Thursday 23 August

Over the summer Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra has been mounting a short series of early evening concerts within the opulent surroundings of Brighton Pavilion’s Music Room. Keziah Thomas’ Harp recital was apt in a large number of ways. The acoustic of the room is ideal for the orchestral harp and its somewhat florid style, both musically and visually, sits comfortably within the fire-breathing dragons and bamboos.

Most of her programme was focussed on the music which would have been heard in the Music Room during the late nineteenth century, though she opened with a delightful arrangement of dances for lute by Francisque. Faure’s more familiar Impromptu may have been written as an examination piece but its hushed glissandi and florid arpeggios support a gentle lyricism which is captivating.

John Thomas was harpist to Queen Victoria and his arrangement of Watching the wheat brought us into direct contact with the music the royal family would have heard in this room almost 150 years ago. It may be sentimental but it is certainly effective, as was the following set of variations on themes from Bellini’s Norma by Parish-Alvars. A very flashy piece, it allows the harpist to demonstrate a wide range of effects and impeccable technique.

As a contrast the final substantial item was Crossing Waves which was written for Keziah Thomas by Andy Thomas. Its three sections open with an unsettled and unsettling sense of tension and apprehension, followed by an extended cantabile for quite waters. The final section is part seas-shanty part folk dance and leads to a spirited conclusion.

Two brief pieces concluded the concert; a jazz tango and an arrangement by Hasselmann of Saint-Saens’ The Swan, which seemed to sit even more comfortably on the harp than on the cello.

Keziah Thomas had introduced all of the music with an easy rapport with her audience and remained after the concert to talk to those who wanted to know more about the instrument and its music. She will have created many new enthusiasts. BH

The final concert in the season brings Brahms’ String Sextet next Thursday 6 September at 7.00pm. Details from www.brightonphil.org.uk or 03000290902. The new Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra season opens on 21 October.

The Arcola Tent in Dalston makes a fitting venue for Puccini’s dark masterpiece. Where other circus tents are white, the black void of the Arcola Tent is immediately symbolic of the cloak itself. When this is working in conjunction with the very close proximity of the singers and the action, the effect is electric.

At the start Michele – an unusually young but powerful Simon Lobelson – sits with his dead pipe in one hand and a small toy in the other. As the work progresses it becomes increasingly clear that he is as affected by the death of the child quite as much as his wife. It makes the dénouement all the more tragic as the protagonists are swept away by emotions beyond their control. Giorgetta’s heartfelt cry at the end is as much for the loss of her child as it is for the loss of her lover.

While it would always be preferable to have Puccini’s orchestration, the atmospheric impact of the melodic lines is such that the darkness and dampness of the riverside impinges throughout. Philip Voldman was impressively sensitive at the piano and the balance with the singers was never problematic.

The small cast covered all of the parts, making a virtue of a necessity. When the pair of lovers appear, they are Giorgetta and Luigi as a dream image in Michele’s mind, though we have already seen the all too tangible outcome of their passion. Voices throughout were large and expansive. Joana Seara and Leonel Pinheiro easily met the emotional demands of the lovers, and his rough bulk was convincing as an itinerant stevedore. Simon Lobelson has the authority for Michele with an unexpected tenderness.

Ciaran O’Leary in the tiny part of Tinca, showed a fine tenor with great promise.

Aylin Bozok’s production allowed the action to move with sincerity and simplicity, the one very effective prop being the sudden appearance of a vast cloak which covered the stage as well as Michele and his wife.  Surtitles were in use and they swung in the wind almost as if the tent were a barge itself- an unexpected bonus. BH

Photo ©Desmond Chewyn

The festival continues until 8 September.  www.arcolatheatre.com

No other composer is referred to in terms of his connection with his librettist. We may speak of the Da Ponte operas of Mozart but we no more refer to Da Ponte and Mozart than we do to Boito and Verdi. Important as collaborations are, the reality of the situation is simply that, without the music, the works would not survive. How many of W S Gilbert’s plays or writings are common currency today? This is not because they are unimportant but that the overwhelming impact of the recognised work is carried by the music.

Though Sullivan may never have arrived at the grand opera he so cherished, his compositions deserve a better hearing than they regularly get. A semi-staged performance of The Yeomen of the Guard in the Royal Albert Hall went some way towards this but ultimately stumbled where so many productions do in putting more emphasis on the semi-staging than the music.

Though the singing was throughout of a high quality, the movement on stage often left voices adrift. Andrew Kennedy’s stirling Fairfax was at its best in his two solo arias which were done straight to the audience. At other times his voice got lost. This was equally true of Lisa Milne’s Elsie Maynard. Beautifully phrased throughout, even she lost impact in the final ensemble as she was facing sideways and singing into another character.

Thankfully the voices were strong enough to carry for most of the time, and Toby Stafford-Allen’s young Shadbolt, and Felicity Palmer’s seasoned but charged Dame Carruthers showed what could be done.

Mark Stone’s equally young Jack Point produced impeccable diction and clarity but found the transition to tragic anti-hero beyond him.

The real difficulty was the semi-staging which constantly worked against the music. There is a brooding selfishness at the heart of the work, a melancholy which is quite different from any other of the Savoy operas. Fairfax sings only of death and imprisonment. Phoebe – a highly positive performance from Heather Shipp – starts and ends in tears. Nobody is a free agent and the Tower itself is a symbol of the constant sense of imprisonment which traps all whom we encounter.  Strutting Tower Warders and mugging actors have no place within this sense of entrapment.

I suspect that the radio audience had a very different impression from those of us in the hall, and it will be interesting to see the way it comes across on television later this week.

The BBC Concert Orchestra and Singers under Jane Glover did their best with what were essentially Mozartian forces in a hall which requires Wagner for impact. The best of the music was certainly the small ensemble numbers – the Temptation trio, the madrigal – where the combined voices and direct contact with the audience led to positive outcomes.

Strangely, the evening might have been better as a concert performance with newly written spoken narration.  There is also a good case for using a full symphony orchestra. I recently heard the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra play Pineapple Poll and the impact was stunning when Sullivan is given the weight of orchestration his compositions can easily take. It was good to be reminded how fine a work Yeomen is, but I still yearn for a fully performed reading which takes the work at face value and sees it for what it is. BH

 Proms Photographs copyright – Chris Chrisodoulou