(Photo: John D Kelly)

With its intimate space and reflective ambiance, St Carthage’s Cathedral in Lismore proved to be the ideal venue for the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival’s performance of Purcell’s chamber opera, “Dido and Aeneas.” Seating approximately 350 to 400 people, the cathedral allowed the audience to enjoy a very personal and close-up experience of the composer’s masterpiece.

A staging area for the orchestra and singers was erected directly in front of the chancel, over which hung a large moon, which was used to create different moods through the alteration of its color. It was a simple device, yet it successfully helped transform what was essentially a concert into a semi-staged performance, to which the singers added by acting out their parts, although there were no costumes or props.

Standout Performance from Murrihy

The star of the evening was undoubtedly soprano Paula Murrihy, who interpreted the characters of Dido and the Sorceress. The expressivity she was able to bring to both roles was impressive in that she was able to clearly differentiate their emotional personalities while never compromising on the beauty. As Dido, she expertly captured her delicate emotions that culminate in bitterness and intense sadness. Her rendition of Dido’s lament, “When I am laid in earth,” was convincingly delivered; long, aching lines, each carefully detailed and coated with a mournful heaviness, clearly articulated, brilliantly the pain. It was also a deeply honest pain; there were no superficial effects or misplaced accents. As the Sorceress, the voice was given more energy and different shadings that drew attention to her malevolence. The Sorceress wore a red shawl over her black dress to differentiate her from Dido. It was not necessary. Murrihy’s strong, sensitive and focused vocal performance was sufficient.

Baritone Dean Murphy is able to project his voice strongly and forcefully. However, he employed it with little regard to the size of the space or to the volume of the orchestra or singers; everything was delivered with various gradations of fortissimo, to the extent that the overpowering volume became his defining characteristic and upset the musical balance of the performance. It was unfortunate, as his voice possesses an attractive tone, and he sings with a pleasing sense of freedom that allowed him to present an expressively solid portrait of Aeneas, albeit one compromised by his insensitive management of the dynamics. In his final scene with Dido, for the first and only instance, he displayed greater sensitivity to the impact of his projection and the effect was wholly positive.

Soprano Kelli-Ann Masterson, cast as Belinda and the First Witch, used the opportunity to show off her ability to characterize roles through the voice, employing her strong technique and vocal versatility to craft sensitive, detailed lines to successfully flesh out her interpretations. Her fashioning of beautiful and precise embellishments and lively passages of sparkling coloratura proved a delight to the audience and added to the overall impression.

Soprano Susie Gibbons gave confident and engaging presentations as the Second Lady and the Second Witch. Her singing was expressive, clearly articulated and detailed with a pleasing degree of flexibility, evidenced by her neatly presented short passages of coloratura.

The relatively small role of the Spirit was played by soprano Anastasia Sereda, who made a strong impression with her well-controlled, subtle phrasing and ability to bring expressive clarity and strength to the voice.

Tenor Patrick Hyland, cast in the small role of the Sailor, caught the spirit of the aria “Come away, fellow sailors” with a vibrant, lyrically convincing rendition.

Nicholas McGegan conducting the Irish Baroque Orchestra produced an elegant, refined reading that responded sensitively to the locations and drama of the piece. It was also a beautifully paced presentation with a lucid clarity that captured the score’s rhythmic variety and delicate textures. The musical balance, notwithstanding Murphy’s insensitivity, was nicely managed, in which he also elicited a fine performance from the small chorus.

Overall, it was a performance with much to admire and proved to be a perfect companion piece to the festival’s main opera, Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” in which both works slide between the human and the spirit worlds. One decision that was a little perplexing and fairly irritating, in that most of the audience had a considerable journey to make after the performance had finished, was the late start. The curtain did go up until 21:45!