(no subject)
Better Strangers Opera Company appears to have, for want of a better phrase, become even better.
Some little while ago, Bryony and I went to their first performance: Ah, Forget My Fate: A Complete History of Women in Opera - Abridged. It was witty, fun and probably educated me a bit by stealth. Last night was, I believe, their second performance as a company. Going along to this one, the treacherous and unsupportive back of my mind wondered if they would be as good as they were the first time. Some of the joy of that initial outing was in the novelty- my first time seeing opera, as well as their first time on stage together. There was a real exuberance, which leant itself to an enjoyable atmosphere. Plus they engaged the audience in a way that stereotypes of opera would suggest are Not The Done Thing. You could feel a passion from them on stage that pulled you in and let you share their joy in singing. Passion, however, it notoriously fickle and hard to maintain.
From that first show, the troupe has grown. Originally comprising Jessie and Clouds accompanied by a pianist, they have now grown to a five piece ensemble. Yep, turns out the viola is a real instrument, not just something made up by music teachers, and someone does play it. Rather well in fact. Who knew? Also another vocalist (and cellist) named Chloe.
The three main vocalists are hugely different in their styles, even to my utterly untrained ear. What they have in common is a huge amount of energy, for want of a better term. For most of the performance I found myself leaning forward in my seat, jaw literally dropped. The passion of the first performance, it appears, was not a one-off.
From the outset the three main vocalists grabbed you with a combination of wry humour and beautiful voices. They were performing the tragedy Dido and Aeneas, which does not on the surface grab one as a barrel of laughs. However, the passion of the finale only really works if they've dragged you in first.
Sadly, my lack of musical training leaves me ill-equipped to say much about the singers themselves. Clouds' has a beautiful voice that puts me in mind of Victorian medievalism- you could close your eyes and imagine Lancelot falling in love with her. Plus she does the comedic side particularly well, using her body language to make you laugh out loud. Possibly it is that combination which makes it so charming. Chloe played the part of Aeneas and seems to be able to switch between two totally different singing voice with the flick of a switch (I tried to express some admiration when I spoke to her after the performance, but felt shy so spoke to her quickly and fled. My apologies to the troupe if Chloe now thinks the audience were gibbering idiots). As for Jessie, I've been wrestling with how to describe the vast power in her voice. Imagine a beautiful waterfall. It is a lovely thing, but then you stand underneath it and thousands of tonnes of water grab you and before you know it you are miles away. Possibly drowned. Not really sure if that analogy works, but it's the best I can do for now.
Personally, I can't sing a note. Much as I love music and would dearly love to be able to create it, that skill has always eluded me. Part of what I have loved about both the performances so far is that you feel included in the experience. Everyone on stage seems to be throwing themselves into it with a love for what they are doing, not just a clinical recital. You can feel that joy and share it- for the horribly unmusical amongst us, it is as close as we're likely to get to knowing what it feels like to make that music.
Some little while ago, Bryony and I went to their first performance: Ah, Forget My Fate: A Complete History of Women in Opera - Abridged. It was witty, fun and probably educated me a bit by stealth. Last night was, I believe, their second performance as a company. Going along to this one, the treacherous and unsupportive back of my mind wondered if they would be as good as they were the first time. Some of the joy of that initial outing was in the novelty- my first time seeing opera, as well as their first time on stage together. There was a real exuberance, which leant itself to an enjoyable atmosphere. Plus they engaged the audience in a way that stereotypes of opera would suggest are Not The Done Thing. You could feel a passion from them on stage that pulled you in and let you share their joy in singing. Passion, however, it notoriously fickle and hard to maintain.
From that first show, the troupe has grown. Originally comprising Jessie and Clouds accompanied by a pianist, they have now grown to a five piece ensemble. Yep, turns out the viola is a real instrument, not just something made up by music teachers, and someone does play it. Rather well in fact. Who knew? Also another vocalist (and cellist) named Chloe.
The three main vocalists are hugely different in their styles, even to my utterly untrained ear. What they have in common is a huge amount of energy, for want of a better term. For most of the performance I found myself leaning forward in my seat, jaw literally dropped. The passion of the first performance, it appears, was not a one-off.
From the outset the three main vocalists grabbed you with a combination of wry humour and beautiful voices. They were performing the tragedy Dido and Aeneas, which does not on the surface grab one as a barrel of laughs. However, the passion of the finale only really works if they've dragged you in first.
Sadly, my lack of musical training leaves me ill-equipped to say much about the singers themselves. Clouds' has a beautiful voice that puts me in mind of Victorian medievalism- you could close your eyes and imagine Lancelot falling in love with her. Plus she does the comedic side particularly well, using her body language to make you laugh out loud. Possibly it is that combination which makes it so charming. Chloe played the part of Aeneas and seems to be able to switch between two totally different singing voice with the flick of a switch (I tried to express some admiration when I spoke to her after the performance, but felt shy so spoke to her quickly and fled. My apologies to the troupe if Chloe now thinks the audience were gibbering idiots). As for Jessie, I've been wrestling with how to describe the vast power in her voice. Imagine a beautiful waterfall. It is a lovely thing, but then you stand underneath it and thousands of tonnes of water grab you and before you know it you are miles away. Possibly drowned. Not really sure if that analogy works, but it's the best I can do for now.
Personally, I can't sing a note. Much as I love music and would dearly love to be able to create it, that skill has always eluded me. Part of what I have loved about both the performances so far is that you feel included in the experience. Everyone on stage seems to be throwing themselves into it with a love for what they are doing, not just a clinical recital. You can feel that joy and share it- for the horribly unmusical amongst us, it is as close as we're likely to get to knowing what it feels like to make that music.