A few seasons ago, Fife Opera staged the work usually paired with Pag - Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. However to be unusual, they paired Cav with Puccini's comedy Gianni Schicchi. How apposite, then, that when they got round to Pag that it should be paired with a second part of Puccini's Trittico, not the equally melodramatic Il tabarro, but the sad and emotional Suor Angelica.
In the event this unusual pairing worked very well. The orchestral reduction edited by Tony Burke was highly effective in the small pit, and Richard Evans achieved a good balance with the lively chorus. Enunciation of the text by the chorus could have been clearer though.
The solo performances in Pagliacci were all effectively done. Russell Malcolm's voice is too soft-grained to be ideally villainous for the spiteful Tonio, but his physical movement was more effective than many interpreters of the role. The veteran Robert Crowe had the ideal steely tone for Canio. The other three soloists, all recent graduates from Glasgow, gave excellent performances. Elizabeth Chennels' voice is developing nicely, and her Nedda was quite powerfully sung. As her lover Silvio, Christopher Nairne gave an excellent performance with his smooth, stylish baritone and commanding stage presence. Alistair Digges, not usually seen in character roles also gave a rewarding, lively interpretation as Beppe.
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