Daphne, Richard Strauss’ hardly ever staged, one-act, bucolic opera, has been described as having “concise and sublime beauty”. Seldom seen, it’s mentioned due to the issue of the music for each orchestra and singers, and for the issue in staging a narrative based mostly on the parable of Daphne from Ovid’s Metamophoses.
Here in its Scottish Opera debut, it’s offered in live performance kind by Emma Jenkins. Originally set on the Feast of Dionysus, revels that Daphne (Hye Youn Lee) neither approves of nor needs to be a part of. Our heroine is pursued by would-be suitor Leukippos (Shengzhi Ren), a mere mortal and the god Apollo (Brad Cooper), Daphne, would nevertheless, moderately be at one with nature than any man.
Emma Jenkins staging removes the bucolic and relocates the motion to the Weimar Republic within the years earlier than the opera was composed. While the parallels are acceptable, visually there’s little to recommend time and place save a jack-booted Apollo and a few appropriately attired maids. Thankfully, the elegant singing greater than makes up for any lack of visible stimulation.
As Scottish Opera basic director Alex Reedijk shared earlier than the efficiency there have been numerous nervous singers and musicians ready to share these “many, many notes” and what stunning notes they turned out to be.
The music from begin to finish is totally pleasant, an absolute deal with for the ear, utterly belying its complexity. The orchestra of Scottish Opera have by no means sounded finer.
South Korean soprano Lee is a superbly toned and powered Daphne and the all the time fine-voiced Dingle Yandell is highly effective as her father Peneios. Against such a robust sounding orchestra and a few world-class voices, a couple of principal forged members are slightly underpowered and take a while to come back to full voice. That mentioned, the general high quality of the expertise isn’t impeded.
It is nearly unbelievable that such a gorgeous work has taken so lengthy to stage in any kind in Scotland, that mentioned, it has been nicely well worth the wait.
Reviewed on 5 September 2023, touring to the Lammermuir Festival and the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.
Images: Sally Jubb
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