Intermezzo

Last week the Edinburgh Festival Theatre saw what will undoubtedly prove to be the highlight of Scottish Opera’s 2010/11 season: Richard Strauss’s oddball comedy, Intermezzo. This is an opera unlike any other. Strauss forces the heroic melodies of Wagnerian melodrama onto the course of everyday life, uncovering the staggering joys and pains beneath the progression of ordinary domesticity. In doing so he creates a beautiful argument for the mythic importance of aspects of our lives which we may take for granted. The mixture of lightly-comic verismo with a fiercely dramatic score makes for a singular theatrical experience.

One remains buoyed up throughout, bubbling with laughter at the genuinely funny comedy, whilst frequently being hit with a wide range of intense emotions from Strauss’ exceptional handling of the late romantic idiom. A particularly affecting moment occurs in the final scene, where husband and wife share a piece of toast together, and the orchestra pours out the most joyous, earth-shattering music imaginable, as though the world itself had been saved, rather than a single marriage.

In the opera’s most distinctive features, the intermezzi, the orchestra of Scottish Opera were able to show off their extraordinary capabilities. The playing had energy and a true sense of dramatic immediacy that isn’t often heard. One got the feeling they really believed in and cared about this music. The descriptive elements of Strauss’ score in particular took on a clear lucidity, and one could almost see the foreshadowed action played out in visions above the pit. Francesco Corti was unafraid to overcook the brass to the maximum when required, whilst also ensuring a sense of restraint and fragility in the moments of tender realism.

The small cast were exceptional. Anita Bader and Roland Wood shone as the husband and wife, giving truly impressive vocal performances as well as highly engaging dramatic accounts of the two characters. Nicky Spence did a great job of hamming up the part of Baron Lummer, ensuring the opera’s all-important comic edge. The decision to include this piece in their programme seems a statement of intent: this is not an easy pill to swallow, and will by no means ensure audiences flocking to fill the auditorium; neither is it a particularly easy work to pull off. However, the performances last week were our reward for their daring decision, as Scottish Opera brought this remarkable work vividly to life.