Scottish Opera, 21/02/2018
Jonathan Dove : Flight
Orchestra of Scottish Opera
Stuart Stratford
Two contemporary operas, professionally staged, in the space of one month, that's pretty unusual outside of London, but that's what we got from Scottish Opera, following on from Turnage's Greek with Jonathan Dove's first opera, Flight. Originally commissioned by the Glyndebourne Festival, and created in 1998, it was loosely inspired by a newspaper report of the Iranian refugee Mehran Karimi Nasser who, in 1998, had been, quite literally, living in Charles de Gaulle airport for 10 years. He would spend another 8 there subsequently, unable to leave the building whether to return to Iran or to move on to another location. (Steven Spielberg would use the same story as a basis for his 2004 film The Terminal.)
With this as a starting point, Dove's librettist April De Angelis created a comedy set in an airport departure lounge, where a variety of characters appear, and are stranded for the night due to heavy storms. There is Bill and Tina, a couple whose relationship has grown stale, and who have planned a sun, sea 'n' sex holiday in an attempt to revive it. There are the Minskman and Minskwoman, a diplomat and his heavily pregnant wife, on their way to a new posting in Minsk, but she finds herself unable to get on the plane, and sends him off alone. There are the Steward and Stewardess, teeth-achingly cheerful, and playing right into the stereotype of the blithely promiscuous flight attendant. There is the Older Woman, who is there to meet her Spanish toy-boy fiancé, although she doesn't really know if he's going to be there, since the only communication she's had is a by now dated postcard. Around these characters are the enigmatic figures of the Refugee, whose tale we discover right at the end of the opera, the Immigration Officer from whom, at first, he hides, and then confronts, and the aloof, misanthropic Controller, who the Refugee regards with admiration, while she seems to experience something like jealousy when observing his interactions with the passengers.
Dove's musical idiom is colourful, lively and extremely accessible, and Flight, unlike Greek, is very definitely an opera, with a traditional three-act structure and distinct numbers such as arias or duets, and other set pieces. The orchestra is substantial and the sound shimmers with tuned percussion and fluttering winds and strings, all of it vividly delivered by Stratford and the Scottish Opera orchestra. It's a very rich score, and sometimes a little over-powering for the voices, but both exciting and effective. As for the style, while Dove does not sound like John Adams, one might say that he sounds like 'family of' Adams; that is, there's something less than outright influence, but something more than a nodding acquaintance with the American composer's music. The vocal writing lets you hear the text quite well - although the supertitles were still welcome - and shows plenty of variety. Most of the pacing is quite energetic, although the Refugee's big monologue, in what might be termed the 11 o'clock number position, in the third act, rather brings things to a grinding halt, before they pick up again.
The set for Stephen Barlow's production (originally made for Opera Holland Park in 2015) is a slick, cool, grey lounge with a big, semicircular arch for a rear wall, pierced by three elevator double doors, ingeniously used for entrances and exits, and all very well lit. The big storm is particularly striking, with a radar scan pattern punctuated by lightning bolts, giving way to the appearance of glass panes drenched with heavy rain. I thought Minskwoman and the Older Woman were a bit overdressed for an airport, but otherwise all the costumes were perfectly appropriate. Barlow's direction of the actors was clear and effective and, when appropriate, very funny.
All of the singing was excellent, but special mention to the ever-green Marie McLaughlin's sympathetic and seductive Older Woman - a burgeoning cougar, before the term was widely recognised - while the pivotal role of the Refugee was beautifully sung by counter-tenor James Laing, his voice particularly pure and sweet in timbre, without that occasional hooting quality you can sometimes get in that type of voice. Jennifer France made light work of the Controller's stratospheric register - she's back next month to sing Strauss's Zerbinetta, and on the strength of this, she should have no problems with that role either. All in all, a very enjoyable performance of a work which I would happily return to, given the opportunity.
[Next : 25th February]
Orchestra of Scottish Opera
Stuart Stratford
Two contemporary operas, professionally staged, in the space of one month, that's pretty unusual outside of London, but that's what we got from Scottish Opera, following on from Turnage's Greek with Jonathan Dove's first opera, Flight. Originally commissioned by the Glyndebourne Festival, and created in 1998, it was loosely inspired by a newspaper report of the Iranian refugee Mehran Karimi Nasser who, in 1998, had been, quite literally, living in Charles de Gaulle airport for 10 years. He would spend another 8 there subsequently, unable to leave the building whether to return to Iran or to move on to another location. (Steven Spielberg would use the same story as a basis for his 2004 film The Terminal.)
With this as a starting point, Dove's librettist April De Angelis created a comedy set in an airport departure lounge, where a variety of characters appear, and are stranded for the night due to heavy storms. There is Bill and Tina, a couple whose relationship has grown stale, and who have planned a sun, sea 'n' sex holiday in an attempt to revive it. There are the Minskman and Minskwoman, a diplomat and his heavily pregnant wife, on their way to a new posting in Minsk, but she finds herself unable to get on the plane, and sends him off alone. There are the Steward and Stewardess, teeth-achingly cheerful, and playing right into the stereotype of the blithely promiscuous flight attendant. There is the Older Woman, who is there to meet her Spanish toy-boy fiancé, although she doesn't really know if he's going to be there, since the only communication she's had is a by now dated postcard. Around these characters are the enigmatic figures of the Refugee, whose tale we discover right at the end of the opera, the Immigration Officer from whom, at first, he hides, and then confronts, and the aloof, misanthropic Controller, who the Refugee regards with admiration, while she seems to experience something like jealousy when observing his interactions with the passengers.
Dove's musical idiom is colourful, lively and extremely accessible, and Flight, unlike Greek, is very definitely an opera, with a traditional three-act structure and distinct numbers such as arias or duets, and other set pieces. The orchestra is substantial and the sound shimmers with tuned percussion and fluttering winds and strings, all of it vividly delivered by Stratford and the Scottish Opera orchestra. It's a very rich score, and sometimes a little over-powering for the voices, but both exciting and effective. As for the style, while Dove does not sound like John Adams, one might say that he sounds like 'family of' Adams; that is, there's something less than outright influence, but something more than a nodding acquaintance with the American composer's music. The vocal writing lets you hear the text quite well - although the supertitles were still welcome - and shows plenty of variety. Most of the pacing is quite energetic, although the Refugee's big monologue, in what might be termed the 11 o'clock number position, in the third act, rather brings things to a grinding halt, before they pick up again.
The set for Stephen Barlow's production (originally made for Opera Holland Park in 2015) is a slick, cool, grey lounge with a big, semicircular arch for a rear wall, pierced by three elevator double doors, ingeniously used for entrances and exits, and all very well lit. The big storm is particularly striking, with a radar scan pattern punctuated by lightning bolts, giving way to the appearance of glass panes drenched with heavy rain. I thought Minskwoman and the Older Woman were a bit overdressed for an airport, but otherwise all the costumes were perfectly appropriate. Barlow's direction of the actors was clear and effective and, when appropriate, very funny.
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| The cast of Flight, Scottish Opera (© James Glossop, 2018) |
All of the singing was excellent, but special mention to the ever-green Marie McLaughlin's sympathetic and seductive Older Woman - a burgeoning cougar, before the term was widely recognised - while the pivotal role of the Refugee was beautifully sung by counter-tenor James Laing, his voice particularly pure and sweet in timbre, without that occasional hooting quality you can sometimes get in that type of voice. Jennifer France made light work of the Controller's stratospheric register - she's back next month to sing Strauss's Zerbinetta, and on the strength of this, she should have no problems with that role either. All in all, a very enjoyable performance of a work which I would happily return to, given the opportunity.
[Next : 25th February]