Categories: journal
Date: 01 February 2011 13:32:07
Last week was horrible - as close to meltdown as I've been in this job. But I had the weekend's outing to look forward to, and, somehow, we made it.
A collaboration between RSAMD and Scottish Opera, Saturday's performance of Janacek's "The Cunning Little Vixen" was, in my view, a triumph. Actually, our view was possibly not the one intended by the designers of the production. The stage was landscaped (think: teleTubbies), with hills which, from above must have looked quite natural. We were sitting, almost, below the stage - so we missed some of the action, but probably felt as if we were part of what was going on. And the hills opened up to create internal space - a farm house, and a bar - we were to the side, so, again, we couldn't see everything.
The music was glorious. For me, listening to Janacek's music can be quite unnerving - he doesn't use melodies the way traditional classical composers (Mozart, for example) do, but, rather, fragments of melody, repeated. So the sound builds up, and suddenly you're lifted up with a sense of joy (where appropriate). And, especially, the characterisation of the animals was excellent.
I don't really do reviews - an event is an experience - which (my) words cannot encapsulate, or convey - but, as Sean Rafferty on Radio 3 promised, this one was indeed life enhancing ...