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Classical | MUSIC
CONTEMPORARY OPERA THE SLOANS PROJECT Sloans Bar and Restaurant, Glasgow, Sun 24, Tue 26–Fri 29 & Sun 31 Jul
A night down the pub with a difference is set to be one clear highlight of this year’s Merchant City Festival. Returning to their spiritual home of Sloans Bar and Restaurant, the innovative NOISE (New Opera in Scotland Events) opera company present their first ever production, The Sloans Project, in a re-run of seven performances. Since 2011, the piece has toured Scotland and Canada and is now on its fifth outing, which is quite an achievement for a contemporary opera. ‘The idea came from composer Gareth Williams,’ explains
director James Robert Carson, ‘as he wanted to put on a site-specific piece in a bar.’ The opera weaves the stories of characters associated with the impressive Victorian bar and its 18th-century building to give unusual insights into the lives and loves of people who came to drink in it. ‘At first, the pub owners were quite indulgent to us,’ says Carson, ‘but then surprised by the response it got.’ According to Carson, The Sloans Project is successful for a
number of reasons. ‘Generally, throughout Britain, there is a movement towards small opera. People want to work in that form of theatre. It’s part of the opera ecology for singers.’ Given that NOISE regularly plays to capacity houses, with 60% of their audience first-time opera-goers, the company has evidently hit on something that really works. ‘As an event, it’s quite magical and great fun,’ says Carson. ‘People have a hunger to see their stories acted out in front of them.’ Among the scenes are a recently-engaged couple, a crooked landlady, a hanged pianist and serial killer, Peter Manuel. ‘And people like classical music, the emotion and the way it touches them, heading straight to the heart.’ (Carol Main)
CLASSICAL HIGHLIGHTS
HITLIST GLASGOW
HEBRIDES ENSEMBLE: THE IRIS MURDER Cottier’s Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 10 Jun, cottierchamberproject.com World premiere of a new chamber opera by composer Alasdair Nicolson and librettist John Gallas in celebration of the 25th birthday of Scotland’s top- notch Hebrides Ensemble. Also touring, see list.co.uk/theatre for details
THE SIXTEEN: THE CHORAL PILGRIMAGE Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh, Sat 18 Jun, greyfriarskirk. com The 16th Choral Pilgrimage of The Sixteen celebrates the music of English Renaissance composer William Byrd and Estonia’s 20th century Arvo Pärt, both very different in time and style, but both absolute masters of sacred music.
COTTIER CHAMBER PROJECT Cottiers Theatre, Fri 3–Sat 25 Jun, cottierchamberproject.com Always imaginative and creative in its programming, this excellent summer festival of chamber music plus much more offers something for a wide range of musical tastes.
EDINBURGH
SCOTTISH OPERA: THE MIKADO Edinburgh Festival Theatre, until Sun 5 Jun, edtheatres.com/festival Increasingly making an appearance in Scottish Opera’s repertoire these days, Gilbert & Sullivan provide light entertainment with The Mikado, their anti-establishment comedy with lots of silly, but very clever, songs.
MR MCFALL’S CHAMBER: MARÍA DE BUENOS AIRES The Queen’s Hall, Tue 14 Jun, queenshall.net Marking the 20th anniversary of the quirky ensemble, founded by violinist Robert McFall, the group returns to one of their greatest hits, Astor Piazzolla’s opera, María de Buenos Aires.
CALTON CONSORT Canongate Kirk, Sat 18 Jun, canongatekirk.org.uk Highly-regarded choral group, The Calton Consort, has been running for 15 years, and it’s an emotional evening as director Jason Orringe conducts his last concert with the group. Appropriately enough, alongside Vaughan Williams, Debussy and Holst, they perform Michael Berkeley’s Farewell.
ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA: THE PLANETS – AN HD ODYSSEY Usher Hall, Sun 19 Jun, usherhall. co.uk In one of the Usher Hall’s highly successful Sunday afternoon series of concerts, this month’s visiting orchestra is London’s RPO, formed by legendary conductor Sir Thomas Beecham. It’s a programme of classical music, much of it associated with the world of film.
OUTSIDE THE CITIES
MEMORIAL GROUND Cambo Barn, Kingsbarns, Sat 2 Jul, eastneukfestival.com This huge new WWI Centenary commission for East Neuk Festival
takes places, somewhat unusually, in a potato barn. David Lang’s Memorial Ground for Theatre of Voices, SCO Chorus and over 100 local singers promises something exceptionally powerful and moving, as it marks the centenary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme in which over a million people were killed or injured.
ANGELA HEWITT Paxton House and Country Park, Sat 23 Jul, paxtonhouse.co.uk Canadian-born pianist Angela Hewitt is this year’s Music at Paxton Festival’s special guest with a programme of all of Bach’s ‘Two- Part’ and ‘Three-Part Inventions’, Beethoven’s ‘Tempest Sonata’ and pieces by Scarlatti and Haydn. Buffet supper available in the Hayloft Gallery beforehand with advance booking.
2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 91