Opera Anywhere, Hastings Pier, Thursday 10 August 2017

I can’t recall any opera on Hastings Pier since Glyndbourne staged their first community opera here back in 1990, so an outdoor production of The Pirates of Penzance from Opera Anywhere was doubly welcome. Happily the early promised rain did not materialise and the pier was bathed in evening sunlight with magnificent views in all directions.

At first the idea that the event was to be staged on the upper deck seemed a little strange but this is only because the pier itself is so vast. The upper deck easily held an audience of 100, many of them at tables, and there was still more than enough space for the company and musicians. The other great benefit was the lack of any need for amplification. With the wood panelling behind, the singing voices carried very well and there were only a few moments when spoken words disappeared, particularly if the soloists were sitting.

There was, needless to say, no full chorus, but the intimacy of the space meant that the singers made even greater impact. This was impressively so from Major Stanley’s daughters who giggled and squealed magnificently as well as singing with precision and clarity. The bluffer pirates held their own, led by Miles Horner as a suitably grandiose Pirate King. Tristan Stock’s Frederick provided a lyric tenor lead and was genuinely moving in both his duets with Susanna Buckle‘s Mabel and the stirring act two trio with Ruth and the Pirate King.  Vanessa Woodward’s Ruth allows us to laugh at her as well as with her but she never becomes the victim she so easily can. Mike Woodward’s Major General took a little while to get into his stride but his self-importance and cunning soon shone through and one of Gilbert’s most biting creations came fully to life. Mark Horner’s Sergeant of Police was as fine as I can recall, singing the part with lovely attention to detail but always remaining fully in character. It was a treat, even if he had to put up with three very giggly officers (and in night-gowns as well!)

Accompaniment was provided by Nia Williams on the keyboard with woodwind from Nick Planas who also provided the arrangements. As with the singers, it was good to have live rather than amplified sound and Sullivan’s score came across with surprising ease.

There was to be another performance on the next evening. Let us hope that the success of this outing encourages a return – and maybe Hastings will become recognised for more than just its Pirates!

Church in the Wood, Friday 28 July 2017

Church in the Wood have had their new Viscount organ in use for some time now but Saturday was the first time that Jeremy Meager, the Managing Director of Viscount Organs, had come down to perform and put the instrument through its paces.

He chose an eclectic range of works, which aimed to please the audience with familiar pieces and include a variety of styles to demonstrate the flexibility of the registration. He opened with a rapidly paced rendition of Nimrod from Elgar’s Enigma Variations and moved on to Bach’s Prelude & Fugue in E flat BWV 572. This brought us some fine top flutes and a splendidly articulated fugue.

The gentle tones of Malcolm Archer’s Elegy gave way to a bombastic account of Handel’s Overture to the Occasional Oratorio before returning to the lyricism of Bach’s Bist du bei mir BWV508. The first half ended with Vierne’s familiar Carillon de Westminster.

The second opened with a Trumpet Tune – though not one of the more familiar wedding choices. This one was by Tambling and showed us the brashness of the organ’s trumpet stop. Franck’s reflective Prelude, Fugue and Variations followed with the dynamic changes during the fugue impressing. S S Wesley’s Choral Song is equally familiar though not the accompanying fugue which, on this occasion sang with aplomb.

R Goss-Custard’s Chelsea Fayre is a real lollipop and moved us gently into Parry’s Chorale Prelude on Eventide – better known to most as Abide with me. This brought us to the inevitable concluding item – the Toccata from Widor’s 5^th Symphony. Jeremy Meager raced through this to the delight of the audience, even if some of the notes seemed to get lost along the way.

As an encore he played Herbert Sumsion’s Ceremonial March – about as English and CoE as one could wish. He has promised to return and will obviously be very welcome.

St Clements Church, Hastings, 16 July 2017

Marcio de Silva is certainly not averse to taking risks. Many choirs find it difficult to attract enough male singers for normal choral settings. To commence a performance with an unaccompanied setting for double chorus for male voices only was certainly a risk but, in the event, totally justified.

Biebl’s Ave Maria was written in 1964 but has a lyrical quality which harks back to the previous century with its rich harmony and romantic lyricism. The men of the chamber choir filled the church easily with their warm and well-balanced rendition, proving a fine start to a rewarding evening.

The ladies of the chamber choir then joined them for three short motets by Monteverdi. The settings regularly split into six parts, with complex polyphony throughout. If Domine ne in furore is more introspective, the flamboyant settings of Cantate Domino and Adoramus te filled the church with glowing tone.

The final item before the interval was the most unusual. Nunes Garcia was born in Brazil but heavily influenced by the European enlightenment in terms of his settings. The Judas Mercaor Pessimus has a splendidly dynamic impact with great variety of tone colour, which the choir handled with aplomb.

After the interval, the full choir gave us Durufle’s Requiem. The clarity of text was impressive and the Kyrie beautifully crafted. The sudden outpouring of the Hosanna was thrilling in its impact and the Sanctus had a warm lightness of touch. Marcio da Silva himself provided the baritone solos and Lin Westcott brought us the single soprano solo with a gentle lyricism. The unaccompanied Lux aeterna showed the continued confidence of the choir and the deft handling of their conductor.

Throughout, they were supported from the organ by Douglas Tang who was standing in at short notice and seemed to have a very good grasp of St Clement’s instrument.

This was the final event of a full and highly successful season. The new one opens at St Mary in the Castle on Friday 13 October with an all-Beethoven evening.

St John, Pevensey Road, Hastings, 17 June 2017

A charming conceit to recreate the music that may have been heard at Monteverdi’s baptism four hundred and fifty years ago. This formed the first half of Barefoot Opera’s concert at St John’s last weekend, with Cantemus, under the direction of Christopher Arnold, singing liturgical settings by Josquin des Prez and Marc’Antonio Ingegneri.  Of these, Ingegneri’s mass setting was particularly impressive with its gently enfolding lines and reflective harmonies. Between these a cappella items Nigel Howard played three pieces by Andrea Gabrieli, with a bright Canzona Ariosa at the heart of the performance.

After the interval the soloists of Barefoot Opera, under the direction of Jenny Miller, brought us a narrative worked around six of Monteverdi’s Madrigals. The texts nearly all refer to the anguish of the lover, often coming close to death because of the pangs of love, but by the end the song of the Nightingale leaves us all on a happier note. The use of movement was very telling and often voices came across with more precision because of their place within the nave. This was especially true of the final moments when they were singing from the centre of the nave, with the voices gently ringing all around us. It was a bold undertaking which certainly paid off.

The evening closed with the two groups coming together to sing Monteverdi’s Adoramus Te, and leaving us wanting more.

St Mary in the Castle, Hastings, 3 & 4 June 2017

The 2017 Opera Academy brought us two different casts of young singers to St Mary in the Castle last weekend for a concise and well-focused presentation of Mozart’s masterpiece. The small orchestral ensemble provided excellent support throughout, even at the end of act one where Mozart assumes there will be three orchestras available! The musicians were placed behind the action, which made timing more complex but it was much to Marcio da Silva’s credit that there were very few slips in either performance.

Two singers appeared on both evenings, which may have eased their rehearsal time, and they certainly provided some of the most polished performances. Wagner Moreira was an exemplary Ottavio, not only in the lyricism he provided, but also in his naturalistic approach to his stage presence. It was a pity he was not allowed Dalla sua pace in Act 1 though he gave us a fine Il mio Tesoro in Act 2. Similarly Vedat Dalgiran’s Commendatore made a strong impact given the limited time he is on stage.

On the first evening Camilla Jeppeson and Timothy Patrick were well paired as Zerlina and Masetto, creating a very credible relationship which allowed us to experience their shifting emotional patterns with ease. Her Batti, batti was a highlight of Act 1. The next day, Gislene Ramos and Will O’Brian made an equally positive impact with Vedrai carino gently seductive on a slow burn. We could see why this Zerlina was no push-over.

Gheorghe Palcu gave us a personable, wide-boy Leporello though his diction was often lost in the acoustic of the building. Of the nobility, Rosemary Carlton-Willis’ Elvira raged impressively and there was a subtle integrity to Eleni Komni’s Anna. Her handling of Non mi dir brought clarity to the complex relationship she has with Ottavio.

On the first night Neylson Crepalde conducted, stepping in to play guitar for the serenade, and doing both jobs with admirable skill. Marcio da Silva’s own precise conducting style kept the ensembles tightly together and gave us a convincing tableau at the end.

The main focus of the event was to give these singers a platform and, as noted above, many took it with fine demonstrations of the operatic art. Hopefully their careers will blossom.

St Mary in the Castle, Saturday 20 May 2017

When Marcio da Silva announced last year that Hastings Philharmonic was launching a fully professional symphony orchestra for the South East it seemed a risky undertaking, yet here we are, and the evidence of success was fully formed at St Mary in the Castle last Saturday. This had to be one of the finest orchestral performances in this building and potentially one which will herald a new era for symphonic music in our area. Where the performance last year of Beethoven’s Choral Symphony had been brave if not quite fully fledged, there was no problem here with either the Beethoven or the Brahms.

The evening opened with a passionate and fiery reading of Beethoven’s Egmont overture, with a crisp attack and real sense of drive and energy throughout. The sudden horn calls at the climax were electrifying and set a level of expectation for the rest of the evening.

Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy is a glorious work unfortunately eclipsed by the finale of the Choral Symphony itself, but here given the sensitivity and delicacy it requires to make a full impact. Andre Dolabella was a limpid and persuasive piano soloist, apparently floated between the orchestra and the raised choral forces. Beethoven indulges himself in a wide range of solo writing, including a lovely passage for string quartet which was very effective before the entrance of the chorus. Here the top sopranos were particularly impressive and the small male force accurate and very well focused.

After the interval – and a group photo – we came to Brahms’ Second Symphony. The tonal palette here is quite different and relies far more heavily on the string textures which have been strengthened and developed into a far more dynamic force since last year. Brahms frequently leads with the lower strings who were more than up to the task with their warm tone and insightful phrasing. The fleetly moving string passages of the third movement were handled with great skill as we moved effortlessly into the finale with its blazing brass chorus and highly extrovert impact.

It was received with great enthusiasm – and rightly so. Marcio da Silva should be proud of what he has achieved so far and the programme now released for next year is both demanding and exciting. Let us hope that somebody of this level of professional skill it not head-hunted too soon!

White Rock Theatre, Monday 8^th May 2017

Although Hastings is reasonably close to London it is still something of an effort to attend professional opera in the capital; all the more reason then to welcome touring productions to the White Rock Theatre. Ellen Kent’s company has been touring familiar productions of even more familiar operas for a quarter of a century now and brought La boheme last week.

The presentation was something of a curate’s egg. The orchestral playing under Nicolae Dohotaru was excellent throughout, with the balance and impact always carefully handled and tempi strong enough to maintain the narrative flow. In the conversational sections of the work, which Puccini handles with great skill, the interplay of characters was often convincing but there was a problem with the more familiar arias. To take examples in the first act alone. Vitalii Liskovetskyi may not be an accomplished actor but conveyed the potential innocence of Rodolfo and his naivety towards women with some skill in the opening scene. However, when he came to Che gelida manina he turned up the volume and hurled the aria straight at the audience. The same was true of the final moments of the act. Where Puccini asks his lovers to leave the stage, floating their final notes into the closing night, here they remained centre stage and gave us the full force of their large voices without any subtlety.

Olga Perrier’s personable Musetta suffered in the same way. Her interaction with Iurie Gisca’s convincing Marcello was somewhat spoilt when she played Quando m’en vo straight to the audience as if the crowd on stage did not exist. While the chorus may have had little rehearsal their lack of interaction with the rest of the cast was very noticeable even though they sang convincingly.

The staging itself has certainly seen better days, and there was little sense of place in any of the acts. If it is still being set in the 1830s, why do we see the Eiffel Tower in the second act which was not built until 60 years later?

A little positive attention to detail and a better understanding of the size and acoustic in the White Rock would have resulted in a far more satisfying evening. If this was somebody’s first introduction to opera it may have simply confirmed all their fears.