Scottish Opera, 06/03/2025

The Strauss Collection - excerpts from Ariadne auf Naxos, Arabella and Der Rosenkavalier

Helena Dix, soprano

Rhian Lois, soprano

Hanna Hipp, mezzo-soprano

Roland Wood, baritone

The Orchestra of Scottish Opera

Stuart Stratford

Another of Scottish Opera's "Collection" concerts, again given in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, this time devoted to Richard Strauss, and specifically in collaboration with Hugo von Hoffmansthal.  I will say straight up that I still feel the Scottish Opera forces have truly got to grips with the balance in the hall, and all of the singers occasionally had difficulties making themselves heard, when I know perfectly well they can cope fine on stage.  Rhian Lois was the one unknown quantity to me, but high sopranos tend to have it a little easier anyway, the pitch of their singing helps carry the sound, and that was true tonight as well.   

Oddly enough, the opera which gave the greatest problems was the first, Ariadne auf Naxos, and that has a significantly smaller orchestra than the other two.  That said, I have heard Hanna Hipp sing the Composer elsewhere, in context, and found then, as now, that the middle of the voice lacks body.  She brings plenty of commitment to the part, but there's a slightly hesitant quality to the vocal line, a lack of forward momentum, which was exacerbated tonight by the impression that the singers and the orchestra had not had quite enough rehearsal time with this number.  Hipp and Lois performed the last part of the Prologue including Zerbinetta's "Ein Augenblick", and the Composer's final monologue, "Sein wir wieder gut", with Roland Wood's input as the Music-Master.

I'll be honest and state that I've never particularly liked Arabella.  It has taken me a while to understand why, but the truth is I think this is an overdressed operetta.  It has all the trademarks of the Viennese operetta plot with a somewhat verbose libretto, and given a far too serious musical treatment.  Yes, there is some wonderful Strauss in the score, but the basic architecture is too flimsy for the weight of words and music put upon it.  The selection from this was the Act 1 duet between Arabella and Zdenka, Mandryka's introductory air, and the Act 2 and 3 duets for Arabella and Mandryka.  Helena Dix was Arabella, with just the right sort of creamy tone, and matching well with Wood's ardent Mandryka, while  Lois was a sweet-voiced Zdenka.

The second half of the concert was wholly turned over to Der Rosenkavalier, with the opening scene between the Marshalling and Octavian, the Presentation of the Rose, and, of course, the Act 3 final Trio and Duet.  This proved much less problematical in terms of balance for everyone, and Hipp is a better Octavian than Composer, in my opinion, the voice more evenly distributed.  Dix came across as a little too girlish a Marschallin in the Act 1 extract, but made a much more sober appearance in the Trio, but again, the timbre of the voice was a pleasure to hear.  In the Act 1 extract, Wood provided the off-stage voice of Ochs attempting to barge into the Marschallin's bed-chamber, and I think it might have been nice to have him do "Ohne mich", from the end of Act 2 - Hipp could have handled Annina - but there probably wasn't enough time, and while I think Wood would be excellent dramatically in that role, it maybe lies a little too low for him vocally.  However, there were no complaints about the rest, and Stratford and the orchestra closed the proceedings with that gleefully mischievous little coda given all the bravura flourish it merits.

[Next: 28th March]