Monthly News

Bath Festival of Opera 2009

07 / 2009

The past week has seen The Mission Theatre inundated with operatic talent of all ages as Bath celebrated its first Festival of Opera. Organised by David Wright and promoted by WildThymeMusic, the festival welcomed six different opera groups from Bath and the surrounding area to perform new and classic works in The Mission’s versatile Main Auditorium.

The week got off to a roaring start with the Bath Gilbert and Sullivan Society performing “Trial By Jury” at lunchtimes on Monday and Tuesday. This jolly one-act comic opera had the audience humming the tunes for hours afterwards while they lunched with the cast in the Bistro. In the evenings, bathOpera presented a stunning version of Puccini’s “La Bohème”. This classic work was sung in English by an impressive cast, and full credit must go to the lead tenor who, despite having lost his voice on Monday, performed beautifully while being ably supported from the sidelines by a guest tenor from Birmingham.

Wednesday saw two one-off shows: at lunchtime the Festival hosted Bath Spa University students, both past and present, performing their favourite Mozart arias in a Mozart Opera Concert. The performance was in aid of the Christian Blind Mission, an organisation dedicated to improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities around the globe. In the evening the popular “Trial by Jury” formed a double bill with Stentorphon Opera performing “Der Schauspieldirector” by Mozart. This was Stentorphon’s first visit to The Mission but this week’s audience, enchanted by the dazzling singing, will be delighted to know that Stentorphon will return in the Autumn season with a double bill of Italian opera in November.

The end of the week has welcomed Opera Anywhere to The Mission with two of Menotti’s short operas, “The Telephone” and “The Medium”. These two 20th century pieces prove that anything can be incorporated into an opera – from a Vodafone customer service stall to a phoney clairvoyant! The grand finale of the week, the premiere of David Wright’s new opera “Bored Men”, emphasises the true versatility and accessibility of opera. Set outside the changing room in a women’s department store, wives and girlfriends endlessly try on the latest fashions as their bored partners wait for them.

The Festival of Opera has demonstrated once again that not only does The Mission Theatre present outstanding dramatic productions but it is also an ideal venue for the rich diversity of musical events that are now attracted to perform there.

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