Opera Scotland

Elisir d'amore 2023Tayside Opera

Read more about the opera Elixir of Love

It is good to see Tayside Opera showing a significant improvement in activity after the years of struggling with the effects of the Covid pandemic and other difficulties.  The company's involvement in the recent Opera Festival Aïda certainly showed things moving in a positive direction.

The chorus has now risen to the healthiest number for some time, with a total of thirty-two voices, most of them young and producing a healthy sound.  The chamber orchestra now has twenty players under the excellent direction of Richard Johnston.  Director Alan Borthwick clearly keeps the level of enthusiasm bubbling along.

Donizetti's comic masterpiece received  five performances. The first, in Brechin, had piano accompaniment by the company's regular collaborator, Robert Duncan.  The chamber orchestra took over for the four showings in Dundee.

The principal roles feature regular Tayside artists - indeed Russell Malcolm  played Belcore in the company's most recent production back in 2007.  By contrast, it is several decades since Brian Boardman last worked here.  However his bread and butter in recent years has been performing the patter roles of G & S, and Dulcamara requires just the same lightness of touch as those classic parts.

It will be rewarding to watch the future development of the company's new tenor, the Venezuelan Sebastian Peñalver, who certainly has a natural talent worth nurturing.  He has also worked with the other East Coast company that contines to perform - Fife Opera in Kirkcaldy.

The solo role of Giannetta, the chorus leader, was divided between two young sopranos.  It is encouraging that one is coming from a base in Edinburgh, as amateur opera seems to be struggling there just now.

The financial success of this production allowed the company to make an excellent contribution of £400 to Maggie's cancer care centre.

Further evidence of Tayside Opera's current healthy state is the fact that their next production for 2024 has already been confirmed.  Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor has featured in the company's repertoire several times - indeed present director Alan Borthwick sang the lead tenor role of Edgardo back in 1980, so he certainly knows how it goes.