The Merry Widow: Arcadian Opera at Stowe.
Viennese operetta evokes a world of elegant flower-decked ballrooms, chandeliers, champagne and swirling couples, where all is laughter, wit, flirtation and romance. Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow is the perfect exemplar of this light-hearted genre, a frolic set in the Paris of the Belle Époque where high society devoted itself to sophisticated gaiety.
Arcadian Opera offered a polished production that was fun from beginning to end. The costumes and sets, inspired by the designs of George Barbier, created a stylish setting for the comedy. If you're going to waltz properly, don't forget your tiaras, medals and military uniforms!
As Madame Glavari, the rich widow, the petite and attractive Hannah Dobra (soprano) gave a sparkling performance, revelling in all the attention her millions bring her, but never for a moment taken in by any of it.
Richard Woodall was very funny in the rôle of Count Zeta, the elderly ambassador who never wonders why his young wife (Héloise Bernard) spends so much time with the young French Count, Camille de Rosillon (sung by the slim and handsome tenor, James Beddoe). In the course of the opera we learn that many other wives have a similar interest in Frenchmen - dammit, what's their secret?
Madame Glavari's true and sincere love, Count Danilo, was sung by Daniel Shelvey, a powerful baritone who looks like Freddie Mercury.
On a roasting hot afternoon in July, what a pleasure it was to sit in the cool of the Roxburgh Hall and be carried away by Lehár's seductive, lilting waltzes and perky polkas. At times the audience could not resist swaying with the music and even humming along with the melodies.
Much credit must go to the Arcadian Opera Chorus, and to the small-but-perfectly-formed Arcadian Orchestra (led by Diane Gallagher, conducted by Justin Lavender, the musical director of Arcadian Opera).
If there are some who disapprove of indulging in such an unashamedly nostalgic and thoroughly bourgeois, not to say reactionary, art-form, then let that add to the enjoyment of seeing this frolic of an operetta.
I look forward to seeing what Arcadian Opera will offer next season, and on the basis of this production can highly recommend them.
To find out more about them, see their website:-