since during the previous refurbishments they integrated an acoustic shell into the stage area, allowing the orchestra to perform on-stage without the sound disappearing into the wings and flies.  I found the sound a little two-dimensional at times, but some of that is maybe due to the orchestra itself at this stage.

The notion of the opera orchestra stretching its wings in orchestral concerts is generally a good one, and the company's new Music Director, Stuart Stratford, seems keen to expand further, because next season it won't just be concerts, but concert performances of several rarely heard operas, which is going to be interesting.  In the meantime, this season's concerts have all had a strong operatic content.

However, if the first half of this concert is anything to go by, I have my doubts about next season's opener of The Marriage of Figaro.  Stratford has a tendency towards steady, not to say stolid tempi, and an almost cautious style, not always ideal, either for the Mozart or the Strauss we heard tonight.  Where he might yet prove a major asset, I hope, is if he's a good technician, because the orchestra needs work in terms of its sound.  The winds (including the horns) need burnishing, something a little fuller and richer in tone, the strings requiring more precision, and a similar enriching of tone.  It's not bad, and it's certainly something that can be rectified, within a matter of months if the conductor has a mind to it, and is given the opportunity - something that, regrettably, tends to depend much more on budgets and politics than on musical interests.

Much of today's concert was solidly respectable, rather than inspired, and the same can be said of Kate Royal's contribution.  The least satisfactory element was her Italian diction, which was shockingly poor - luckily her German is a great deal better - and completely impeded any sort of expression in the Mozart.  The Strauss was much stronger, more nuanced, the vocal control better, the text clearer.

However, the best of the concert came in the Suite from Der Rosenkavalier.  Although Stratford's tempi were still a little slow, which, aside from anything else, cut the 'lift' of the great waltz, nevertheless there was a real enthusiasm here which warmed and enriched the performance.  While I doubt any of the musicians were playing in the band for the legendary Baker performances in 1971/74 (and besides, in those days, it was the Scottish National Orchestra playing), some of them might have been there for the 1999 Armstrong/McVicar production, almost as memorable.  At any rate, it was clear they still know how to play Rosenkavalier, and play it well, and that was very good to hear.

[Next : 18th May]