A thousand thanks to the steering committee of the fledgling UK Opera Association which opened its doors yesterday to an industry-wide consultation. The UK certainly needs a body that can advocate for opera in the face of ignorance and prejudice about what opera is and can be - and the funding drought that results from that.

Encouraging was the recognition that small companies are playing an important part in the ecosystem, not least in the opportunities they give to singers and creatives, but also in their often innovative approaches to the repertory as well as the places they perform in. I think it could be emphasised, too, that it is in such environments, rather than in the large companies, that most new works are being created, for a fresh repertory is essential if opera is to remain relevant and inclusive.

The online session was, as these events usually are, hijacked by a few loud voices grinding axes; thus, we immediately got a snapshot of the difficulties facing this new organisation, not only in the parlous state of the industry, but also in the marshalling of operatic egos and the pigeon-holing of people according to skin colour or gender. There seemed to be demands for sub-committees to increase representation - i.e. fragmentation - while the Association, surely, needs to bring voices together and to amplify the basic message: OPERA IS GREAT & OPERA IS UNIVERSAL. It can mean all things to all people through the language of music. For heaven’s sake, let’s hope the Association can pull us all together!

Programme booklet of first performances:

Small-scale opera is a thing nowadays, not surprising given the economies involved. Lots of popular classics have been doing the rounds - La Boheme, Carmen, La Traviata, G&S, etc., as well as arrangements of less mainstream works. Anything to get opera out and about and attract new audiences everywhere is to be greatly applauded. But it has to be admitted the resulting musical experience without orchestra and choruses is likely to be underwhelming compared to the experience that was intended. Just as we like ‘Early Music’ to sound right with period instruments, so grand opera ideally needs to be savoured as the ‘real thing’, performed by the forces and in the spaces it was written for. But it’s worth noting that theatres in the 17th and 18th century (1000 seats) were nowhere near as large as those built in the 19th century (around 2000 seats) - and these are dwarfed by the monster new-builds and extensions of the 20th (3000 to 4000 capacity). In these auditoria, most spectators are distant from the stage, many spy on the performance through opera glasses and typically listen with acoustic enhancement (amplification) even if they’re not aware of it. By contrast, small-scale opera in intimate venues allows the audience to feel close to the stage and feel more involved in the drama. Clearly, voices don’t need to be so large (and wobbly) and don’t have to strain; they can, more often than not, sound more detailed and beautiful. The challenge we face, therefore, is to create new, tailor-made, small-scale works that appeal to audiences everywhere and enhance the repertory of sung dramas that are so powerful and compelling.

A project in the autumn and winter lockdowns recently has been to finish another Lorca setting. My operatic version of Así que pasen cinco años I've called In Five Years' Time, which seems a more natural translation than 'When Five Years Have Passed'.  ​Death is a theme of the play and very much in the headlines right now.

The Oval Portrait

The inaugural project of The Music Troupe