24/09/2024
**** Review in the Times:
FIRST NIGHT REVIEW
This gimmick-free Wagner won me over
Wagner has become the Saffron Opera Group’s special thing — so for its tenth anniversary, they gave us a passionate performance of his midsummer comedy. (Geoff Brown - September 16 2024)
Ten years ago, the Saffron Opera Group burst into life with an enthusiastic, semi-professional concert performance of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the newly-built Saffron Hall, part of the campus of Saffron Walden County High School. So how did they mark the tenth anniversary?
Revisiting Die Meistersinger, of course. Over the years, under their conductor Michael Thorne, Wagner has become the SOG’s special thing, and you only had to experience the power of the opera’s overture, blasting us straight in the face, to feel the group’s commitment and passion.
As the four and a half hours rolled on (that’s minus the intervals), it was also a pleasure to hear the music without worrying about opera directors who might shift the locale from 16th-century Nuremberg to a 1970s Eurovision Song Contest or even the dark side of the moon. Every singer carried a score or an iPad, but that never stopped the excellent William Dazeley (Beckmesser, the singing guild’s malicious pedant) using every inch of his long, thin body to bring his comically hissable character to life. Using multiple changes of clothing and a small but pertinent collection of props, Elaine McKrill’s concert staging played its part by lightly setting the scene: so much better than an overly clever opera designer whacking us over the head.
No other performer came close to Dazeley for acting panache, though in several cases there was a good reason why. With Paul Carey Jones knocked out by illness, the pivotal role of Hans Sachs, cobbler and wise old bird, was shared between two other cast members, William Stevens and Andrew Greenan, both tethered tightly to their scores.
The performance’s special glory was its communal togetherness and vim in the sections when Wagner goes full tilt. But nimble contributions elsewhere made the shortcomings less significant. Georgia Mae Bishop’s Magdalene (the heroine Eva’s companion) was especially lively, while Eleanor Dennis (Eva herself) hit all the notes with aplomb. Alex Aldren’s David (the cobbler’s apprentice) was always likeable. As for Walther, Eva’s beloved, Charne Rochford’s rather narrow timbre sometimes got lost among the orchestra’s fortissimos, but he certainly stood out singing the Nuremberg song contest’s winning entry, dressed for an evening at Glyndebourne.
The performance’s special glory was its communal togetherness and vim in the sections when Wagner goes full tilt, triggering vigorous singing from the full-throated amateur chorus, the perfect complement to the orchestra’s fire. The Saffron Opera Group is well set up for at least the next ten years.
★★★★☆
