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LES TROYENS
(THE TROJANS)
Usher Hall, Part One 12 Aug. 8pm; Part Two 18 Aug, 7pm.
There", r just out: ocerrrrv; concert to the lrrterria‘rurial l estcal this ,ear. hrrt $3.") f ,orr'w: rterrr'} to 'to lllr‘ll’lf, properly Such Is the scale of fierlru/s eprr, frl,“:fif. Hy: l/tr/v'irts. flat the concert perf’rrrrranrr: of if sprlls ’i.‘:.' into a second fright.
lrr1,r,rrerlh, Virgil", Tire/renew), its
frxe acts are splt rntrr t.'.r'r parts. t're
first telirrrr; the stor, of lhe Siege of
lro,, the second he Trojans at Carthage. /\ trrrtlt: arra, of musicians r', required. from the lrne up of rrrarnl,
Tuftsh soloists t') the BBC Sierrttrsh f3,rrrpnonj, ()rchestra and l dr'rhurgh l estrer ()horus. lhe conductor charged wrth holding if all together rs Donald llunnrcles. f drnhurgh hour but now frrrrrl‘l, ensconced as rnusrc 'lrrt:t:ttrt at the San l r‘ancrsco Opera.
"The fro/ans rs now rrghtl‘, takrng its place as one of the most rrnportant operas of all trme.‘ says liunnrcles. Its sheer sr/e has rrreant that urrtrl farrlr, recently rt '.'.ras not part of the repertoire of most opera (:orrrparrret‘). not one '.'.rhrch Hunnrcles has conducted previously. ‘I can recall. however. Scottish ()pera's mernorahle ltlfi‘.) production with Sir Alexander (irhson and Dante .Janet liaker.’ (Iorncrdentally. the American prerrrrere was given at (San l rancrsco Just three years earlier. ‘We started thrrrkrng ahout the l estrval performar‘rce ahout eighteen months ago.' expiarns liunnrcles. ‘l':t '.‘.rorked wrth l orrarne l lurrt lreherson. who rungs l)rdon_ on The ltape of / uc/etra at the l estryal a few years ago and Brian Maclvlaster was keen to frrrd a array rn wlrrch we could collahorate agarn.’ s well as ‘~ rokrng hack up wrth l reher‘son for the second part. l’etra larrg treads the cast of Part One as (I; ssandre.
()ften rn the past. that San l r'ancrsco production herng an example. the opera has heen cut to rrrore rnanageahle drrnensrons. l drnhurgh audiences wrll, hou'rexer. he ahle to revel in the full glory of the piece, rn l’rench. as [Serlro/ wrote rt. lhe corrrposer rnrght have rrrterrded rt to he heard on the
ow rm ,_
DIE ZAUBERFLOTE
Festival Theatre. 14, 16 and 17 Aug. 7.15pm.
lle's well known for hrs theatre aurork rerrreml )er r'~.'r'ca:;ure / or l".’/'t?(i:;t/tt? at the NEW International l estrval’? but now Stephane l3t£lllltt§<tll‘.'.“tfltl returns wrth hrs first l'drnhurgh opera. Director and designer of Mo/art's endurineg popular I/l(?/.‘.r/(1‘(]/(fl/{lft}, rn a production first llll‘.'t}l|(?(l at the lElElEl Arx l n Provence li‘estrval. liraunst‘hwerg gurte simply. r.'.'ants to tell rts story
‘lt's done wrth young srngers.’ he says, 'so you don't have -1t) and {)0 war olds singing the roles of young characters. It t;ltt)‘.'.tt; how young people mo\e from their teens to l)t‘,t.‘()lllt? adults. so rt's very rrruch a stem wrth something to tell us today'
The international cast were xen, much part of the rrrrtral proc 2st; and. says Braunschwerg. ‘The spirit of the productron rs tlrerr‘s.' He led ‘.'.’orkshops to encourage and dmelop their rdeas on the fundamental guestron - ‘Hov; can we tell the story of the Magic Flute?" Not rcrrrshrng to ha\e the encumbrances of a cornplrcated set.
what they came up ‘.'.rth ‘.'.’as a bed and .10 monrtor's. Everything happens on or around the bed' explarns Br'aurrschx'rerg. 'For Tamrno's rnrtratron the journey rs as rf in a ‘.'|lel£tl world.
For that we use monitors and HUGO. I wanted to have freedom. so they could
Petra Lang leads the Siege of Troy same (?‘.'(?ll|fltl, hut Hunrrreles feels that tlrrs rs riot a concern. '/\s it's a relatrx'el, unfarnrlrar piece. there will he so rrruch interest after the frrst part. especial; given the eccentricity of the score. Also. many years go by hetx'men the two parts. so I don't thrrrk t'r; t the separation wrll he detrimental."
(Zoncert performance xersus stage per‘orrrrance might also have heen an rssue. hut. again. Hunrrrclet; rs happy. "Sometimes, if an opera rs well known. rt does: ’t work so well in concert performance. he sa,s. 'hut thrs rs a rrragrcal score that's not so well known and people wrll really he ahle to concentrate on the music. It's an enormous drama and the interesting thing rs that the :lrama rs larger in the orchestra. with all the events ver‘,’ x'rvrdlr, depr<:ted.'
lmharkrng on The Ito/ans rs a rrrarrrmoth task. As Hunnrcles says. ‘lt descrrhes an odyssey and its been sorrrethrng of an odyssey to learn rt.’ r(}arol Marni
Simply telling stories
show. srrrtrke. or .‘rre or water: Sorrretrrrres ,ou see stars. faces and lions. Sorrretrrrres we use therrr lrke a l()l\'€;‘. other trrrres as poetry or like a painting. The hrg ad‘.'antage rs that ‘.‘.’e can change the set rn one second.‘
Jarol Marni
I The Avalanches Cut ‘n' paste sample madness put through a garage rock blender rs the recipe for musical delight from these ramshackle Aussies on their Scottish debut. See feature. trgurd Room. to Aug. 7.30;.)nr.
I Les Troyens See preview. left. Usher Ha//, (Part One) I .9 Aug. 8pm <9 (Part Two) 78 Aug. 7pm.
I The Bhundu Boys 80s 'world rnusrc' pioneers make a rare appearance just after the release of their rarities compilation album The Shed Sessions. See review on following pages. Gilded Balloon // — Tevr'ot, 9Aug, I 1.30pm 8. 13 Aug. 7am.
I Die Zauberfléte See preview. left. Festival Theatre. 74, 76& 17Aug, 7. 75pm.
I be Dannan The veteran Irish sextet led by fiddler Frankie Gavin energise Edinburgh with their distinctive and highly influential brand of Irish folk music. See preview. Queen's Ha/l, lQAL/g, 7.30pm.
I Edinburgh Quartet The music of Mendelssohn heads a varied selection of pieces by the Quartet as well as a rare outing for works by quality Scots composers such as Sir John McEwen. Kenneth Leighton. Alexander Mackenzie and James Maclvlillan. See preview. St Giles" Cathedral 13—77 Aug, 7030/9/77.
I Jock Tamson’s Bairns Billed as 'music from the heart of Scotland'. the Bairns reaffirm their status among the premier perveyors of traditional Scots sounds. See preview. Roya/ Brit/sh Hotel 9—70, 76—77 8 23—24 Aug. 70pm.
I Amos Garrett This veteran American blues guitar man with a pedigree of over 200 albums must have a few stories to tell. And does so with the help of his full band. See preview. The Famous Spr'ege/tent, 74 Aug, 77pm 8 76 Aug, 2pm.
; .' THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 45