Fringe Music

Mozart at Teatime

Royal Overseas League

Hazel Rowland

four stars

OVER 30 classical music recitals are taking place at the Royal Over-Seas League’s clubhouse for the next two weeks. They may seem a world away from the Fringe’s raucous comedy shows, but it would be a shame to miss this more refined aspect of the festival. The third concert in the series was a rare treat: an opportunity to hear opera arias by Mozart and Rossini in a far more intimate setting than an opera house.

But despite the smaller space, neither baritone Nicholas Mogg nor mezzo-soprano Helen Sherman used it as an excuse to tone down the drama. Mogg’s exaggerated facial expressions during his two arias from The Magic Flute were entirely in keeping with his comic character. The audience were also stunned by Sherman’s brilliantly dramatic Smanie implacabili from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, while in Parto Parto from Mozart’s La Clemanza di Tito, she managed to both express pain and sound exquisite. The fact that no translations of the libretto were provided was no hindrance, as both Mogg’s and Sherman’s commitment to acting made what they were singing about clear. In any case, you would not want to have your head buried in a programme with two such mesmerising singers are onstage.

It was perhaps inevitable that pianist Chad Vindin would be overshadowed, although he should be praised for tackling tricky orchestral reductions with apparent ease. He did not have to worry too much about overpowering these singers. Neither took advantage of the dramatic power that also comes from singing quietly, even though the more intimate space makes this possible. But even if this was not a concert of subtlety, the utter charm of these singers more than made up for it.