Opera Scotland

Pierrot Lunaire 2014Hebrides Ensemble

Read more about the opera Pierrot Lunaire

This performance was held as part of a lively two-day tribute to the work of publisher John Calder. The festival he started and ran through the 60s and 70s, Ledlanet Nights, presented the work on two occasions, including the first Scottish performance in an English translation. It was therefore appropriate that it should be heard here, along with sessions highlighting some of the authors he published, particularly Samuel Beckett.

The Australian soprano Allison Bell has performed Pierrot on a number of occasions, and made light of the vocal difficulties to give a thoroughly convincing interpretation. The quintet of musicians from the Hebrides Ensemble, directed by William Conway, also have several performances under their belts. They made much of the music sound positively beautiful, while still bringing out the astonishing modernity of a score now over a century old. They were Fiona Fulton (flute), Yann Ghiro (clarinet), Zoë Beyers (violin & viola), Philip Moore (piano) and William Conway himself (cello).