This review was published at Opera Britannia.
Rating: 
It was a particular joy to see Il trovatore at the Theatre Royal, not only because it is a well directed, well sung sure-fire summer hit for Scottish Opera but also because I was seeing it in the company of someone who had never been to the opera before. This was a perfect production for an opera virgin. It looked good, sounded marvellous and was full to the brim with all the drama and passion that Verdi demands.
Someone, one suspects, somewhere along the way thought a bit about the rather busy plot and realised that essentially the shadows of the past come back to haunt the present. A mix up over an infanticide 15 years before is the driving force behind all vengeance and passion that is presented on the stage. Thus came the idea to use the shadows of the performers so prominently. Low side lights on either side of the stage allow the silhouettes of the performers to act out the plot behind the singers themselves. It is slightly creepy. It also works brilliantly.
The set is sparse but flawless. No crenelated battlements here – but plain grey walls which have something of the manner of a granite worktop in an ultra-minimalist kitchen about them. There’s not that much colour but of course that means that when there is a flash of something bright, it hits one between the eyes and Robert B Dickson’s lighting design was striking.
Scottish Opera have made much in their marketing of the production of the quote attributed to Caruso that all it takes for a successful performance of Il trovatore is the four greatest singers in the world. This is perhaps a dangerous game for a marketing department to play and it is fortunate that there’s a lot to rejoice in with regard to the singing.
First up was Jonathan May’s Ferrando, the Captain of the Guard. His narration of the prior events that give rise to our story was wonderfully measured and brilliantly clear. The gentlemen of the chorus meanwhile lolled all over the stage in their soldier’s outfits. Brilliantly lit, they presented as some kind of pewter relief sculpture. They came to life in more ways than one when they began to sing. Throughout the evening, the chorus, particularly the men, were wonderfully strong.
Roland Wood has plenty of experience on the Scottish Opera stage and was using it all in his portrayal of the Count di Luna. His “Il balen del suo sorriso” in the second act was wonderfully gentle and compassionate. Director Martin Lloyd-Evans tends to allow the principals to take centre stage and just sing their great arias in this production without a great deal going on. Rather than feeling static, it instead focuses the ability of the music itself to provide all that is needed to move the plot along. The effect when Wood was singing was mesmerising.
The object of the Count’s affections was a magnificent Claire Rutter as Leonora. She had the sense to keep something in reserve for the fireworks demanded of her in the final act but this was a consummate performance from beginning to end. “Oh,” murmured my opera-virgin companion during the applause which greeted Ms Rutter’s “D’amor sull’ali rosee”, “oh, how beautiful – I never realised it would be so beautiful”. Quite so. This was a Leonora around whom the rest of the world seemed to spin. Ms Rutter also brought a gentleness into her singing though without losing any of the crispness and vitality of her coloratura.
As for the troubadour himself, Gwyn Hughes Jones as Manrico also had a great deal to praise. His vocal work had a great deal of animation and was a joy to listen to. I have a suspicion that the coda of the great cabaletta “Di quella pira” did not go quite as well as he expected it to. The rest of his singing was captivating though – his voice managing both to dance and also express wonderful colours too.
Last amongst the principals was Anne Mason who made a wonderfully possessed Azucena, the gypsy around whom the plot continually thickens. She seemed to have been driven to the point of madness by the events of 15 years before and there was a burning, urgent passion in her voice.
Down in the pit, Tobias Ringborg was managing to get the most sensitive playing out of the orchestra that has been heard in the Theatre Royal all year. Consistently quite reserved tempi allowed the singers the chance to shine and there was a wonderful (and in Glasgow, rarely achieved) balance between the pit and the stage. At just one moment in the third act did it seem that there was the danger of everything going out of kilter but this was soon rectified. Musically this production was something of a triumph.
There are plenty of opportunities to let the orchestra off the leash, of course. Not least was during an exuberant Anvil Chorus where dozens of gypsies sang their hearts out whilst the shadows of just a few of them made a great tableau above their heads. Smoke and flames were projected onto the scenery behind them – so much more effective than dry ice.
There were lots of great though subtle touches of direction from Martin Lloyd-Evans. The elderly nun stopping a swordsman with a walking stick and a wry shake of the head was one delicious moment but there were plenty of others. Scottish Opera end their season on a high with this production. The verdict of my companion was “I’ll be back”. If next year’s season has the drive and passion of this production she won’t be disappointed.
37 responses to “Keeping the faith”
It was an inspiring recitation. Following the English translation in the service sheet provided added insight to the life of Mary. All the more so as the cathedral is dedicated to St Mary. You are reminded of Mary every time you walk into the building with the Gwyneth Leech mural over the High Altar.
Kelvin is quite right. The very self-righteous defenders of the Bible (including the ones who trolled a brave young Muslim woman, for days, with the most vile language, and those who did not reprimand them) totally ignored the Biblical instructions for raising concerns with a brother in faith (Matthew 18:15; 2 Tim 23). Very practical instruction too! As anyone who has ever lived in community can verify. Could all these obsessive men *please* stop trying to divide our communities in Glasgow. We will not be divided. At the first sign of trouble we rush out to embrace one another. These abusers have much to repent of, even if *just* standing by while others throw stones.
I HATE it when the wrong tune is picked for a hymn … it is simply an abomination before God.
However, helping people to think about how we share hospitality, welcome and learn from each other is the WAY of God! Blessings on you Kelvin.
Some reasons why this time was different:
1. The other quaran recitations you mentioned happened at Nine Lessons and Carols, or special ecuminical and interfaith events. While 9L&C was originally a modified Evensong, nowadays it’s usually considered a seasonal community musical recitial with a religious tinge, so having a Muslim from the community recite something from their faith would seem natural enough. Civic and interfaith services will likewise naturally include representatives of every faith in the community. By contrast the Eucharist is the central act of Christian worship and people expect to hear ONLY Christian doctrine proclaimed in the Holy Eucharist. In other words, this was the wrong venue for showing hospitality to Muslim neighbors. You did not intend to practice syncretism, but I think the outcome was syncretic despite your good intentions.
2. Post Brexit (and post Trump) British Muslims are now seen as alien invaders rather than fellow members of the community.
3. Because hostility to Muslims is now fashionable, the Express and rest of the gutter press decided that this was a story worth reporting. Since conservative Americans often read the online editions of the British gutter press, the story then went global.
4. Because you are gay and out, your every action is scrutinized for any possible hint of heresy by GAFCON and Co.
Of all these reasons, only reason #1 is a legitimate criticism, but I hope you do think about criticism #1 as well as defending yourself from other, illegitimate criticisms.
Thank you for your comment Whit J – all the more because it is a thoughtful criticism.
I’ve plenty to reflect on about the how and the when we do things like that and I do hear loudly and clearly that many people think this was an inappropriate context. Though of course, I’d be bound to say that some are saying that the Eucharist is precisely the place indeed there are some saying that is what it is for.
I’m not going to get into a back and forth with all the comments on this post and I’m deliberately not letting through things that have already been said but be assured that I’ve heard the criticism and will reflect on it not simply now but over coming months. (I’ve learned a lot about where God is this week that will take a long time to process). I’m grateful for the way you’ve made your point.
I think there is a good deal in what Whit J says, although I am not sure the effect actually was syncretic. I think one does perhaps have to be a regular worshipper at St Mary’s to understand how totally orthodox the worship there is, and how much Jesus is the focus of worship – how utterly unlikely it is that anyone there would make the mistake of thinking he was not revered by the congregation as a whole as very God from very God. It would be impossible for them not to realise that all the clergy there rejoice in this belief. The congregation saw the words of the Qu’ran in an English translation which portrayed that book’s far-from-easy-to-follow account of Islam’s view of the conception of Jesus, in which there was nothing offensive, and heard a very beautiful voice singing in a strange and glorious language. These were clearly indicated to be the beliefs of another faith. We certainly neither saw or heard or understood any insult to the person of Christ. I am sure none was intended, either. Whereas, and this bears repeating, I am totally sure that many of those commenting (not of course by any means all of them, and nobody whose comments are published here) simply wish harm to relationships between the great faiths in Glasgow.
I have spent my whole adult life in dialogue with people of other religious traditions, it has been deeply rewarding. However I feel that what happened at this service was profoundly wrong. When we are truly ourselves we allow other people to be profoundly themselves. The truth of Christianity is not compatible with any other religion. To avoid that incompatibility is to avoid reality. Worship of Jesus is the fountain of our faith the Qu’ran is opposed to that. I love Jesus and therefore cannot conceive of reading the Qu’ran in an act of worship – no problem doing so in other contexts but not in worship. I am profoundly disturbed that you cannot see this Kelvin.
There are so many things aren’t there, not just around this issue which we hold dear in faith and which we can’t see from another perspective?
I can hear and see that people are upset by this and clearly there are many people not upset by it too. And obviously, at least I hope obviously, I love Jesus too.
The trouble with religious questions and the questions that religious people have I think is that so often that our love for our faith can make it impossible to comprehend others who also claim to love the same faith but who take different views about things. We can hear them claim that love but be intellectually unable to process it because it leads them to different conclusions.
I’ve found the same thing to be true in the sexuality debates very frequently though I perceive that to be changing sometimes now. Similarly with other identity issues and some political issues. Israel/Palestine conversations for example often seem to be conducted (when they are conducted at all) by people who seem to behave like ships passing in the night.
I happen to have views about Church Schools which are pretty intransigent and negative. You are one of the few people, no the only person, who ever made me really think there might be a point of view about them other than mine which might have an integrity I could respect. And I’m very grateful for that.
Kelvin, thank you for your reply. I have enormous respect for you. I have no doubt that church schools can be argued against from perfectly respectable positions. Worship of Jesus is simply a different order, it cannot include a reading from the Qu’ran. Worship is one thing, study, dialogue, relationship something else.
I am really grateful to Richard for the phrase “When we are truly ourselves we allow other people to be profoundly themselves” which reflects my experience of interfacing with sincere people of other faiths. Is a Christian Eucharist a place this should happen? I can understand some Christians feeling it is not, but as long as everything was clearly labelled as what it was and the integrity of the liturgy was intact, I can also understand some feeling it is.
Brother Kelvin,
Although I do not agree with allowing the Koran to be read in our Christian churches, I truly appreciated your firm and resolute stand for the deity of Jesus. He is our great God and Savior and I love Him very much. Blessings from Tennessee.
Just as a perhaps amusing point of reference, the 1982 hymnal of the Episcopal church in the USA has “Brightest and best of the STARS” (caps mine) “of the morning,” apparently so as to avoid offending any daughters who might be present, and the two tunes included are “Morning Star” by James Proctor Harding (1850-1911) and “Star in the East” from The Southern Harmony (1835). The Harding tune was also in the 1940 Hymnal, wherein the word “sons” was still used.
I am not clear as to whether the hospitality at St Mary’s anticipates infinite extension of parallel lines between Islam and the Church in Glasgow. Are you planning some opportunities for Glasgow Muslims to understand the Christian faith and prepare for Baptism and the glorious liberty of regeneration by the Holy Spirit? (In whichever order; no axe about that!) As you move around the Glasgow community and meet more Christians of Islamic background, why not invite such to participate in groups for new Muslim enquirers? The testimony of an ex-Muslim can express vibrantly “How I know He lives” (as your SA brethren would sing). You might find not only new hearts from a divine work of grace among your Muslim neighbours but in other neighbours too. Amen. Inshallah!
There are a small number of people in St Mary’s who are converts from Islam to Christianity just as there are a small number of people in local mosques who are converts from Christianity to Islam.
St Mary’s regularly puts on events and courses for people discovering and exploring Christianity. Most living religions do the same thing.