BUTE Arts Society pulled out all the stops to deliver a marvellous musical double bill that entertained and delighted in a magnificent achievement for such a small island.
On Friday evening the society was excited to have the multiple award-winning Asaka String Quartet. The quartet first formed when they were students and quickly gathered prizes and plaudits. The quartet consists of Liam Brolly on viola, Jonathan Ho Man Fong on cello and Iona MacDonald and Ben Norris on violins, who ably replaced their usual performer Eeriol Gio Yu due to illness. They gave the crowd a varied program of Schubert, Mendelssohn and Brahms and a particularly interesting Faroese traditional tune paired with an Irish traditional piece that had been arranged by the Danish String Quartet. Appreciative praise was particularly deserved for their performance of Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in A minor, which was written when Mendelssohn was only 18. This masterpiece of ever-changing moods throughout the four movements demands that the quartet performed in dazzling style. The work is characterised by an early example of cyclical themes. The instruments effected sonorous depths at a stately pace; a call and response of themes flowed round the performance space, producing a multi dimensional experience that belied the fact that this could be achieved by only four instruments. The communication between the four performers was subtle but fascinating, their brief glances and mirroring postures creating a flowing harmonious whole. The work was endlessly inventive and mesmerised the appreciative audience. The third movement, an intermezzo, was stately and regal with a dancing format that called to mind elegant courtiers stepping out. This contrasted with inclusions of feverish bowing and dramatic flourishes that gathered momentum before stepping back to highlight a soulful violin theme that drew in the others to provide shimmering undertones and let the violin rise above to a fading finale.
The quartet, encouraged by the grateful audience’s joyous applause, provided an encore of Shine You No More by Rune Tonsgaard Søensen, a fabulous, folksy, piece that delighted the toe-tapping audience, a perfect finale to send them homeward.
The audience returned the next day for the eagerly awaited return of the fabulous Opera Bohemia and their wonderful accompanying ensemble. This year they brought their production Die Fledermaus, which translates as the bat. This comic operetta was written by Johann Strauss II and was premiered in 1874. It is set in Vienna on New Year’s Eve 1899 but the adaptation for this production was brilliantly transposed to Hogmanay 1959 in Glasgow, with scenes set in Sauchiehall Street, a tenement, The Locarno Ballroom and HM Prison Barlinnie. Performed in English the many ‘Scottish-isms’ and Glaswegian references had the audience in fits of laughter. The plot is convoluted but add up old love, new love, revenge, disguise, mistaken identities and lots of champagne and this is the result. Many of the tunes in Die Fledermaus are very familiar and were wonderfully played by the small but perfectly formed ten musicians who were enthusiastically conducted by the wonderful Alistair Digges. The very able cast of nine filled the stage with wonderful voices and perfect comic timing.
The overture was accompanied with tipsy revellers and a drunken Batman alias Dr. Falke (Whitaker Mills) and Robin, alias Gabriel von Eisenstein (Connor Smith). Robin left Batman tied up with an iconic Glaswegian traffic cone on his head, much to the embarrassment next morning of Batman, and so set up the revenge element of the plot and gave the work a modern twist to its title. Party plans and disguises swiftly followed with a brief spell in jail beckoning but for who? The main couple, Gabriel von Eisenstein (Connor Smith) and Rosalinde his wife (Catriona Clark) sparred brilliantly throughout the performance whilst Rosalinde’s former love, Alfred (Simon Mascarenhas Carter) mellifluously tried to win her back. It is always a joy to hear Catriona perform, her soprano voice is sublime and her expressive comedy skills are wonderful. A rising star, the chambermaid played by Audrey Tsang was a perfect foil both vocally and dramatically.
The party at The Locarno was hosted by Orlofsky, a wealthy Russian (Laura Margaret Smith) who had some very weird party rules explained in the song I’m Often Forced to Entertain (Chacun à Son Goût) and who delighted in the increasingly bizarre behaviour of the disguised guests who had ill-advisedly taken on foreign identities. Rosalinde, who was impersonating a Hungarian countess, was probably the most convincing with a dramatic yet hilarious rendition of Voice of My Homeland, accentuated by imposing stances and much ruffling of petticoats. Orlovsky led the cast with All I Want is More Champagne, causing the inevitable hangovers for the characters and the final scene in Barlinnie prison where the revenge is uncovered and consequences of the devious bad behaviour at the party had to be faced. Needless to say there is a happy ending and with an ode to champagne the cast and crew rushed for the last weather-threatened ferry and the audience considered what champagne vintages are stocked at the Co-Op. How the ‘pure dead brilliant’ production was pulled together in only eight days of rehearsal is beyond belief and is testament to the professionalism, skill and enthusiasm of all concerned.
When attending opera, a spare handkerchief is always recommended for the tragic plots and heart breaking arias, this time it was needed for the tears of laughter. Haste ye back, Opera Bohemia.
