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Opera virgin Ben Connor gets a lesson in the
art form and is pleasantly surprised
by what he discovers
t's the climax of Puccini’s Mar/(mm Butter/Iv.
llaving sung themselves into a state of romantic bliss. the delicate geisha and her
American lieutenant lover fall into each other‘s arms. Their lips are trembling on the verge of a succulent kiss when a man in a bright red shirt walks on stage. Instantly the music stops. the lovers look up and the man quips. ‘if I can't. neither can you pal‘.
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Dafydd Burne Jones is freeze-framing and
kick-starting Mar/(mm Butter/Iv for the benefit of
opera virgins like me. I‘m hoping that his ‘Opera Unwrapped treatment will help me overcome a deep seated aversion to an art form which inspires a cult-like devotion in its fans.
It may reduce Inspector Morse or Michael Portillo to dinner suited jellies. but opera is all fat ladies in frocks to me. Sumptuous sets and colourful costumes are all well and good. and I like a big orchestra sound. but the whole ‘Iets sing our conversation' thing has never really convinced me.
Scottish Opera‘s Opera Unwrapped series aims to lift the bonnet to reveal how the engine works. It‘s a free. hour-long. behind the scenes glimpse into the inner workings of the art—form. We‘re focusing on the current production of Mudama
‘IT MAY REDUCE INSPECTOR MORSE TO A DINNER SUITED JELLY BUT OPERA IS ALL FAT LADIES IN FROCKS TO ME'
thrrwflv. If ever there was a chance to slay the dragon of my poorly informed preconceptions and open up to the finer points of opera. this is it.
The Unwrapped series has proved enormously popular. attracting everyone from school parties and gangs of teenage goths to families and bow- tied opera buffs. Tonight is no different - the multi-level. tiered seating of the gilded auditorium at Glasgow‘s Theatre Royal is full. I sit on the periphery of a gaggle of school children. Incredibly they remain quiet and seemingly deeply engaged for the entire session.
Sauntering onto the stage. Burne Jones immediately commands the audience’s attention. reeling us in with an introduction to the set (an angular approach to a Japanese home) and a brief description of Mada/nu Burtwflv's history, plot and themes of love. faith. betrayal. imperial colonialism and the clash of westem and eastern cultures.
Composer Guicamo Puccini. Burne Jones informs us. swelled the standard 55-player orchestra to a grand 75. Looking over the stage precipice. he then bends to introduce — in the pit below — Scotland‘s very own Puccini orchestra. My vantage point. at the front of the auditorium. provides a wonderful view into the packed pit. Why such a large orchestra? ‘It‘s all about density of the sound'. says Burne Jones. ‘It is just glorious to have 75 players make a tiny sound but also have the capacity for a huge soundf
I‘m eager to hear what they can do.
Opera Unwrapped features performances. by talented understudies. of a series of scenes from a particular opera. First up: we’re in Tokyo. Japan and an American naval Lieutenant (Pinkerton) is soon to marry a young Japanese geisha (Madama Butterfly). Pinkerton. a marriage broker and the American Consul are