Paisley Opera: Faust
Paisley Methodist Central Hall, 6/10/24
Orchestra of Scottish Opera; Alistair Digges (conductor); Chorus of Paisley Opera; right2dance (dance troupe); Thorbjørn Gulbrandsøy (tenor); Catriona Clark (soprano); Nicholas Morris (bass-baritone); James Corrigan (baritone); Laura Margaret Smith (mezzo-soprano); Martin Higgins (baritone); Heather Ireson (mezzo-soprano)
Exactly a year after their production of Verdi’s Macbeth, in Scots translation and Renfrewshire mise-en-scène, Gounod’s Faust is receiving the same Paisley Opera treatment, with the sub-title ‘The Devil Went Down to Paisley’ in a new translation by Lindsay Bramley. As with the Verdi, Gounod’s sumptuous score is realised by players from the Orchestra of Scottish Opera with conductor Alistair Digges, while visual elements are again enhanced by the Paisley-based dance troupe right2dance, choreographed by Aileen Palombo. The Simon Hannigan and Douglas Nairne co-production is designed by Eilidh Riddell, lit by Davy Cunningham and directed by Thomas Guthrie. The action is transformed to Paisley in 2028, with the world at war. Faust is an ageing computer scientist who believes he has wasted his life, cursing God. When the devil offers him a second chance with rejuvenation and the chance to seduce the beautiful innocent Margarita, in return for the eternal damnation of his soul at the end of his second life, he takes it. Of course, this is opera: it does not turn out well for anybody.
Paisley Opera is, at its core, a community chorus, open to all who wish to participate, from amateur beginners to seasoned professionals. They benefit from training by professionals, led this year by the wonderful Rosie Lavery, whose performances in RCS Opera Masters shows last year it has been my pleasure and privilege to review. Both Rosie and Douglas Nairne were visible performing as members of the chorus, and indeed all the professional coaches did so. In this production, the chorus represents the Paisley townsfolk, including the soldiers heading off to war, and the choral sound was phenomenal, especially in the big numbers like the drinking song and the waltz that frame Act 2 in the pub. The rejoicing at the homecoming of the soldiers in the Act 4 Soldiers’ Chorus, always a favourite, was equally thrilling, but the final chorus (of angels in the original) proclaiming Margarita’s salvation, even as Faust is damned, was breathtakingly beautiful. Community rallying to protect one of their own against evil. Powerful stuff.
Equally inclusive is right2dance, a community dance company that has been providing opportunities to engage with the world of dance in Paisley for 50 years. In this production, the 7 dancers were the Devil’s minions, slithering wraiths in the form of teenage girls, personifying temptation. Their big number, dancing to the Walpurgisnacht music, usually in Act 5, was shifted to Act 4 to dramatise the Devil’s evil predatory scheming to capture souls. Quality.
Norwegian tenor Thorbjørn Gulbrandsøy was quite a catch for this production in the huge eponymous role of Faust. His is a big voice with heldentenor qualities but also depths that made it less of a surprise to read that he had started his career as a baritone. He played the complex, flawed and fundamentally weak and suggestible character, so easily and tragically dominated by the Devil, very convincingly. His voice blended perfectly with the other principals and the chorus, most noticeably in the Act 3 quartet with Mephistopheles, Margarita and her friend Martha.
English bass-baritone Nicholas Morris, who trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), was a fabulously irascible, malevolent and swaggering Mephistopheles. The original opera allows a lot of room for humour in the role, including the Act 3 quartet in which he endures the amorous advances of Martha, thereby distracting her from gooseberry duties and allowing Faust a clear field to flirt with Margarita, at least initially quite ineffectually, much to Mephistopheles’ chagrin. The new translation gives him a few great one-liners. For example, when he notices Faust’s surprise at his first sudden appearance in response to Faust’s invocation, his wry comment is: “You were expecting Bela Lugosi?” For the most part though, this is a role of purest evil and menace and it was brilliantly characterised and sung with a voice that was rich, powerful and characterful. I was particularly pleased with his delivery of Scots dialect too. A captivating performance.
Scottish soprano Catriona Clark, whose Cio-cio San and Susanna for Opera Bohemia, and more recently Pamina for the Scots Opera Project’s ‘Magic Flute’ at this year’s Perth Festival, were praised in my reviews, delivered again in the role of Margarita. There was a sense of déjà vu when her image appeared on the screens of Faust’s computers in Act 1 as an enticement to selling his soul; in Perth, the Queen of the Night had used the same trick to inveigle Tamino into a quest to ‘rescue’ Pamina. Chaste, modest and demure by nature, she is flattered by Faust’s attention and the box of jewels which Mephistopheles conjures to aid the seduction. The Act 3 ‘Jewel Song’ got well-deserved applause. But it is to the declarations of love that she eventually succumbs. In the Paisley libretto, the townspeople stand by her when she falls pregnant; only her brother Valentine condemns her. In a departure from the original, she suffers a miscarriage and is gravely ill. Faust is sent by the Devil to persuade her to forsake her faith in return for prolonging her life but supported by the community she stands firm. The Devil is thwarted, Faust is damned, but Margarita’s salvation is assured as she dies in the arms of her best friend Martha. Catriona Clark played the role sympathetically with the perfect mix of innocence, vulnerability and inner strength.
Scottish bass-baritone James Corrigan completed a Law degree at the University of Aberdeen before studying at the RCS. A career in opera and choral singing was interrupted by the pandemic and his principal occupation is now ‘whisky auctioneer’ – I’m honestly not making this up. He played Valentine, Margarita’s brother and officer of the army corps that heads off to war in Act 2, to a rousing send-off from the townspeople. He attempts to tackle the boorish swaggering Mephistopheles in the pub scene, but the latter’s magic neutralises his efforts, alerting the townspeople to the Devil’s true nature. When he returns in Act 4 and discovers that Faust has impregnated his sister, he attempts to duel with him, but again the Devil’s magic weakens him and he is killed by Faust, cursing his sister as he dies. Not a sympathetic role, but he dramatised the bravery and bitterness with equal skill and stage presence and delivered a top vocal performance.
Scottish mezzo Heather Ireson, a super Cherubino in Opera Bohemia’s ‘Marriage of Figaro’ in August 2022, and a charismatic Annina, Violetta’s devoted maid, in Scottish Opera’s ‘Traviata’ earlier this year, was an excellent Martha, combining the comedy gold of her irrepressible flirtation with the Devil himself with the compassionate tenderness of her cradling of the dying Margarita at the end, symbolising the love of the whole community.
Stephen (Siebel in the original), a teenage lad besotted with Margarita and entrusted by Valentine to watch over her while he is away at war, is a trouser role and it was played convincingly by Scottish mezzo Laura Margaret Smith. In Act 3, Stephen brings flowers for her which he leaves without meeting her. They are trumped by Faust’s Mephistophelian jewels, of course. Laura’s rendition of Stephen’s Cavatina in praise of Margarita’s chaste virtue was very lovely. The jovial role of Rob (Wagner in the original), pub owner and comrade of Valentine, whose death in battle is foretold by the Devil’s sinister prophecy in Act 2, was warmly played by Irish baritone Martin Higgins.
Shining through the music-making and creative work of this company is a sense of immense civic pride, celebration of diversity and affirmation of the life-enriching power of community. What’s not to like? There is one more performance on Wednesday 9th. Highly recommended.
Photo credit: Douglas Taylor and Sartorial Pictures