By Cal
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6FLpEyzSBw
Available until: Unknown
Warnings: Contains scenes of mild violence, adult language
and preparation of fish dishes. Not recommended for ichthyophobes and probably
isn’t suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
This is an interesting one! It’s 13 minutes of in the lives
of three chefs who work at a restaurant called The Narcissistic Fish – brothers
Angus and Kai, and Belle, who is paid less but is the brains of the business.
Angus and Kai receive some news which they both react to in different ways,
while Belle has to make a decision about her future.
At the start of the opera, the musical accompaniment is provided by the sharpening of the knife and the other sounds as the food is prepared, which is clever and works well, but I also like Samuel Bordoli’s atmospheric music with its feeling of foreboding. Jenni Fagan’s script is in Scottish dialect so it can be difficult for people who aren’t used to it, but it sounds natural and suits the personalities. The singers, all Scottish Opera Emerging Artists, work very efficiently in the kitchen as they sing.
Charlie Drummond portrays Belle’s anguish and anxieties
beautifully in her high, floaty soprano and acts very well too – not so much an
emerging artist as one who has already emerged. The brothers, Angus (Arthur
Bruce) and Kai (Mark Nathan) also do well in their roles, with Kai the more
caring brother and Angus the mercenary, unethical one who’s probably quite
lucky no-one has slapped him with one of those fish yet. (I’m not supporting
violence, but I’m also not supporting Angus.) Angus is a great example of a
modern opera villain.
I am a bit concerned that this video will be difficult to
understand for some people with disabilities. It has subtitles, but they’re
very small and quite hard to read as they’re often against a white background.
Many people who are hearing-impaired also have trouble reading small writing so
I think this production could be a bit more accessible than it is. But I really
enjoyed it and it’s not really any more bizarre than Wagner.
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