The Scots Opera Project was begun, under the giodance of tenor David Douglas, in 2015. Initially they gave Scots translations of two attractive baroque works by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. For their first visit to the Perth Festival last year they performed a fascinating early twentieth century rarity in The Seal-Woman by Granville Bantock, with text by a renowned specialist in highland culture, Marjorie Kennedy-Fraser. For this Festival they chose their first Mozart project - The Magic Flute, translated into fluent Scots by Dr Michael Dempster.
The intimate Perth Theatre is an ideal venue for most Mozart operas, and The Magic Flute has in previous years appeared in two excellent full-scale stagings by Scottish Opera, directed first by Peter Ebert then by a young David Pountney, and one more recently by English Touring Opera (at an earlier Perth Festival). This production was on an altogether smaller scale. The accompaniment was reduced to piano, string quartet (led by Opera Bohemia regular Feargus Hetherington), and, of course, a flute (beautifully played by Andrea Kuyper). An unusual gain came with Tamino's own contribution - when the flute alternated with Papageno's pan-pipes the tenor was able to play the instrument himself. This was very effecive.
The edition used was somewhat abbreviated. Following the precedent set by the Berlin Komische Oper at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival, all the dialogue was cut. This was a convenient change for the director, given the adjustments made to the plot. The setting was in some form of psychiatric unit. Sarastro was the head of one treatment unit, with the Queen in charge of another one. Tamiino begins in the throes of a nightmare, from which he is rescued by three nurses. Papageno and Monostatos (recast as a mezzo) wear t-shirts labelled as 'Pest Control' operatives. The Three Ladies doubled as the Boys (sung from the stage boxes). The tenor and bass duo, still described as priests, ere essentially medical orderlies, absorbing some phrases of music from the Armed Men and the Speaker.
The novelty was, of course, the new translation in Scots rather than English. At the second performance, a Sunday matinee, this worked well, and, for the most part the diction was clearly understandable. There were just occasions when the three ladies sang in unison and when the amateur community chorus was performing when diction was not ideally clear.
The solo singing was excellent, with four of the principals - Tamino, Pamina, Papageno and First Lady being regulars with Scottish Opera, having a few days between performances in the chorus of La traviata. David Douglas, also directing, is the founder of the Scots Opera Project, and has a plesantly reedy timbre, with a French tang, which reminds us of an earlier stage of the company's development when they performed works by Charpentier. His ability to play a few notes on his flute was surprisingly effective.
Douglas Nairne first sang Papageno as a student a dozen years ago - performed then in German (with full dialogue). This was a very different concept, but he still succeeded in comunicating well with his audience. There was some attractive singing from Catriona Clark, like the baritone a regular with Opera Bohemia, as Pamina. Colleen Nicoll made an impressively dramatic Queen. Michael Cameron-Longden revealed a warm-toned bass, with a rather softer grain than the part usually has, but he projected well.
This was an enjoyable enterprise, well received by the matinee audience. It is a relief that the Perth Festival has again produced some opera, even if it is on a small scale.
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