Amahl and the Night Visitors review

A double bill of Dido and Aeneas and Amahl and the Night Visitors

There are many groups in London which bill themselves as ‘community’ opera companies but bear no appearance whatsoever to the community they are based in and, one cynically wonders, if this is all a ploy to get funding. There is, happily, an exception to this with the vibrant new Vision Opera, just two years old, the creative brain child of Deborah Aloba. This group really does reflect cultural and racial diversity and the productions I viewed were better off for it. You can see, feel, hear, sense the commitment of the production staff in getting these difficult pieces (for community actor-singers), not only off the ground, but onto the stage and brilliantly so. The energetic chorus deserve special mention for their stellar performance and unflagging commitment throughout the evening.

The first opera, Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell and first performed in 1689, is the story of Queen Dido of Carthage and her love for the prince Aeneas, son of Achises and the Goddess Venus. The prince has lead the Trojan War and, after the fall of Troy, is going to build a new Troy in Italy (the predecessor of Rome). After a difficult voyage and a terrible storm, he is cast on the Lybian coast where he meets Dido and they fall passionately in love. A coven of witches plan the destruction of Dido and of her city, Carthage. The Head Sorceress convinces Aeneas he has heard a message from Mercury ordering him to leave for Italy immediately. Dido, distraught, after his departure, takes her own life.

Dido and Aeneas was written for a School for Young Gentlewomen based in Chelsea and, as the composer was also a dancing master, there are many dance sequences throughout the opera. This suits the group well as it gives the chorus much to work with and adds enormously to the production. Of particular note is baritone Nicholas Merryweathe singing the role of Aeneas, who will no doubt be a regular on the professional stage very soon. The voice is bright, verging on spinto, with a pleasing vibrato and enormous carrying power. He has a natural acting style reminiscent of great singers like Bryn Terfel.

His counterpart, Queen Dido, was well sung by Miranda Westcott, the tone rich and smoky. In the aria ‘If I Am Laid’ she produces a powerful sound but a bit held back in the throat in the lower range. However, the acting and overall performance overshadowed any issues of vocal balance and the two were entirely believable as a couple. The Witch, played by Deborah Aloba, was strongly sung and well acted with great attention to detail. The strange, rapid back and forth movement of her eyes during her first entrance caught the audience’s attention to great effect. Her sidekicks, Kim Graves and Fiona Williams (1st and 2nd witches respectively), were delightful and quirky.

The chorus enjoyed themselves immensely during the sorcery scenes and were particularly outstanding in the Laughing (cackling?) Chorus; but appropriately ominous and sober as they joined the funeral procession after Dido had killed herself. Also excellent, and in fine singing voice, was Michael Gunney as the Sailor. The other minor roles, sung by Valerie Grant, Tom Wright, Marion Wilmann and Beverly Bobb, supported the principals well.

Amahl and the Night Visitors, written by Gian Carlo Menotti and first performed in 1951, is quickly becoming a popular Christmas classic in this country and nearly rivals the popularity of this opera in the United States. This piece, written originally for television, could arguably be classed as a musical but it is wonderfully inventive and enjoyable nonetheless. The opera suits a community based company well and gives valuable training and stage experience to the child playing Amahl .

Amahl is a crippled boy from a poor household consisting of himself and his widowed mother. He is a fantasist and prone to telling ‘tall tales’ probably out of boredom more than anything; much to the annoyance of his mother. As the story unfolds, Amahl rushes home to say he has seen a star 'as big as a window’ and ‘With a tail’. Mother has heard these kind of stories before! An argument ensues. Then weary and hungry, the pair go to bed. During the night, 3 Kings approach the home and when Amahl answers the door he cannot believe his eyes. He rushes to tell his mother to come and see for herself. The Kings come into the poor home and are entertained by the Mother, Amahl - and the village! As all sleep, the mother tries to steal some of the King’s gold (for her son, as she poignantly sings) and is caught in the act. Amahl, to protect his mother, tries to take the blame and then decides to give his only earthly possession, his crutch, to the other child; and, as one would expect from a nativity story, Amahl is healed and able to walk. He then goes with the Kings to visit the child they seek, the Christ Child.

This is obviously a poignant nativity story similar to The Gift of the Maji , but it has lots of humorous moments and, because of the excellent diction and projection of the characters by the cast, the audience get the jokes. Of note is the interaction of the Kings (superbly portrayed and sung by Michael Gunney, Alan Tsang and Robert Lowe) with Amahl. These exchanges are musically and dramatically interesting, even exciting. During this sequence my favourite aria in the opera ‘This Is My Box’ was wonderfully performed by Michael Gunney in the role of Kaspar.

Amahl, played on alternate nights by two brothers, is sung and acted by Anton May and Nathaniel May. This particular evening, Anton was in the role and doing more than an admirable job as he sang with clarity, fervour and confidence. Deborah Aloba, as the mother, was wonderfully cast. The voice is huge and, at times, unwieldy, but it never prevented one from enjoying her performance. Not to be forgotten is Nick Merryweather, looking cool and unapproachable in suit and dark glasses, as the Page. To be anticipated, the chorus of children and shepherds was a huge hit with the audience. Here was an opportunity for the children to ‘strut their stuff’ for the Kings (and family members in the audience!).

An enormously satisfying evening, I would recommend taking the opportunity to go and support this group. Vision Opera will, hopefully, continue to grow and reach out to many who otherwise might not have access to opera.

Alex Galera